{"id":8035,"date":"2026-05-03T17:45:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T17:45:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/8035\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T17:45:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T17:45:43","slug":"hcss-general-internship-open-for-applications-start-date-february-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/8035\/","title":{"rendered":"HCSS General Internship open for applications (start date February 2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Starting period: Earliest mid February \u2013 latest beginning of March 2026\u00a0<\/p>\n

Deadline application: Sunday January 4, 2026 at 12pm\u00a0<\/p>\n

HCSS is looking for new interns to start in February 2026! The HCSS internship offers an excellent springboard for future careers in a wide range of fields, interns are involved as full-fledged team members in research-projects. Activities can range from conducting background research, data collection and analysis, co-writing reports and papers, administrative support, to being involved in the organisation of workshops and conferences. This way, interns gain valuable work experience in a professional environment, which helps them in their future development and careers in both the public and private sector. Also, the HCSS internship offers the opportunity to build and expand your professional network.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Want to know more about the experience of HCSS general interns? Look out for the HCSS Internship Blogs entries\u00a0<\/a>from our current and previous interns!<\/p>\n

Requirements<\/p>\n

Candidates should have a first rate academic background, strong transferable skills, and a keen interest in the topics covered by HCSS research.<\/p>\n

Further requirements include:<\/p>\n

A strong basis of analytical, writing and synthesising skills
\nAbility to think creatively and\u00a0out-of-the-box
\nVery good communication skills in English, both orally and in writing
\nKnowledge of advanced internet search strategies
\nAbility to work independently in a fast-paced environment
\nFlexibility and ability to multi-task
\nPositive professional attitude
\nStrong work ethic and willingness to learn
\nSome quantitative research skills (preferable) <\/p>\n

The following attributes are considered a strong asset:<\/p>\n

Prior work or internship experience
\nProficiency in Dutch, Arabic or other languages
\nBeing a native English speaker
\nQuantitative research skills. If you have a background in data science (specifically R or Python) you may also be interested in our Data Internship.<\/p>\n

Eligibility \u00a0<\/p>\n

Candidates must be enrolled as a student at a university during the whole internship period.
\nAn internship period of six months is highly preferred, although shorter periods can be discussed (minimum is 5 months). Please indicate your availability in your cover letter. Interns should be able to commit to working 40 hours a week, in person at our office in The Hague.
\nIf successful in obtaining a position, candidates are asked to provide a certificate of good conduct (\u2018Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag\u2019), available from the Dutch Ministry of Justice. Candidates residing outside of the Netherlands\u00a0should provide a certificate from their country of residence.<\/p>\n

You are not eligible for HCSS internships when<\/p>\n

You are not a registered student at the time of the intership\u2019s start and for the entire duration of the internship
\nYou are not eligible if you have more than 8 hours of class per week to attend during the internship<\/p>\n

Frequently asked questions:<\/p>\n

Can I apply if I am no longer a student (recently graduated)?\u00a0HCSS internships are for enrolled students. Without a proof of enrollment, valid for the entire duration of the internship, you are not eligible. Your application will not be considered.<\/p>\n

Is it possible to do a part-time internship?\u00a0HCSS does not offer part\u2013time internships within the General Internship Program for a work week under 32 hours.<\/p>\n

Can HCSS provide me with a permit\/visa? HCSS does not offer the option to sponsor your Dutch permit or visa. The applicant needs to already be in possession of a valid permit\/visa. <\/p>\n

Application Procedure<\/p>\n

To apply, send the following items to\u00a0internship@hcss.nl<\/a>, using \u2018General Internship \/2026\u2019 as the subject line.<\/p>\n

A curriculum vitae, including a list of references
\nA cover letter
\nProof of university enrollment, valid for the entire duration of the internship
\nCopy of official transcript of academic grades
\nA one-page writing sample (excluding bibliography if relevant) answering one of the following questions:<\/p>\n

Consider a trend which could affect the security of the Netherlands in the next decade. What is being done to address the issue? What more could be done?
\nConsider a way in which the Netherlands could exercise more effective foreign policy without increasing military expenditure. What are the advantages and limitations of this approach?
\nConsider a policy which could help the eurozone improve its competitiveness. What are the advantages and limitations of this policy?<\/p>\n

Notes regarding the application procedure: <\/p>\n

Please ensure that your application is complete before sending it in. Providing a list of references with contact details as part of your CV (at least two) is a mandatory requirement- we will not request them at a later stage.
\nThe whole application should be written in English, including the\u00a0writing sample and CV.
\nPlease apply only if you are available for the above-mentioned start date. HCSS recruits interns on a bi-annual basis; later start dates will be announced in due time.
\nAll the documents should be submitted in one single PDF file, titled Name Surname_HCSS General Internship Application.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Practical Information<\/p>\n

The HCSS internship is paid: \u20ac 675,- per month. Our internships take place in person at our office in The Hague.<\/p>\n

HCSS only considers candidates that submit a complete application and fulfill all eligibility requirements. Successful applicants will be invited for an interview. The interviews will take place 2-3 weeks after the closing of the vacancy. Applications are NOT reviewed on a rolling basis, but all together after the vacancy has closed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At HCSS, we\u00a0firmly believe\u00a0in\u00a0prioritising\u00a0qualifications and skills when making hiring decisions, without any discrimination based on personal characteristics such as race, religion, gender, age, disability, and sexual orientation.\u00a0\u202f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Starting period: Earliest mid February \u2013 latest beginning of March 2026\u00a0 Deadline application: Sunday January 4, 2026 at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8036,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[1387,6879,6880,6881,1389,6622,2415,6882,42,6883],"class_list":{"0":"post-8035","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-the-hague","8":"tag-geopolitics","9":"tag-hcss","10":"tag-hcss-internship","11":"tag-hcss-is-hiring","12":"tag-international-affairs","13":"tag-internship","14":"tag-stage","15":"tag-stageplaats","16":"tag-the-hague","17":"tag-werken-bij-hcss"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}