Opening for legal internships at the HCCH Permanent Bureau (Head office, The Hague) - January to June 2021

The Permanent Bureau of the HCCH would appreciate it if you could share the following with your students (also available on the website of the HCCH)

Legal Internships (The Hague)

The application period is now open for three- to six-month legal internships at the Permanent Bureau in The Hague, for the period from January to June 2021. Applications will be accepted until 6.00 p.m. (CEST), Wednesday 30 September 2020. (The application period for legal internships from July 2021 will open in due course.)

In the area of Family and Child Protection Law:

The Permanent Bureau in The Hague is seeking at least three interns to work on the following Conventions and projects:

1. 2000 Protection of Adults Convention
   2007 Child Support Convention and Protocol
   International transfer of maintenance funds
2. 1993 Intercountry Adoption Convention (incl. Working Group on illicit practices and preparation of the 2021 meeting of the Special Commission)
   Parentage / Surrogacy Project
3. 1980 Child Abduction Convention (incl. Malta Process and related Working Party on Mediation)
   1996 Child Protection Convention
   Family Agreements Involving Children Project
4. 1961 Form of Wills Convention
   1970 Divorce Convention 

In the area of Legal Cooperation, Dispute Resolution, Commercial and Financial Law:

The Permanent Bureau in The Hague is seeking at least three interns to work on the following projects:

1. 1961 Apostille Convention (incl. e-APP, Apostille Handbook and preparation of the 2021 meeting of the Special Commission)
2. 2005 Choice of Court Convention
   2019 Judgments Convention
   Jurisdiction Project
   2015 Choice of Law Principles
3. Tourists and Visitors (Online Dispute Resolution) Project
4. 1965 Service Convention
   1970 Evidence Convention
   1980 Access to Justice Convention
5. 1985 Trusts Convention
   2006 Securities Convention
   Distributed Ledger Technology Project 

Application Requirements

Prospective applicants should complete the online application form and submit the following supporting documentation: 

1. a letter of motivation (two pages maximum)
2. a curriculum vitae (CV)
3. a transcript of academic records or statement of academic results
4. an academic writing sample (an excerpt of any of your essays or papers in either English or French)
5. at least one letter of recommendation

Please note, all documents should be saved in PDF format and named as follows:
FAMILY NAME First Name Document Number from the above list - Document Name

E.g.:
SMITH John 1 – Letter of Motivation
SMITH John 2 - CV

Completed applications should be submitted via the online application form available at the following link: < https://limesurvey.hcch.net/index.php/372246/lang-en > before 18:00 hours (CEST), Wednesday 30 September 2020. Incomplete applications and those submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

After the closing of the application period, all candidates will be contacted by e-mail regarding the outcome of their application. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to participate in a telephone interview to assess their motivations and language ability. 

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

COVID-19 Update

Due to the current global situation and the associated travel limitations and restrictions, the Permanent Bureau of the HCCH may consider the possibility that internships be carried out remotely. This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and discussed with successful candidates. 

Purpose
The Permanent Bureau of the HCCH seeks legal interns to assist HCCH staff members in the discharge of their duties and in their day-to-day work. It is also an opportunity for students who, in the context of their degree studies or their doctoral research, wish to gain practical educational work experience, to deepen their knowledge of private international law, and to understand how the HCCH functions.

Duration of Internships
The duration of an HCCH internship is generally three to six months. Please note that only applications for full-time internships (five days per week) will be considered. 

Language requirements
The intern should speak at least one of the two official languages of the HCCH, English and French. Knowledge of the other official language is an asset. Knowledge of any other languages may also be an advantage.

Duties of the intern
Interns are, among other tasks, required to:

·    carry out research on particular points of private international law and/or comparative law, relevant to the operation of existing HCCH Conventions or to the future work of the HCCH;

·    take part in the preparation of HCCH meetings (e.g., Council on General Affairs and Policy, Working/Expert's Groups, Special Commissions, Diplomatic Sessions);

·    contribute to the promotion of the HCCH and its work, assisting with the preparation of presentations and collection of other information according to the needs of the staff of the Permanent Bureau.

In keeping with the role of the Permanent Bureau as the HCCH secretariat, applicants should bear in mind that the nature of the work assigned will generally be a combination of both legal and administrative work.

Remuneration
Internships offered by the Permanent Bureau are not remunerated. Successful applicants are responsible for their travel costs and expenses for the duration of the internship.

Successful applicants are encouraged to investigate available funding within their university or from other public and private organisations (e.g., scholarships or internship placement programmes offered through their university, grants from research foundations, etc.).

Interns may, however, be eligible to receive a monthly allowance to cover part of their accommodation and living expenses if they meet the following criteria:

1. the duration of the internship is no less than three months (i.e., 12 weeks); and
2. the intern is not receiving additional funding or remuneration for the purposes of the internship (excluding travel expenses), from an institution, organisation or fund, the total of which exceeds the equivalent of €500 per month (i.e., exceeds €1,500 for a three-month internship, or €3,000 for a six-month internship).

Depending on available funds, the value of the monthly allowance may vary between €300 and €500. Prior to the commencement of their internship period, interns will be informed of the exact amount at which the amount of the monthly allowance for that period will be set.

Accommodation
The Permanent Bureau is not able to provide accommodation for interns, but successful applicants will be provided with a document from the Permanent Bureau with useful tips for finding accommodation in The Hague. Please note that successful applicants will be required, upon arrival, to provide an address for the purposes of registration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Insurance
Interns must be covered by adequate insurance for the duration of the internship and will be asked to provide proof of this upon arrival at the Permanent Bureau. The chosen insurance policy must, at minimum, cover medical and hospital expenses, as well as the cost of repatriation to the country of residence.

Internship Policy and Confidentiality
Interns are bound by the HCCH Internship Policy, a copy of which will be made available to them prior to the commencement of the internship. Successful applicants will also be required to sign a confidentiality agreement. 

ContactFor additional information about the HCCH internship programme, please contact: < internships@hcch.net >