Primary Education Internship

Education Section

Division of Resilience and Solutions (DRS),

UNHCR Copenhagen,

Title: Primary Education Intern

Vacancy No: CPH/VN/2022/036

Duty Station: Copenhagen, Denmark

Duration: Six months (possibility of 2 months extension)

Contract Type: Internship

Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date of Applications: 16 August 2022 Midnight CET

Organizational Context

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering an internship within the Education Section in our Copenhagen Headquarters in Denmark.

UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. We are in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions of people.

This exciting internship is a unique opportunity for someone wishing to gain exposure to the leading agency on refugee education and to sharpen their professional skills. As a member of the Education Section, the selected individual will have the opportunity to help support ground-breaking programmes that help enable education access for refugees around the world.

Education is an integral part of protection for persons of concern to UNHCR, over 50% of whom are children. The Division of Resilience and Solutions (DRS), in close collaboration with Regional Bureaux and the Division of Programme Support and Management, is working on an integrated and holistic approach to support locations in implementing the policies and guidelines on education, children, gender equality and community-based protection. In support of this, DRS provides operational support, policy direction, and strategic guidance to field operations.

Refugee Education 2030, the overarching strategy for refugee inclusion, emphasizes the importance of lifelong learning, partnerships, and learning achievement. The Strategy also emphasizes the need to increase access to quality primary, secondary and tertiary education. Since that time, specific technical support has been provided to a group of priority countries, including regular missions, communication, and participation in workshops to support the development of national education strategies.

The Position

The Primary Education Intern will support the Education team with several important aspects related to the technical support to country operations as well as advocacy and policy development. In the course of their internship they will acquire the following:

• Knowledge on UNHCR’s activities in the field on primary, secondary and tertiary education;
• Knowledge on UNHCR’s education policies (including Refugee Education 2030) and their implementation in field operations;
• Experience of coordination, data collection and report drafting.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Assisting the Education Section to provide support to country-level programming and strategy implementation, particularly in primary education (estimated 80%) and education in emergencies (estimated 20%);
2. Supporting the Education Section to develop strategic policy guidance on refugee education;
3. Supporting the Education Section with advocacy for refugee education at a global level;
4. Assisting the primary education team with the UNHCR/Educate A Child partnership for enrolling out-of-school children in primary school.

Areas of work may be adapted in the course of the internship to better fit the intern’s interests and profile as well as the Education Section’s needs.

Essential Minimum Qualifications and Professional Experience Required

The ideal candidate will:

• Have excellent knowledge of English (written/oral/comprehension) with developed writing skills.
• Have a background in education, development cooperation and/or humanitarian assistance.
• Have strong organization and analytical skills.
• Have excellent communication skills.
• Have proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Eligibility

In order to be considered for an internship, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Be a recent graduate (those persons who completed their studies within one year of applying) or current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by UNESCO.
• Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant or of interest to work of the Organization.
• An individual whose father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister is a staff member of UNHCR, including a Temporary Appointment holder or a member of the Affiliate Workforce, is not eligible for an internship.

Location and Conditions

The successful candidate will be based with the team in the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark. The internship is a six-month full-time role with 40 working hours per week, from 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member and engagement under a UNHCR affiliate scheme or as an intern is subject to proof of vaccination against Covid-19.

Obtaining and renewing current visas and residence permits including all associated costs, are the responsibility of the intern. Please note that the terms of internship, as defined by UNHCR practice, include the payment of a Food and Local Transportation Allowance (FLTA). In case the intern is sponsored by another source during the internship this will be deducted from the FLTA.

For non-EU candidates, D-visa needs to be obtained before traveling to Denmark which takes 4 to 6 weeks. The office will provide assistance on visa-related issues.