NDC Internship 2027 - #45115

Primary Location

Italy-Rome

Schedule

Full-time

Application Deadline

23-Jun-2026, 12:59:00 AM

Grade

INTERN

Post context

If you would like to gain experience working in a political and military alliance that promotes freedom and security, in an academic setting, then the NATO Defense College Internship Programme might be for you!

The NATO Defense College (NDC) provides senior-level education, on transatlantic security issues, enabled by research on matters relevant to the Alliance, and supported by engagement with several stakeholders.

Through its internship programme, the NDC offers candidates from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to develop practical skills, work alongside international professionals and subject-matter experts, share ideas, and contribute to the goals of the Alliance.

Main objectives of the NDC Internship Programme

• To give interns the opportunity to learn from the NATO community and get a better understanding and a more balanced view of the Organization.
• To strenghten NATO's access to theoretical and technical knowledge that the intern can apply through practical work assignments.
• To contribute to a more diverse workforce.
• To increase knowledge and understanding of NATO across Allied countries.
  
  
  

Eligibility criteria

To apply for a NATO internship, you must fulfil the following criteria on the closing date for applications:

• Age: Applicants must be at least 21 years old.
• Nationality: Applicants must be a citizen of a NATO member country
• Educational status: Applicants must have completed at least two years of university study and be enrolled in a third year, or must have obtained their highest degree no more than a year prior to their application.
• Languages: proficiency in one of the two official NATO languages: English or French. A working knowledge of the second is considered an asset. Knowledge of other languages may also be considered an asset for certain positions.
  
  
  

Selection process:

• Applications are screened and evaluated during the month following the application deadline.
• Longlisted candidates will receive an invitation to complete an online assessment on a platform called HireVue.
• Shortlisted candidates will be contacted around July/August and invited to an online interview.
• Successful candidates will be subject to a security clearance process and will be invited to begin their internship in February or August of the following year.
  
  
  

Additional information

The security clearance procedure varies by country and takes on average six months to complete.

Before the start of an internship, selected candidates must prove that you have obtained health insurance for the duration of your internship.

An internship does not guarantee future employment. In order to gain employment by NATO at any point following your internship, you must apply through the standard recruitment process.

What we offer

• Internship stipend: If you are selected for the NDC-funded internship programme, you will receive a monthly stipend (EUR 1,146.22 in 2026). This amount is adjusted by year in line with inflation and NATO salary adjustments.
• Travel: Once the Internship Office has confirmed your start date, you will be entitled to reimbursement of the most rapid and economical means of transport
• Leave: You will be entitled to 2.5 days of paid leave per month.
• In-house training: During the internship, you will take part in an induction programme and briefings to provide you with an overview of NDC's activities and structure.
  
  
  

NATO is committed to diversity and inclusion and strives to provide equal access to career opportunities regardless of gender, age, nationality, ethnic origin, religious belief, cultural background, sexual orientation or disability. NATO welcomes applicants from all member countries and strongly encourages women to apply.

As an employer, NATO values integrity, transparency and accountability in accordance with international norms and practices established for the defence and related security sector.

NOTE:

NATO will not accept any phase of the recruitment and selection process, in whole or in part, by means of generative artificial-intelligence (AI) tools, including and without limitation to chatbots, such as Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (Chat GPT), or other language generating tools. NATO reserves the right to screen applications to identify the use of such tools. All applications prepared, in whole or in part, by means of such generative or creative AI applications may be rejected without further consideration at NATO’s sole discretion, and NATO reserves the right to take further steps in such cases as appropriate.