Internship in Nairobi
Become an intern at the Danish Embassy in Nairobi, where both the Embassy of Kenya and Somalia are represented. As an intern, you will have the opportunity to work in a dynamic and international environment, where you will gain experience with diplomacy, development cooperation and political processes in both Kenya and Somalia. The internship involves a wide range of tasks, including analysis and reporting, participation in meetings with local and international partners, planning and running events, supporting the Embassy’s work with development assistance, as well as communication and collaboration across the Embassy’s departments. Interns will have the opportunity to work independently with cross-cutting tasks and gain insight into Denmark’s engagement in the region through collaboration with both international, Danish and local actors.
Updated 10.03.2025Internship in the Foreign Service
An internship in the Danish Foreign Service offers plenty of opportunities and gives you the opportunity to gain insight into Danish diplomacy and to test your skills in an international environment. As an intern, you will be an integral part of the department/team you are assigned to, and you will be assigned a supervisor in the department/team. The specific tasks you will be required to perform vary depending on which department/team you are assigned to.
In Nairobi, we currently offer eight internships across our activities in Kenya and Somalia:
Kenya
- Climate Diplomacy (1 praktikant)
- Regional, Refugee and Humanitarian Affairs (1 praktikant)
- Governance and Health (1 praktikant)
- Economic Diplomacy (1 praktikant)
Somalia
- Development and Resilience (1 intern)
- Politics and Stabilisation (1 praktikant)
Transverse positions
- Public Diplomacy and Communications (1 praktikant)
- Management and Administration (1 intern)
Intern for Climate Diplomacy, Kenya, Ref.nr. POL-1
The Climate Diplomacy team is looking for an intern with an interest in sustainability, climate adaptation and green transition. You will gain insight into Denmark’s climate diplomacy work, assist with analyses and background notes, monitor development projects and participate in meetings with international and local partners. Analytical skills, structured work and strong communication skills in both Danish and English are an advantage. Experience or courses within climate, environment, Africa or central administration are an advantage, but not a requirement.
If you have any questions about the internship position, please contact Tobias von Platen-Hallermund at tobpla@um.dk
Praktikant til Regional, Refugee and Humanitarian Affairs, Kenya, Ref.nr. POL-2
You will contribute to the development and implementation of the embassy’s engagements within the refugee and economic development area. The embassy is collaborating with Danish foundations and the Kenyan government on an innovative refugee program in Kenya and is also developing a new initiative for sustainable trade and growth in Africa. The tasks will include preparing notes and minutes, communicating with partners and organizing and preparing workshops and other meetings/events. A strong analytical mind and interest in development cooperation is an advantage.
If you have any questions about the internship position, please contact Kanar Salam Patruss at kanpat@um.dk
Intern for Governance and Health, Kenya, Ref. no. POL-3
As an intern in the Governance & Health team, you will work on key issues such as elections, human rights, health, gender equality and anti-corruption. You will assist with policy analyses, monitoring of development projects and coordination with international and local partners. There will also be the opportunity to participate in meetings with civil society organizations, ministries and international donors. The internship provides a broad understanding of Denmark’s development policy engagement in Kenya.
If you have any questions about the internship position, please contact Henrik Larsen at henlar@um.dk
Intern for Economic Diplomacy, Kenya, Ref. No. TC-1
As an intern in the ØKODIP team, you will work with business development, public-private partnerships, strategic public affairs and economic diplomacy. Your tasks may include market analyses, preparation of strategic presentations and dialogue with Danish companies and Kenyan authorities. You must be motivated to work in the field of tension between the private and public sectors and have an analytical and structured approach to tasks. The internship provides a unique insight into Denmark’s trade and investment cooperation in Kenya.
If you have any questions about the internship position, please contact Christian Staffeldt at chstaf@um.dk
Intern for Development and Resilience, Somalia, Ref. no. POL-4
You will have the opportunity to contribute to Denmark’s work to strengthen Somalia’s resilience to climate change and promote sustainable development. The tasks will include research and analysis of development policy efforts, monitoring of projects and dialogue with international and local actors. Somalia faces complex challenges such as conflict, climate change and humanitarian crises, but also has great potential for positive change through international cooperation.
If you have any questions about the internship position, please contact Marianne Vestergaard at marves@um.dk
Intern for Politics and Stabilisation, Somalia, Ref. no. POL-5
The internship provides insight into the political development in Somalia, as well as Denmark’s engagement in peace and stabilization work in the Horn of Africa, including counter-terrorism and maritime security. You will gain insight into Denmark’s work in the UN Security Council, where Somalia is also a member, and on the Council’s agenda. The tasks include, among others, political analysis, research, development programming and reporting, as well as possible planning and holding of conferences.
If you have any questions about the internship position, please contact Anna Brostrøm Hansen at anbros@um.dk
Praktikant til Public Diplomacy and Communications, Ref.nr. PD-1
As an intern in the Public Diplomacy and Communications team, you will work for both the Kenyan and Somali embassies. Here you will work with strategic and creative communication, including social media, press work and visual communication. You will help develop content for the embassy’s digital platforms, write articles and reports and coordinate events. Experience with graphic design, photography or video is an advantage, but the most important thing is motivation and a desire to learn. The internship gives you a unique opportunity to gain insight into the embassy’s communication strategies and contribute to the communication of Denmark’s engagement in Somalia and Kenya.
If you have any questions about the internship position, please contact Maria Højgaard Pedersen at mapede@um.dk
Intern for Management and Administration, Ref. no. POL-6
As an intern, you will gain insight into public administration and management, including aid management, HR, IT, finance and property management. You will assist with budget follow-up, logistics and coordination of internal processes. The internship provides a unique opportunity to learn about the embassy’s internal operations and the management and financial management of development assistance – including the work with anti-corruption.
If you have any questions about the internship position, please contact Charlotte Rosen at charos@um.dk
Timing and duration of the internship
An internship lasts six months and takes place in one of the following periods:
- February 1 – July 31 (application deadline: September 10 of the previous year)
- August 1 – January 31 (application deadline: March 10)
Requirements for being offered an internship
You must be a student and be enrolled in a higher education institution at bachelor’s or master’s level during the entire internship. If you are a foreign citizen, you must have lived in Denmark for at least 3 years at the time of application, have permanent residence in Denmark and be enrolled in a study program at a higher education institution in Denmark during the entire internship.
It is a condition that you can be security cleared by the Danish authorities and that you maintain your security clearance throughout the internship. References will be obtained in connection with the security clearance.
We would like to point out that you can only have one internship in the Danish Foreign Service.
Qualifications
We are looking for students with good analytical skills, drive and a high level of commitment, as well as a curious, creative, open and positive approach to problem solving. You are welcome to provide good examples of these qualifications in your application. In addition, we expect you to have good Danish and English skills and knowledge of MS Office Package (PowerPoint, Excel & Word).
The internship will contribute to your education and will take place under the supervision of an academic staff member. We recommend that you, before applying for an internship, investigate what academic requirements your educational institution places on you in connection with an internship.
Holidays and working hours
The average working hours are 37 hours per week (including lunch break). You will earn 2.08 vacation days per month of internship, equivalent to 12.5 days during your 6-month internship. If your study requires you to write a major academic assignment in connection with your internship, you will also be able to get certain days off for writing (the number is determined by the representation based on requirements for the scope and complexity of the assignment, but will never exceed 10 days).
Housing and insurance
Due to security reasons, interns must live in the accommodation provided by the embassy. You must take out insurance at your own expense that covers repatriation in the event of illness and death, as well as liability outside of working hours.
Reimbursement of certain expenses The internship is unpaid, but compensation of DKK 5,000 per month is provided to cover documented expenses for accommodation, transport, insurance and other expenses related to the internship.
Most interns will also have the opportunity to include their SU, but you should clarify this yourself with the Danish Agency for Higher Education.
How do I apply?
You apply for an internship at the embassy in Nairobi by completing and submitting an electronic application form – you can find the form through this link. The link is active from 10 February-10 March 2025.
In the application form you will be asked to indicate your priorities. Here you must select the relevant reference number listed next to each internship position. You can only apply for internship positions at the Embassy in Nairobi via the link above and only use the reference numbers listed above. If you – in parallel – wish to apply for internship positions at other representations, you must go to their websites and apply via their application link. If you are applying for internships at several different representations, each representation can see which other representations you have applied to.
When applying for an internship position, you must upload your CV, motivational letter and diploma/grades. You can also choose to upload other relevant documents, such as a statement from your employer or educational institution, if you believe it is relevant to your application.
Your motivated application should be no more than one page long, written on white paper, and should include a description of why you want an internship, what you would like to get out of the internship, and what relevant experience and skills you have (preferably also in the language area) in relation to the specific internship position.
If you have any questions about internships at the embassy in Nairobi, please contact us at nboamb@um.dk . The deadline for your application is March 10, 2025.
NOTE! The application round for the fall semester 2025 takes place via our new online application portal. The portal can be accessed via this link and is also found further down the page.