Internship Benefits
Note: For the Summer 2024 term, MEI internships are in-person only and unpaid.
MEI interns are presented with exciting opportunities to do real work and complete substantive assignments with personal guidance and hands-on training from their supervisors. Enjoy access to MEI events and roundtables as well as opportunities to engage with other think tanks and organizations near our centrally-located headquarters in Washington, DC’s Dupont Circle neighborhood. Interns also receive a free, one-year electronic subscription to the MEI's flagship publication, The Middle East Journal, the oldest peer-reviewed journal dedicated to Middle East scholarship.
Internships
MEI offers a diverse range of internships across its research programs and all of its departments. Browse the positions below to find the best fit for you.
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Arts and Culture
Arts and Culture (in-person)
Description: MEI's Arts and Culture program facilitates cross-cultural understanding by promoting the work of emerging Middle Eastern artists, hosting them in conversation, and connecting them with their American counterparts.
Internship Description: Facilitate a new art exhibition tour and accompanying educational programming in cities across the country.
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Communications
Communications & Graphic Design
Description: The communications department manages MEI’s media relations, website content, social media outreach, and multimedia production. It supports and regularly engages with all other departments to bring their work to the public.
Internship Description: Communications interns assist in A/V production, including recording and editing videos and podcasts, manage website content, produce e-mail newsletters and social media posts, and work with MEI scholars and other departments on a variety of projects.
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Programs and Events
Programs and Events ( in-person)
Description: The programs department is the public face of MEI, planning and running its weekly events and annual conferences.
Internship Description: Programs interns conduct research and produce backgrounders on potential event topics, promote and run MEI’s policy events and conferences, liaise with the policy community, monitor the press, assist with social media outreach, and help to produce content for the website and member communications.
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Research Assistantships
Research Assistantships
Description: MEI’s renowned scholars produce original research and analysis, convene roundtables and public events, and work to advance understanding of the complexities of regional policy.
Internship Description: Research assistants support MEI’s resident and non-resident scholars with their current research and writing projects. In many cases, interns have attended high-level briefings and co-authored articles with their scholars.
Application Process
[Note: We are currently only accepting applications for Summer 2024].
The deadline for the submission of the Summer 2024 application is May 31, 2024.
To apply for an internship, submit a cover letter and resume to the email address listed under the individual internship position description.
Format the email's subject according to the model: “Last Name - Summer 2024 Internship”.
Due to the many applicants, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Interested applicants from all academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply; however, preference will be given to those applicants with superior writing, organization, word-processing, and Middle Eastern language skills.
Internship start and end dates are flexible based on the intern's and supervisor's schedule.
The Summer 2024 internship will be IN PERSON only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions about the application process or the Leadership Development Internship Program can be found on our FAQ page.
Contact Us
For any questions not covered in our FAQ, please contact us at internships@mei.edu. Due to the large volume of applicants, we ask that you do not call to inquire about the status of your application.