Join the ICMEC team

Thank you for your interest in The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children. We value the hard work, commitment, and contributions of our staff members as well as our interns! If you support our goal of making the world safer for children, and have a passion for excellence, we want to hear from you! Available positions and internships are listed below. Once you have submitted an application, we will contact you if your skills and experience match our needs. Please do not contact by phone.

Internships

Thank you for your interest. We are no longer accepting internship applications for the Summer 2023 semester as all positions have been filled. Please visit again soon for information about the Fall 2023 internships.

Legal Research Internship
Legal Research Interns will support the Director of The Koons Family Institute on International Law & Policy, the organization’s research arm, by conducting substantive legal and public policy research and analysis, writing, and editing a variety of publications, white papers, organizational resources, and other projects. Interns may focus on topics such as missing children, child sexual abuse material, online grooming, child sex trafficking, child sexual abuse and exploitation, and other related topics. The research will primarily focus on national legislation and policy but will also consider regional and international legal instruments to understand national priorities and responses. Interns also may utilize foreign language skills and regional areas of expertise.

Education and Child Protection Intern
The Education and Child Protection Intern will support ICMEC’s Director of Global School Initiatives by curating and sorting resources that will be shared on the project’s website to help schools all over the world in developing and maintaining strong child safeguarding programs. Interns may also assist in developing training materials and modules for international educators and school staff members. Interns may focus on topics such as the use of risk assessments in schools, parent education, case studies as training tools, and safeguarding vulnerable groups. Interns also may utilize foreign language skills and regional areas of expertise.

Social Science Research Intern
The Social Science Research Intern will support the Director of Global Missing Children’s Issues by writing, editing, and conducting substantive research for a variety of publications, reports, white papers, and other projects. Interns may focus on topics such as the use of risk assessments in missing child cases, the implementation of return interviews in missing child cases to assess harm, gaining a broader understanding of the definition of missing, and analyzing the scope of the problem of missing children globally. Interns also may utilize foreign language skills and regional areas of expertise.

For the Summer 2023 semester, interns will continue to work primarily remotely with the possibility of limited in-person interaction in the ICMEC office in Alexandria, Virginia, if circumstances allow.

Internship FAQs

ICMEC offers full and part-time internships each academic semester.


What are the requirements to intern at ICMEC?

The nature of ICMEC’s activities generally requires that Interns:

  • Be available to work 12 to 15 weeks, at least 15 hours per week (20+ hours preferred) during the Fall or Spring semesters;
  • Be available to work 8 to 12 weeks, at least 20 hours per week (30+ hours preferred) during the Summer term;
  • Undergo initial and periodic background checks; and
  • For Legal Research Interns – Have completed undergraduate studies (working toward a Master’s or Juris Doctorate degree strongly preferred). We will consider students in their sophomore, junior, or senior year of undergraduate studies with relevant experience;
  • For Social Science Research Interns – Have completed undergraduate studies (working toward a Master’s in social work, sociology, anthropology, public policy, and other related fields is strongly preferred).

*In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, internships will be completed remotely for the foreseeable future, but with the possibility of limited in-person interaction in the ICMEC office in Alexandria, Virginia, if conditions allow.

Is the internship paid?

All internships are unpaid, though ICMEC may provide a small stipend to help defray commuting costs to ICMEC’s headquarters office. (The stipend will not be provided when internships are completed remotely.)

Does ICMEC provide housing?

ICMEC does not provide housing for interns nor do we provide a stipend to cover living expenses.

How do I apply?

An application form is available at www.icmec.org/careers. You can submit the application form online. Please be sure to include a Statement of Purpose or cover letter, résumé, official or unofficial transcripts, and writing sample.

Point of Contact:

ICMEC Internship Coordinator
2318 Mill Road, Suite 1010
Alexandria, VA 22314
Fax: +1.703.549.4504
Email: internships@icmec.org

When do I apply?

Applications must be received by the application deadline (though the deadline may be extended as needed):

  • August 16 for Fall semester;
  • December 31 for Spring semester;
  • March 16 for Summer semester.

What’s next?

We will do our best to respond to you quickly upon receiving and reviewing your application, usually within 2-3 weeks.

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