The requirements vary for each of the section’s internships, so please carefully read the page of the internship for which you are applying. Several of the sections also welcome questions and encourage those interested to contact them prior to submitting an application.

Application instructions for all of the interships at UNU Centre in Tokyo are detailed here below, except for that of the Office of the Rector, which has its own Application Process instruction page. In principle, except again for the Office of the Rector, all UNU Centre’s internships are open for application any time.

The application process  requires the submission of the documents listed below.

Application form
Download and complete the application form.

Cover letter
Your cover letter should include the following:

1. your motivations for applying to the dedicated internship program
2. a description of how you would contribute to the department in question
3. how completion of the internship would relate to your future career goals

Résumé or c.v.
Provide detailed descriptions of education history, work history and extracurricular activities. Use your résumé or c.v. to present, in further detail, the education and work history listed in the application form.

Letter of recommendation
Arrange for at least one letter of recommendation from a referee who is familiar with your character and who have agreed to write a recommendation on your behalf. This letter should be sent by the referee directly to UNU and UNU reserves the right to contact your referees. Certain candidates may have difficulty obtaining academic references and it may be more appropriate to get references from professionals or supervisors. Referees should not be family members or friends.

How to submit

1. For electronic submissions, e-mail the address shown on the target section’s internship page with the subject line “Internship Application – (Applicant’s Name)”.  Attach a scanned copy of the signed and dated application form, your cover letter, résumé or c.v.
2. For hard copy submissions, mail documents to the address indicated on the target section’s internship page. All application documents must be received by any designated or agreed upon application deadline.

It may come to a telephone or Skype interview, which will be arranged in advance with each applicant. The purpose of the interview is to help those offering the internship better understand the applicant’s motivations, expectations, and goals vis-à-vis participation in the internship programmes. The interview will also assess the applicant’s communication skills, interpersonal skills and proficiency in English.

Acceptance

Successful applicants will be required to sign an Agreement Form, which will act as the working contract between the intern and the UNU section in question for the duration of the internship. This form will be mailed to those selected to join the programme. A signed and dated form must be returned to UNU in order for the application to be complete.