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Careers
Internships
Interning at CFR
In an ever-changing world, CFR’s work as a leading nonpartisan resource for information and ideas about foreign policy is more important than ever. At CFR, interns participate in one of the foremost paid internship programs in the foreign policy arena. They do work that matters alongside smart and dedicated staff in a diverse and inclusive environment. Interns are paid a competitive hourly wage while gaining valuable experience through exposure to leading foreign policy experts. They are also offered professional development training as a foundation for future work in the field of foreign policy and international affairs. Internship opportunities are offered through the Blavatnik Internship Program and Robina Franklin Williams Internship Program.
CFR’s fall 2024 internship programs give interns the opportunity to choose whether to work in our office in a hybrid capacity (half in the office, and half remote), or on an offsite fully remote basis.
Available Internships in New York or Washington, DC
Available Internships in New York
Internship, Communications, Foreign Affairs Marketing, Fall 2024
The Global Communications and Media Relations department is looking for an intern to work with promoting Foreign Affairs web content, issue launches, events, and more. The intern will support the rapidly- evolving media landscape and ensuring that Foreign Affairs materials reach their intended audiences.
Internship, Corporate Affairs, Programming, Fall 2024
The Corporate Program, the Council’s primary point of contact with the private sector, enlists the business community’s participation in and support of the Council’s activities. Corporate members include nearly 200 U.S. and non-U.S. firms representing a wide range of business sectors, including financial services, law, manufacturing, consulting, technology, media, and others. Each year the program hosts over 70 events in New York and Washington.
Internship, Digital Content, Audio Podcast, Fall 2024
As the podcast department continues to expand it is in search for an intern to assist in the creativity of competitive audio content, and growing CFR's podcast brand. The intern will be hugely beneficial in speeding up our audio editing and cleanup capabilities. They will focus on these fundamental audio tasks on several shows of varying production elements with the team.
Internship, Digital Services, Product, Fall 2024
The intern will be assisting with developing more robust guiding documents that will serve as the foundation for UX, development, and QA activities during the 2024 calendar year. They will also contribute to improving the organization and prioritization of product backlogs, setting the stage for more efficient planning and execution of projects.
Internship, Education, Written Content, Fall 2024
The intern will have the opportunity to conduct research on current foreign policy topics while helping to create a new series of educational materials. By actively participating in this project, this intern will gain a deeper understanding of several current foreign policy topics, their related debates, and a range of credible sources for accurate information. The intern will also participate in learning how to creatively educate a diverse audience on these particular topics.
Internship, Foreign Affairs, Editorial, Fall 2024
Foreign Affairs magazine has an internship opening in the Editorial Department. The intern will have the unique opportunity to see the inner workings of a major magazine and foreign policy journal.
Internship, Foreign Affairs, Marketing Design, Fall 2024
The Foreign Affairs, Marketing Design intern will learn the ins and outs of publishing and marketing a magazine. They will develop and deepen their graphic design skills for a reputable brand and will be exposed to marketing strategies, composing of digital operations, social media, analytics and more. The intern will also learn about niche marketing as we try to target specific communities. The intern will develop office, organizational, and strategic marketing skills.
Internship, International Economics and Technology, Fall 2024
The Council has an internship available in the Studies Department. The intern will work with a team in the studies department and will assist the fellow with research, writing, and editing. The intern will gain firsthand experience with the tools scholars use to analyze economic policy questions.
Internship, National Program and Outreach, Fall 2024
With more than one-third of its members based outside of New York and Washington, DC, the goal of the National Program and Outreach is to energize foreign policy discussions nationwide. The National Program supports and connects CFR members across the country. Outreach extends CFR resources and programming to a cross-section of American life, including the academic community; religious and congregational leaders; state and local officials; and journalists at the local and regional levels.
Internship, Russia Studies, Fall 2024
Russia Studies team focuses on U.S.- Russian relations and current affairs across the former Soviet Union. The intern will deepen their understanding of the current and historical trends between the two countries. They will gain a strong skill set on policy-related research and editing skills.
Available Internships in Washington, DC
Internship, Digital Cyberspace Policy, Fall 2024
The Digital and Cyberspace Policy program addresses one of the most challenging issues facing the country in the twenty- first century: keeping the global internet open, secure, and resilient in the face of unprecedented threats. The team is looking for an intern to assist with research and content creation for their platforms, the Net Politics blog and the Digital Cyberspace Policy program website.
Internship, Global Governance, Fall 2024
The intern will work with the global governance team and will increase their understanding of international organization and current issues and debates on global governance. They will hone research, writing, and editing skills as well as develop skills in synthesizing large amounts of complex information into concise arguments. The intern will develop an understanding of a multistage publication production and launch process and develop large-scale event and planning skills.
Internship, U.S. Foreign Policy, Director of Studies, Fall 2024
The intern will gain exposure to policy research and think tanks, and develop research and writing skills in a professional context.
Blavatnik Internship Program
Blavatnik interns are recruited year-round on a semester basis for positions in CFR’s New York and Washington, DC, offices. An intern’s duties generally consist of research, editing and writing, event coordination, and/or departmental support. Internships are offered in Digital Content, the Studies Program, Global Communications, Corporate Program, Washington Program, Meetings Program and many more, including Foreign Affairs.
Blavatnik interns participate in CFR’s Intern Professional Development program, which complements their substantive work with a series of skill-based workshops, training, and career advice sessions. These events are designed to improve interns’ writing, editing, research, and program planning skills, while also helping to sharpen interns’ resumes and familiarize them with the multitude of foreign policy career paths and beyond.
CFR strives to include its interns in the full spectrum of its meetings and events programming, giving interns the opportunity to gain new insights on critical foreign policy issues and further their exposure to world leaders, U.S. policymakers, and sought-after experts. In addition, CFR offers a wide variety of events for staff and interns, including an award-winning health and wellness program. Events range from brown bag lunches with policy experts to a health fair, and an annual Ping-Pong championship.
A generous gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation supports this unique internship program. CFR is grateful to Council member Len Blavatnik, a distinguished philanthropist and global business leader, for facilitating this gift, which furthers his commitment to developing new talent and cultivating the next generation of leaders in government, academia, and the private sector.
Eligibility and How to Apply
CFR generally considers undergraduate and graduate students with majors in international relations, political science, economics, or a related field for its Blavatnik Internship Program. All applicants should have completed the equivalent of four semesters of college coursework (not including AP classes in high school) by the time they begin an internship. A regional specialization, language skills, and additional requirements may also be needed for some internships. In addition to meeting the intellectual requirements, applicants should have excellent skills in administration, writing, research, and computers, as well as previous office experience. Interns must also be willing to commit to fourteen to eighteen hours per week.
CFR posts all internship opportunities on its website—in June for the fall semester, in October for the spring semester, and in February for the summer semester.
CFR is an equal opportunity employer and actively seeks candidates from diverse backgrounds.
Interns are paid a competitive hourly wage.
Since this is a paid opportunity, interns must have the legal right to work for any employer in the United States.
About Len Blavatnik
CFR Member Len Blavatnik is among the world's most accomplished businessmen and prominent philanthropists. For over 37 years, he has invested in businesses to unlock their potential and transform them into international market leaders, while also advancing science, higher education, and culture through charitable giving.
A dual US-UK citizen, Len is the founder and chairman of Access Industries, a privately held company headquartered in New York with investments across a range of sectors, including strategic equity, global media and entertainment, real estate, and biotechnology. To date, Access Industries has built a global portfolio of over $35 billion.
The Blavatnik Family Foundation is exclusively self-funded and has contributed more than $1 billion to 250 institutions worldwide over the past decade, fostering scientific innovation, world-class culture, and preparing future leaders. The Foundation prioritizes higher education as well as scientific and medical research and innovation. Its activities are highly concentrated to drive meaningful impact and to promote discoveries at major research institutions that will benefit the whole of society. To that end, the Foundation has made transformational gifts to Harvard, Yale, and Tel Aviv Universities, and established the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University. In 2017, Blavatnik was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his service to philanthropy and was appointed Chevalier of the French Legion d’Honneur for his support of education in 2013.
Born in Odesa, Ukraine, Blavatnik and his family emigrated to the United States in 1978. He earned his Master’s in Computer Science from Columbia University in 1981 and his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1989.
Robina Franklin Williams Internship Program
Robina Franklin Williams Internship Program
CFR is committed to help make the foreign policy community in the United States more reflective of America as a whole, and looks to identify the next generation of diverse foreign policy leaders through its Robina Franklin Williams Internship Program.
Robina Franklin Williams interns are recruited year-round on a semester basis for positions in CFR’s New York and Washington, DC, offices. An intern’s duties generally consist of research, editing and writing, event coordination, and/or departmental support. Internships are offered in Digital Content, the Studies Program, Global Communications, the Corporate Program, the Washington Program, the Meetings Program and many more, including Foreign Affairs.
Robina Franklin Williams interns participate in CFR’s Intern Professional Development program, which complements their substantive work with a series of skill-based workshops, training, and career advice sessions. These events are designed to improve interns’ writing, editing, research, and program planning skills, while also helping to sharpen interns’ resumes and familiarize them with the multitude of foreign policy career paths.
CFR strives to include its interns in the full spectrum of its meetings and events programming, giving interns the opportunity to gain new insights on critical foreign policy issues and further their exposure to world leaders, U.S. policymakers, and sought-after experts. In addition, CFR offers a wide variety of events for staff and interns, including an award-winning health and wellness program. Events range from brown bag lunches with policy experts to a health fair, and an annual Ping-Pong championship. Robina Franklin Williams interns are also invited to participate in CFR’s annual Conference on Diversity in International Affairs and receive a fully funded trip to visit CFR’s location in New York or Washington, DC.
The Robina Franklin Williams Internship Program, supported by a generous gift from the Robina Foundation, CFR members, and family and friends of Franklin Williams, is named in honor of the late Ambassador Franklin H. Williams.
Eligibility and How to Apply
CFR is committed to help make the foreign policy community in the United States more reflective of America as a whole and looks to identify the next generation of diverse foreign policy leaders through its Robina Franklin Williams Internship Program. CFR is an equal opportunity employer, and candidates from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
CFR generally considers undergraduate and graduate students with majors in international relations, political science, economics, or a related field for its Robina Franklin Williams Internship Program. All applicants should have completed the equivalent of four semesters of college coursework (not including AP classes in high school) by the time they begin an internship. A regional specialization, language skills, and additional requirements may also be needed for some internships. In addition to meeting the intellectual requirements, applicants should have excellent skills in administration, writing, research, and computers, as well as previous office experience. Interns must also be willing to commit to fourteen to eighteen hours per week.
CFR posts all internship opportunities on its website—in June for the fall semester, in October for the spring semester, and in February for the summer semester.
Interns are paid a competitive hourly wage.
Since this is a paid opportunity, interns must have the legal right to work for any employer in the United States.
About Ambassador Franklin H. Williams
Ambassador Franklin H. Williams served as the U.S. ambassador to Ghana and was the chairman of the board of trustees of Lincoln University, one of the country’s historically black colleges. He was also a Director of the Council on Foreign Relations, where he made special efforts to encourage the nomination of African Americans to membership.
Contact
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New York Office
58 East 68th Street
New York, NY 10065
tel 212.434.9400
Washington Office
1777 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
tel 202.509.8400