The following post discusses at length how to get research internships in India, how to cope and how to make the best out of them. Law students and students of social sciences or public administration looking for internships will find this post useful. It has been written by Srishti Aishwarya from NUJS with certain inputs from Satya Prateek who very recently graduated from NUJS. Do not miss the list of organisations where you can find policy or research internships.
If you are in a law school, probably you are bothering a lot about the oncoming internship season. Where should you intern to make the best of you short vacation? Well, a lot depends on you, but let’s see if we can make you think about a few interesting options.
For me, a good internship offers opportunity to learn some hands on work, plus a lot of fun. The internship formula prescribed in law schools begins with NGO internship in 1st yr, followed by Trial Court, High Court and Supreme Court Internship in the subsequent two yrs and then finally the law firm internships in 4th yr, which is for obvious reasons very important to many of us. I believe that one should plan internships in such a way so that at the end of 5 years things add up to provide you with a few good things – expertise, insight, and a good professional profile.
In this post I shall try to introduce you to the concept of Research Internships (generally linked to law) that opens a world of opportunities usually unexplored by the most. I would also like to thank Satya Prateek, who just graduated from NUJS and have done many of these internships himself, for helping me out with this post and for providing his helpful insight into the topic. In fact, he introduced me to “Right Orientation” as far as Policy and Research Internships are concerned.
There are at least four types of law and policy research opportunities – (i) Public policy think-tanks (ii) Legislative Research (iii) Government bodies and Commissions and (iv) Public Interest Advocacy Groups.
Public policy think-tanks, as they are called, are essentially organisations which host researchers and academicians, who are engaged in studying problems in areas as diverse as governance, law & order, economic policy, conflict studies, social welfare etc. While work in the field of legislative research embraces active involvement in law making processes, organisations like Centre for Legislative Research and Advocacy(CLRA) provides internship work with MPs which not only gives you opportunities to draft legislative briefs and satisfaction of contributing in the democratic process but also provides you with valuable experience in a rather exclusive domain of practical research.
The government bodies and commissions on the other hand engage themselves in dealing with specific issues. Your interest in the bureaucratic process and in any particular issue and area can justify your internship in places like Law Commission of India.
Last but not the least, Public Interest Advocacy Groups which are essentially consisting of NGOs, bestows you with the capacity to help the disadvantaged section of society via judicial and social tools. You also get the chance to observe judicial process, legal and administrative meanders and the operation of Public Interest Litigation system. If lucky, you would get to make field trips; these were my most memorable experiences when I interned with Human Rights Law Network in Ranchi.
The Right Orientation
The one thing you must make good of your internship at these places is the right orientation. Let me make it clear and simple – a law student asking for an internship should understand what he/she wants out of that experience. If you are applying to a think tank for an internship, your internship application would not read like a law firm internship application, where you will be given work by a supervising team. In policy research, you hardly have a supervising team, you do your own work most of the times and you regularly participate in discussions and analysis built around the research in your field. The nature of the work at these think-tanks, commissions, legislative research organisations and human rights organisations differ in many small ways and there are differences even within the way two commissions would treat an intern. But these are small differences you need not be wary of; you just need to keep them in mind while applying to these places.
When you work in a team at a human rights organisation like HRLN, you would be supervised in some ways and left on your own at a lot of times. You might be expected to draft petitions, or edit them, or at times, provide research assistance to the team members who need them. The nature of work varies at times but it is mostly interesting and almost always, a very good learning experience when we start out in law school. Depending upon your interests, you might come back to work under them or join them after you graduate.
On the other hand, PRS and CLRA have an internship system where the work is a mix of research and drafting (mostly notes). Since they largely prepare briefs on laws and bills and ordinances, you generally get to assist them with background research and if you are very promising, you might even do a small note for them. To see MPs being advised through a note prepared by you would certainly make your day!
But the two places which do not have a fixed system of internship are commissions (except the Law Commission of India) and the public policy think tanks. And despite this, they offer the richest experience of the lot, if you are well-prepared. You cannot expect to find regular work or assignment which would be regularly supervised. Instead you might be working on a report, or preparing a research note or writing an essay on an issue which your team works on.
Most think tanks have researchers who hold expertise in one field or the other – if you happen to be working under one of them, your work would broadly fall in the area of his/her expertise. The other option is that rather than expecting to find work, you should choose your own area of interest, prepare a brief research plan and apply for an internship. If you do this and your research plan sounds promising, you could end up as an intern and you can frequently consult the scholars who hold the expertise in your chosen area of work. At the end of the internship, you should submit your paper for comments and evaluation and if possible, give a brief presentation of your work and findings before the organisation. As with any other internship, you learn as you go along but I will end by reminding that you must inculcate a keen interest in policy issues and you should be clear about your expectations before you send your application.
These places do not only provide you with valuable experience but allows you to groom your researching and writing skills. Getting an internship that falls in the way of your aim and liking can surely be fun while you learn. Here are some internships we can suggest. Happy Interning!
Research internship is really good if you have a penchant for researching and writing. Discussed below are the few places you can knock the door of to hone your research skills.
Centre for Civil Society: The Centre for Civil Society is an independent, non-profit, research and educational organisation devoted to improving the quality of life for all citizens of India by reviving and reinvigorating civil society.
The internship programme of the society offers the opportunity to whet your researching and writing skills and delves into social, economical and political fields. The programme encourages the student to understand, analyse and investigate public policy issue.
Selection to the programme- Every year 30 students are selected from all over India and abroad through a competitive process of a written application and an interview. Any college student or graduate can apply for the programme. Their work is published in newspapers, college magazines, our books, and some interns are also interviewed by the media. More information regarding this programme can be obtained here.
How to apply- The filled in application form can be mailed tointernship@ccs.in or couriered to Internship Coordinator, Centre for Civil Society, K-36 Hauz Khas Enclave New Delhi 110016, India. Phone: 011-2653 7456/ 2652 1882 Fax: 011-2651 2347
Internship with the Law Commission of India: Law commission of India is something known to every law student. The commission allows you to exhaust its extensive library to do your research work which you are supposed to submit at the end of internship period. A brief research paper has to be submitted to the concerned head at the end of the study.
Selection to the programme- The interested law students pursuing studies (2nd to 5th year of three year/five year law degree course only) at the law School/University can send their applications in a Proforma at least two months in advance from the date they intend to join. All these applications will be scrutinized and the actual offer will be sent to the selected students subject to the availability of slot, consent of the concerned HOD and approval of the Competent Authority.
A certificate is issued to the student at the end of internship after evaluation of research paper submitted by him or her. For more information you can visit this page.
How to apply- The application can be e-mailed at lci-dla@nic.in or send by post to, the Office of the Law Commission, ILI Building, Bhagwan Das Road, New Delhi- 110 001.
Internship at Manupatra: Manupatra does not need an introduction when it comes to legal database and its one of the database law students most frequently browse through to get cases and legal articles. Interning at Manupatra is an option.
Selection for the programme- Manupatra tends to take interns in its Noida office. According to the website, good writing and researching skills stands as an essential for getting a position out there. For details, you may refer to thispage.
How to apply- Interested candidates may send their resume to contact@manupatra.com with Subject INTERNSHIP.
Internship at Indlaw: Indlaw, like Manupatra is pretty well known. Indlaw provides internships to students pursuing law course where the editorial capabilities of the students are strengthened. The students gain expertise in various areas of law and more specifically in the field of legal writing along with researching for articles and head noting of cases.
Selection for the programme- The programme of internship is open for one-two months and the students need to have excellent researching and writing skills. For more details, check this out.
How to Apply- Interested students can send in their CV to internship@indlaw.com
Parliamentary Internship: The Centre for Legislative Research and Advocacy proffers exclusive chance to intern with parliamentarians and political party leaders providing them with the opportunity to contribute in the decision making process.
The four week internship would require students to contribute to the office work of Members of Parliament, parliamentary party offices and other political party leaders in a variety of ways, from writing press releases and speeches, to organising briefing notes and representing their MPs or party leaders at meetings and functions. Provide research and information support to the Parliamentarians and other Party Leaders as and when the need arises. This will help them participate in Parliamentary affairs, as they will have a more in depth understanding of the issues.
Selection for the programme- Students from 2nd and 3rd yr who have a penchant towards parliamentary process and politics can apply for this programme. Before the initiation of the internship, a weeklong training session is held in order to mould them as a parliamentary intern. For more information, you can visit www.clraindia.org
How to apply- You can send in your resume to shailey@clraindia.org orinfo@clraindia.org
Global Research Internship Programme in Law (GLIP): This programme is being offered by Jindal Global Law School. The idea is to boost students research experience and help them to build a career in that direction.
Research Interns from any Law school can apply and will have a unique opportunity to conduct research in one or two of the ten research centres at Jindal Global Law School (JGLS). They may also be invited to assist JGLS in its publication and administrative activities. Interns will be able to draft policy papers on substantive Indian and transnational legal issues. Students are provided with nominal stipend as well.
Selection for the programme: JGLS is seeking applications from undergraduate and postgraduate law students with interests in legal scholarship, teaching and research. Preference is given to applicants who are in the later stages of their legal degrees i.e. students from 3rd to 5th yr. For more details you can visit here.
How to apply- Applicants should submit a resume including academic credentials, work experience and research experience, together with a one page statement of purpose and the names and contact information for two academic or professional references. Applications, nominations and enquiries should be addressed to: researchinternship@jgu.edu.in>
Thank you for this enlightening post. It was a great help to me in deciding where to intern.
ReplyDeletegreat write... when everyone else just rants about big corporate norms and how "jugaad" can get you in... knowing about research internships was a breath of fresh air
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteCan you please guide me as to what exactly the research internships look for in your CV?
Your article has proven useful to me. It’s very informative and you are obviously very knowledgeable in this area. You have opened my eyes to varying views on this topic with interesting and solid content.
ReplyDeletethanks to guide for those person who are doing LLB and looking for legal.
ReplyDelete