Paid Internship

Hours: 35 hours per week, for six weeks

Salary: £28,723

Location: Remotely based but with some travel to London 

Start date: 24 June 2024

About the FDA

For over a century the FDA has been a strong, pragmatic trade union representing public sector leaders and professionals working in the civil service and parliaments across the UK. The FDA is not party-political and seeks to improve members’ working lives and the public services they deliver through negotiating and campaigning. FDA members come from a variety of different professions including policy advisors in Whitehall, prosecutors, economists, diplomats, lawyers and tax professionals. The FDA has membership within over 250 civil and public service employers across the UK.

The FDA is the fastest growing trade union in the UK. We are an exciting and vibrant union with many different opportunities to improve the working lives of FDA members. Recently, the FDA has been involved with defending civil servants against attacks on their impartiality; leading the campaign for a new system to be in place for dealing with Ministerial misconduct against civil servants and making the case for fair pay for civil servants.

We believe that public services – and those who work in them – matter. We stand up for our members and strive to improve their working lives, and seek to help them make the most of their careers. 

Further information on our work and current activities can be found on the FDA website at www.fda.org.uk@FDA_union or on the General Secretary, Dave Penman’s X (Twitter) feed @FDAGenSec.

About you

This internship would suit a student or recent graduate with an interest in developing a career either within the trade union movement, or more broadly in advocacy, campaigns, government relations, research or communications. No prior experience is needed, but an interest in current affairs, politics or trade unions is welcome. You may be studying a related field (although this is not a requirement) or just be interested in gaining work experience in the sector, either way we would love to hear from you.

The internship

This is a full-time six-week internship, starting on the 24 June 2024. While occasional travel to our office in London Bridge will be necessary, this role offers flexibility, and the successful applicant will have the opportunity to work independently from home – as such we welcome applicants from across the UK. Any associated travel costs would be covered and we are very open to discussing and accommodating individual circumstances where possible.

Renumeration for the six-week period will be based on an annual salary of £28,723. 

You will work closely with one of our National Officers who will manage and mentor you throughout your internship and work closely with one of our Communications Officers. You will also work closely with other union staff and the leadership team.

The project

The intern will work closely with one of our National Officers and our communications team to help with a range of responsibilities in a diverse and challenging environment. You will be working on a project exploring the future world of work for the civil service. With modern challenges of hybrid working and forced office attendance quotas, we’re keen to explore what a good model of office culture could look like for the civil service. This will involve conducting desk-based research, drafting content and supporting with event logistics. We’ll also provide opportunities for our intern to meet with senior stakeholders, get a good understanding of how a busy, proactive union operates, and see how government and the civil service operates.

To apply

The deadline for applications is Friday 24 May at 12 noon.

To apply, please send your CV and covering letter (no more than 2 sides of A4) to info@fda.org.uk with the subject line ‘Internship application’.