The document summarizes research on internship practices at BRAC and other organizations. It describes the selection process, qualifications, and benefits for internships at 9 local Bangladeshi organizations and 10 international organizations. The research was conducted over 7 days through online sources to identify best practices that could improve BRAC's internship policies. Key aspects studied included qualifications required, application procedures, selection processes, compensation/benefits, and duration of internships.

1. Research on Best Internship Practices
Maisha Mehzabeen
11/8/2015
Abstract:Afteronline research,achart comprisingof differentlocal andinternational organizationsandtheirinternshippracticeshasbeen
made.Thenfewsuggestions have beenproposedforimproving/upgradingthe BRACinternshippolicies.

2. 2
Introduction
BRAC is the leading non-governmental development organization in the world. It offers a wide range of internships in its various
departments/programs. The internship is open to both local and international applicants. For being an accepted as an intern, an
applicant has to go through several stages. At first, an intern needs to fill up an online application form and submit via e-mail. Among
the applicants, the most qualified (academically and professionally) candidates will be shortlisted for interview. The shortlisted
candidates will then be called for an interview or two. Finally, the most deserving candidates are selected as interns for the internship.
For compiling this research document, I have collected information about internships offered in various local and international
development organizations comparable to BRAC. The focus here is mainly trying to find out how other organizations conduct their
internship program and determining whether the policies in BRAC can be improved or not. After comparing the different practices
followed in those organizations for the internship, I have made some recommendations that might be considered by BRAC for
improving its policies regarding the internship.
Purpose of research
The purpose of this research is to find ways of improving the internship practices followed in BRAC by studying the same in other
comparable organizations.
Selection of organizations
For selecting the organizations, I received preliminary guidelines from my supervisor. I was given names of particular organizations
and was told to use the NGO directory for knowing more about the organizations’ locations and activities. Besides, I myself knew
about some of these organizations and their internships. After that, I did an online research for finding out more about their practices. I
came to know about more internships in comparable organizations while doing this online research.
Aspects of internship to be studied
Before starting the research, I was instructed to look through the internship practices followed in comparable organizations, compare
them with BRAC and make some recommendations based on the overall research done. While drafting the research findings, I came
up with the format and criteria/aspects of the internship to be highlighted in this document. During this research, I studied aspects such

3. 3
as, qualification of the interns and benefits provided to the interns, their selection process and the duration of the internship in
comparable organizations.
Timeframe of research
7 days (till now).
Data sources
 Local Organizations
1. Grameen Bank. URL link: http://www.grameen.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=444&Itemid=519
2. Teach for Bangladesh. URL link: http://www.teachforbangladesh.org/about-us/careers/
3. Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST). URL link: http://www.blast.org.bd/getinvolved/internship
4. International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research. URL link: http://ph.ucla.edu/student-affairs/career-
development/jobs/international-centre-diarrheal-disease-research-icddrb
5. Nari Uddog Kendro. URL link: http://www.nuk-bd.org/internship.php
6. Child Sight Foundation. URL link: http://childsight-foundation.org/Internship-Volunteering.asp
7. Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Services (RDRS). URL link: http://www.rdrsbangla.net/?page_id=301
8. Association for Social Advancement (ASA). URL link: http://asa.org.bd/internship/
9. Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre (BYLC). URL link: http://www.bylc.org/blog/2014/06/business-development-intern-wanted
 International Organizations
1. World Vision. URL link: http://www.worldvision.org/about-us/job-opportunities/internships

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2. Action Aid. URL link: http://www.ngopulse.org/opportunity/actionaid-international-hr-internship
3. Plan International Bangladesh. URL link: http://joblist.bdjobs.com/JobDetails.asp?id=564952&ln=1&fcatId=
4. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). URL link: http://www.ifad.org/JOB/intern/index.htm
5. Ford Foundation. URL link: http://www.fordfoundation.org/careers/internships/
6. NavJyoti India Foundation. URL link: http://navjyoti.org.in/wish-to-intern/
7. Transparency International. URL link: http://www.ti-bangladesh.org/beta3/index.php/en/get-involved/internship
8. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP Bangladesh). URL link:
http://www.bd.undp.org/content/bangladesh/en/home/operations/Internships.html
9. Save the Children. URL link: http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.8631185/k.9CAE/Internships.htm
10. Democracy International. URL link: https://jobs.democracyinternational.com/jobs/326802

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Internship Policies of SelectedBangladeshi/International Organizations
Leading NGOs/New Column in Bangladesh:
SI
No.
Organization Required Qualifications Application and Selection
Procedure
Payment/Other
benefits
Duration
Name Type
01. Grameen
Bank
NGO Currently enrolled in
University.
Sending letter of application and
resume to specific department via
paper or e-mail. A confirmation
letter from the University also
needs to be sent.
Unpaid internship.
02. Teach for
Banglade
sh
NGO Undergraduate and
post-graduate students.
Submit online application with
resume attached. After reviewing
applications, candidates are
interviewed and selected.
Unpaid internship. No
housing facilities but
can help interns find
suitable options.
8 to 12 weeks.
03. Banglade
sh Legal
Aid and
Services
Trust
(BLAST)
Legal
Services
Organizati
on
Both students and
professionals.
Encourage applications
from non-resident
Bangladeshis and
especially people with
disabilities.
Need to send CV and covering
letter including brief statement of
interest, dates of availability,
contact information of referees,
part-time or full-time internship,
samples of writing and whether
assistance in Dhaka will be
required.
Unpaid internship.
Both full time and
part-time internships
but subsidize transport
and non-monetary
assistance in finding
accommodation.
04. Internatio
nal
Centre
for
Diarrheal
NGO Basic understanding of
qualitative and
quantitative research
methods.
Need to email resume. Not found.

6. 6
Disease
Research
(ICDDR
B)
05. Nari
Uddug
Kendro
NGO Submit a letter of intent and
curriculum vitae.
Paid Internship.
Housing assistance.
Minimum 3
months.
06. Child
Sight
Foundati
on
NGO Successful completion
of one semester at
University.
Need to submit mission statement,
CV, digital picture, academic or
professional reference. Selected
applicants will be informed within
2-3 weeks.
Interns have to pay for
doing the internship.
Internships vary
from 3 to 12
months.
07. Rangpur
Dinajpur
Rural
Services
(RDRS)
National
Developm
ent
Organizati
on
Students, young
professionals or
volunteers of any age.
Interested applicants will submit
their application along with their
resume/CV and state their area of
interest for possible assignment.
This should be done by June every
year through the church agency in
their respective countries.
Unpaid internship.
Internship fee needs to
be given.
8 weeks or 2
months.
08. Associati
on for
Social
Advance
ment
(ASA)
NGO Any local or
international student
can apply.
Complete the application form
after downloading it and send it via
e-mail along with resume/CV and
two passport-size photos. A
reference letter from the Course
Coordinator/Dean/Registrar of the
institution is also needed.
Applicants will be informed within
2 weeks of applying.
Unpaid internship.
Foreign interns need
to pay a registration
fee of Tk. 100. There
is an ASA Exposure
and Internship Unit for
assisting the interns.
5 to 8 weeks.
09. Banglade
sh Youth
Leadershi
p Centre
(BYLC)
Leadershi
p institute
Currently enrolled in
university or recently
graduated from an
undergraduate program.
Applicants need to submit covering
letter, writing sample and resume
via e-mail.
Not found.

8. Leading Organizations in the World:
SI.
No.
Organization Required Qualifications Application and Selection
Procedure
Payment/Other
benefits
Duration
Name Type
01. World
Vision
NGO A minimum of one year
of college completed and
currently enrolled in
college/ graduated within
the past year.
After reviewing application, the
Internship coordinator asks the
potential candidate to fill out a
pre-screen questionnaire. After
reviewing further, Skype video
interview is conducted. Upon
qualifying, another interview with
the department hiring manager
will be conducted.
Provide stipend for
living expenses.
02. Action
Aid
NGO Study towards or
completed a relevant
degree.
Submitting CV and motivational
letter via e-mail. Only shortlisted
candidates will be contacted.
Remuneration given.
03. Plan
Internatio
nal
Banglades
h
Childrens’
Developm
ent
Organizati
on
Bachelor’s degree in any
discipline. Female
candidates are encouraged
to apply.
Online application. Short-listed
candidates will be called for
interview.
Paid internship with
allowances.
6 months.
04. Internatio
nal Fund
for
Agricultur
al
Developm
ent
(IFAD)
Specialize
d agency
of United
Nations
Currently enrolled in a
university or graduate
school and attended
courses in the last
year/recently completed
university. Fluency in
English. National of an
IFAD member state.
Applicants must fill in an
electronic form to be screened by
the Human Resources division.
Candidates will be contacted by
interested IFAD divisions.
Paid internship. Maximum 6
months.
05. Ford
Foundatio
Private
foundation
Full-time undergraduates
entering their junior or
Need to submit resume and cover
letter.
Paid internship.

9. 9
n for human
welfare
senior year. Residents of
New York tri-state area.
06. NavJyoti
India
Foundatio
n
NGO
located in
India
Requirement and skills
are based on specific
assignment and position.
Sending resume via e-mail. Unpaid internship. 3-4 weeks.
07. Transpare
ncy
Internatio
nal
NGO Students enrolled in final
year Master’s or
equivalent level or post-
Masters studies in a
recognized university, or
who have finished such
studies but are not currently
employed
in a full-time job.
Need to send a maximum one-
page cover letter and a maximum
two-page CV via e-mail.
Shortlisted candidates will be
contacted.
Unpaid internship. Usually 10
week tenure but
can be
extended to
maximum 6
months.
08. United
Nations
Developm
ent
Programm
e (UNDP)
Outstanding graduate-
level students or
professionals involved in
development- related
field.
Selection of interns is fully
decentralized within UNDP. All
the internships are advertized at
UNDP’s website.
Unpaid Internship.
09. Save the
Children
NGO Actively enrolled
undergraduate or graduate
student. Eligible to work
in the U.S. Must be able
to receive credit from
their institution. Letter
from a professor
supporting the candidate
is needed.
Apply online with a covering
letter and resume. Qualified
candidates are called for
interviews.
Unpaid internship: No
housing facilities.
10. Democrac
y
Internatio
nal
US-based
organizatio
n
Non-US applicants must
have work authorization.
Submit resume and covering
letter online which will be
reviewed.
Paid internship.

10. 10
Suggestions for Improving the BRAC Internship Policies:
After this extensive research on the internship recruitment and selection process in various local and international organizations
comparable to BRAC, the following recommendations can be made in order to improve the internship recruitment, application and
selection process at BRAC:
1. Just after submitting the internship application, e-mails should be sent out to the applicant confirming that the application has
been received and that the next e-mail should be sent out to only those who are selected within a week of time. It can be seen
that in some institutions, just after submitting the online application form, a confirmation e-mail is sent out to the applicant.
2. The duration of the internship can be lessened. Starting from 4 weeks it can be up to 6-8 weeks.
3. For international students, other non-monetary facilities should be provided like housing assistance besides the food and
transportation.
4. A small amount of remuneration might be given to the interns.
5. The option of Skype interviews can be made available to interns who are residing at a distant location.
These are some of the implications which can be drawn from this research. Successful incorporation of more improved policies
will allow both the programme and the intern to benefit from the internship.