9 ANU internships you can't get anywhere else

Why choose ANU

Reading time: 6 minutes

Internships are a fantastic way to get real-world experience and build invaluable career networks in your chosen field. Our location in the heart of Australia’s capital, Canberra, means we have unique relationships with government departments, policy advisers and key industry bodies, so we are in a great position to offer you some genuinely unique internship opportunities.

But before we get into the list, let’s briefly describe an internship and why you’d want to do one. An internship involves working for an organisation during your degree for credit, like work experience. They're typically unpaid and last a semester, but some are longer.

An internship gives you valuable experience and builds your professional network, which is great when you graduate and are ready to move into the workforce. Doing an internship or two also fills out your CV with valuable experience, making you more attractive to employers.

Overview

Students of all disciplines can participate in the Australian National Internships Program, which offers many sought-after placements.
Each ANU academic college offers unique internships for their students.
Some internship placements could even see you heading overseas.

1. Australian National Internships Program (ANIP)

The Australian National Internships Program, or ANIP, is a public policy-focused program open to students of all disciplines.

Typically, an ANIP internship at ANU is a 10-week course, after which you produce a research report. Since ANU is based in Canberra, our ANIP placements usually involve significant organisations like Parliament, the ACT Legislative Assembly, foreign embassies, government agencies, NGOs, etc.

While non-ANU students can apply to ANIP, they can only do so for a placement with Parliament. If you are interested in anything else, such as a placement with an embassy or high commission, you must study at ANU.

Two ANU students walking through a corridor with books visible behind them.

The Australian National Internship Program (ANIP) can take you to the halls of power in Australia.

2. Taiwan Public Policy Internship

The Taiwan Public Policy Internship is a highly competitive internship program that could see you working in Taipei, Taiwan, for six weeks on a research project.

This is an unmissable opportunity if you're interested in public policy and keen to develop your skills and experience in a real-world institution.

You can also apply for travel grants of up to $3,000 to cover your airfare and expenses.

3. The Washington D.C. Internship

Administered by the ANU School of Politics and International Relations, the Washington DC Internship assigns students to the office of a U.S. Congress member or congressional committee. You’ll spend a packed six weeks in America over January and February and write a research report when you return to ANU.

This once-in-a-lifetime internship is an incredible chance to get firsthand experience with international politics while working in a legislature. Participating is a fantastic springboard for a career in diplomatic, political or policy development.

A large group of students chatting outside.

Internships are a great way to build your professional network.

4. First Peoples’ Social Justice Internship

The First Peoples’ Social Justice Internship could see you working on a social justice project in an Indigenous community or organisation. The projects are defined broadly and give you latitude to work on something you’re passionate about.

Due to the sensitivity and complexity of Indigenous issues, entrance to the internship is selective and requires you to show cultural and academic competency.

5. Art Museum Internship

Have you ever wanted to work in a museum or gallery? Then the Art Museum Internship is for you.

Administered by the ANU School of Art and Design, you’ll learn the inner workings of a museum.

The specific nature of your work will depend on the institution you intern with. Still, Canberra is Australia’s capital, so it has a wide selection of cultural institutions for you to choose from. Potential placements include the Canberra Museum and Gallery, the Australian National Portrait Gallery, the National Museum of Australia and more!

Three ANU students sitting and talking in front of display cases.

The Art Museum Internship embeds you in some of Canberra’s top cultural institutions.

6. International Court of Justice (ICJ) Fellowship Program

Eligible law students can apply for a ten-month fellowship with the ICJ at The Hague. This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in international law and work directly under an international judge.

You’ll be helping them with day-to-day tasks, like researching and preparing case files.

While living in The Hague for ten months is expensive, the Yuill Travel Grant, a $40,000 scholarship, supports the internship. You need to apply for this simultaneously to ensure you can pay your way.

Two ANU students sitting in the lower bench in a court.

Highly sought-after law internships could see you working directly under a judge.

7. World Bank Internship

Another excellent choice for law students, the World Bank Internship places you in the Special Litigation Unit at the World Bank headquarters in Washington DC.

This six-month program involves various assistive tasks, such as drafting Statements of Accusations and Evidence, reviewing reports and working with investigative teams.

Like the ICJ Fellowship, this internship is supported by a $35,000 travel grant from the Frohlich Endowment in Law.

8. Science Internship (Coursework)

The ANU College of Science maintains relationships with organisations across Canberra, giving students a choice of places to do a Science Internship.

You’ll create a project proposal before beginning the internship.

The internships change yearly, but students have been placed with organisations like Stop Food Waste Australia, Ersi Australia and the Australian Academy of Science.

An ANU student views samples under a microscope.

The coursework internship offered by the College of Science lets you get hands-on experience in your field.

9. ML Labs Internship

ML Labs is the dedicated research arm of Trellis Data Group, a Canberra-based tech startup. ML Labs focuses on developing new AI solutions for business and government and is a possible internship through the ANU School of Computing’s internship program.

Unlike many internships, where a student will have a small role in a large organisation, the ML Labs internship places you in a reasonably significant role in a small team. It’s a fantastic way to apply what you’re learning at university to a real-world scenario and build your network. Read about two computing students' experiences working with Trellis Data as part of the ML Labs Internship and where it led them.