Internship at the Norwegian Permanent Delegation to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg

What tasks did you perform during your internship?

– As part of my master’s degree in Modern International and Transnational History (MITRA), my main task was to write a semester paper during my internship. I was given as much time as I wanted to work on my paper, meaning the writing period was very flexible.

As a visiting student, I was immediately included in the workplace and was not treated any differently to the two student interns at the delegation at the same time as me. I worked on several reports that were sent home to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I participated in the weekly meetings of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, and I helped arrange a seminar for interns on the Council of Europe’s anti-discrimination work. All the work I did for the delegation was related to the core activities of the Council of Europe, which deals with human rights, democracy and the principles of the rule of law in Europe.”

How did you use skills you have acquired from your education at the Faculty of Humanities?

– Since most of the communication work is in English, it was a huge advantage that my studies at Blindern are in English! It was fun to have the opportunity to use the writing and language skills I have learned to formulate clear, targeted messages on social media.

What do you think is or was the greatest benefit from your internship?

– That I got to see the inner workings of a foreign service mission first-hand – everything from the internal organisational structure within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to how foreign policy matters are handled. I am also very interested in international political cooperation, especially related to the fields of democracy and human rights. It was therefore particularly interesting for me to get to see up close how multilateral collaboration works in practice.

Anything else you would like to add?

– If you get the opportunity to do an internship through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of your studies, I would thoroughly recommend it! It is an excellent opportunity, and you will be fully integrated and made to feel very welcome. As the ambassador pointed out to me on several occasions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also dependent on having student interns, meaning you can contribute to important and exciting work.

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