SEAMEO Secretariat Internship Programme (SIP) is an opportunity offered to a selected number of applicants pursuing undergraduate or postgraduate studies or to volunteers who have desire to deepen their knowledge their understanding of SEAMEO goals, policies and activities.

SIP provides an excellent chance for a directed, practical learning experience in an regional/international platform.

OBJECTIVES

SIP aim to enable undergraduate students or volunteers to participate in the work of SEAMEO.
The SIP is intended to:

1. Provide a framework by which undergraduate and post-graduate students or volunteers from diverse academic backgrounds could enhance their educational experiences through practical work assignments;
2. Provide opportunities for interns and volunteers to assist the Organization in its pursuit of distinctive contributions to development in education, science and education in the region; and
3. Provide interns or volunteers with exposure on regional/international work that would give them significant edge in terms of career employment/growth and wider network;

QUALIFICATIONS

1. The intern should be a third or fourth-year College Student or a Postgraduate Student and the internship is related to the intern’s current degree of study;
2. Volunteers are not required to be enrolled in a full-time study programme but should satisfactorily state how she/he thinks the internship could contribute to her/his overall career plans;
3. The inter/volunteer should have a good command of written and spoken English;
4. The intern/volunteer should have the ability to adapt to varied physical and other environments and;
5. Intern/Volunteer has a desire to work with and gain the confidence and respect of people of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds;

INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME DETAILS

Intern or volunteer will be based in the SEAMEO Secretariat in Bangkok, Thailand.

A. Programme Design

1. Orientation Session
    

   Upon assumption of internship, the intern/volunteer shall be given an orientation session which aims to introduce him/her to SEAMEO, their work environment and responsibilities of being an intern/volunteer. This session will cover discussion on the following:

   • SEAMEO Profile
   • SEAMES work premises, rules and regulations and other administrative arrangements;
   • Essential Information on Thai (Bangkok) Living
      
2. Internship Proper

   Depending on the intern/volunteer’s research area or field of interest, he/she will be requested to prepare a realistic work plan he/she will need to accomplish within the period of his/her internship.

   The Work Plan should clearly describe how the intern/volunteers will accomplish his/her set of objectives in taking the internship. The Work Plan should provide the details of the activities to be undertaken, objectives/expected outputs of the activities, corresponding timelines and person/s to work within SEAMES/SEAMEO Regional Centres.

   Intern/Volunteers’ Roles and Responsibilities

   Apart from the accomplishment of his/her work plan, the intern/volunteer is likewise expected to perform the following:

   1. Contribute to the conceptualization, planning and organization of SEAMES meetings/activities/events/projects;
   2. Participate in regular or ad-hoc SEAMES meetings and related events;
   3. Proofread reports and articles;
   4. Prepare minutes of meetings and draft reports;
   5. Conduct desk research and prepare presentations on given topics;
   6. Contribute articles for monthly newsletters and SEAMEO websites (only when requested); and
   7. Conduct any other duties that may be assigned by their supervisors;
3. Immersion Session with a SEAMEO Regional Centre (Optional)

   The intern/volunteer shall be given an opportunity to undertake a one-week ‘Immersion Session’ with a SEAMEO Centre that would best assist him/her in further achieving his/her internship goals.

   The immersion session is optional and will need approval from SEAMES and permission from the concerned SEAMEO Center.

   The Immersion Session shall provide the intern/volunteer with opportunity to:

   • Observe and learn firsthand the daily operations of a SEAMEO Centre and how programmes are developed and/or being undertaken;
   • Conduct detailed discussions with key people in the SEAMEO Centre on matters/issues that relate to the intern/volunteer’s internship goals and/or field of interest/specialization;
   • Participate in the Centre’s activities; and
   • Undertake related field visits;

   The report on the Immersion Session shall be part of the intern/volunteer’s internship report.

   All expenses connected with the immersion sessions, such as travel costs, travel arrangements, and living accommodation, are the responsibility of the intern/volunteer or his/her sponsoring institution.

4. Internship Programme Completion
    

   The intern/volunteer will receive Certificate of Completion and Letter of Recommendation/Referral from SEAMES after satisfactory completion of the internship.

   Being a SEAMES Intern Alumni, the intern/volunteer may be requested to be a SEAMEO Advocate. As a SEAMEO advocate, he/she will be requested to:

   • Conduct brief introductory session about SEAMEO to his/her organization upon his/her return or re-assumption of duty; and
   • Disseminate information about SEAMEO and its work.

B. Supervision

The intern/volunteer is a responsibility of the Programme Officer I (PO I). However, he/she may be assigned to work under the supervision of other Programme Officer (PO) or a specific Officer from the Administration and Communication (A&C) Unit of SEAMES whose nature of work is related to his/her research area or field of interest/specialization.

The Roles and Responsibilities of the Supervisor

1. Provide general orientation on SEAMEO work;
2. Ensure that the intern/volunteer has a clear understanding of expected roles/responsibilities;
3. Provide advice and guidance to the intern/volunteer for his/her successful accomplishment of internship goals;
4. Assign specific tasks/assignments to the intern/volunteer and provide guidance in accomplishing the tasks (including those given by SEAMES Directorate);
5. Provide direct supervision to the intern/volunteer in terms his/her participation or contribution to SEAMES activities;
6. Conduct regular progress monitoring of the intern/volunteer’s activities (based on the work plan); and
7. Assess intern/volunteer’s performance and provide feedback to the intern/voluntee

C. Monitoring and Feedback Mechanism

The intern/volunteer will be required to provide his supervisor/s with regular updates on his progress based on the agreed work plan.

He/she will be also required to submit a comprehensive internship report to SEAMEO prior to the conclusion of his internship. The internship report shall cover, among others:

• Brief description of his/her internship objectives and work plan;
• Achievement during his internship (based on work plan and other valuable participations/contributions to SEAMES work;
• Challenges encountered during the internship;
• Lessons learned;
• Feedback and/or recommendations for the improvement of the Internship Programme

The intern/volunteer will be asked to conduct a 10-minute presentation of his Internship Report to SEAMEO Secretariat Directorate and officers.

D. Time Frame

The internship/volunteer assignment will be from three months to a maximum of six months.

INTERNSHIP CONDITIONS

• The intern/volunteers will not be paid, and as such, he/she will not be entitled to the privileges and immunities accorded to staff members of SEAMEO.
• There is no expectancy of employment at the end of the internship.
• All expenses connected with the internship, such as travel costs, travel arrangements, and living accommodation, are the responsibility of the intern, volunteer or the sponsoring institution.
• The intern/volunteer is responsible for obtaining any necessary visas. For internships of two to six months, a non-immigrant visa should be obtained.
• The intern/volunteer undertakes to conduct himself/herself at all times in a manner compatible with his/her responsibilities as a participant in the SIP.
• The intern/volunteer must keep confidential any and all published information made known during the course of the internship and not publish any reports or papers on the basis of information obtained except with the authorization of the SEAMEO Secretariat.
• The intern/volunteer will provide written notice in case of illness or other unavoidable circumstances which might prevent him/her from fulfilling the internship.

APPLICATION PROCESS

1. Applicants who are interested in an internship or volunteer assignment at the SEAMEO Secretariat will need to complete and submit the application form together with a covering letter and a passport-size photo to:

   SEAMEO Secretariat 920 Mom Luang Pin Malakul Centenary Bldg., Sukhumvit Rd., Bangkok 10110, Thailand. Tel +66 (0) 2391-0144 Fax +66 (0) 2381-2587 Email

   Download Application_Form
   For those interested to undertake internship in SEAMEO Centres, applicants will be advised to contact the respective center directly for detailed information.
2. The acceptance of intern/volunteer is subject to the clear understanding that their stay will entail no financial implications, legal obligations or liabilities for the SEAMES. Applications must be accompanied by a written agreement to this effect both from the governmental authority or high learning institution requesting the attachment and/or from the applicants themselves;
3. If deem necessary, qualified applicants may be requested to discuss about their application through a brief face-to-face meeting with key SEAMEO Secretariat officials or through phone interview;
4. All applicants shall be notified of the results of their application as soon as the SEAMEO Secretariat has made its final selection.
5. Selected intern/volunteer shall be given one month prior notice of his/her assumption of internship.