DEMOS

I was one of those random foreigners to join Demos as an intern in hopes of getting some international experience. I graduated from Boston University in May 2004 and joined Demos in September after having moved here 3 days earlier. I applied to Demos through ordinary means and got an extraordinary internship out of it. The staff was supportive and interested in what I had to offer as someone with a very different political and life perspective. At the same time they did their best to explain things ranging from the education system to something as basic as UK geography. The atmosphere is academic, open, and always welcoming to new members of the Demos crew. My projects included: addressing a creative way of educating children, the use and meaning of social capital in the world and what it means for Britain, and a project on public space, its uses and implications for public well-being and interaction, among various other projects. As an intern you have your hands in everything. Office administration is one of our basic functions but takes up a small amount of the day. After that we help with research, organize meetings and trips, attend meetings and seminars, and generally benefit from a close working relationship with experts in their fields. An internship at Demos is unlike anything I can imagine coming across in the future and will be sorely missed as I return to the United States. Lauren Traczykowski

I worked as an intern at Demos for three and a half months after graduating from Nottingham with a degree in Politics in Summer 2004. My internship has proved a formative experience both intellectually and personally.

A new and nervous intern could not wish to enter into a more welcoming and relaxed environment than that of the Demos office space! The passion and commitment of each Demos employee is evident at any time and this coupled to an attitude which perceives interns as capable and intelligent generates a high level of involvement and responsibility for every intern at Demos.

I have had a varied and interesting time as an intern; I have been to numerous conferences and seminars and talked to policy-makers, academics, head teachers, government representatives and important businesspeople in my capacity as a Demos representative; I have researched obscure sociological network theory to feed into a project on the future of rural broadband and written a paper introducing the concepts of systems thinking to LEA’s; I have even acted as an independent consultant to an organisation seeking to improve student voice and democratic structures within schools.

Prior to my internship I had a general interest inpolitics and a vague notion of what sort of occupation I would enjoy and be best suited to. My internship has left me with a genuine interest in education policy (something I would never previously have considered even looking into) and a desire to pursue a future in social and political research and social policy. To this end I will be pursuing postgraduate study at LSE later this year.

Working at an organisation with genuine political influence and often at the cutting edge of social and political research gives an invaluable glimpse into the world of the ‘Westminster village.’ An internship at Demos, like many other things, is what you make of it but it is undoubtedly a fantastic opportunity for any graduate with an interest in politics and society. Chris Perry

During my two-month internship at Demos I worked on projects that covered topics as varied as digital TV, voluntary employment and secondary school learning.  Moreover, the seminars on offer tackled some really thought provoking issues such as sustainable development and public space to name but a few.  During the process I worked with many amazing and inspirational people, received a thorough insight of how a good think-tank ticks and made many like-minded friends. If you’re interested in kick-starting a career in politics or public policy, Demos is the way forward! Highly recommended! Nader (Ned) Mazhar

I spent four months at Demos at the start of my Gap Year between College and University (Sept – Dec 2001). With preconceptions of the ‘wishy-washy’ world of the think-tank in my head, I was amazed by the dynamism, enthusiasm and determination with which Demos pursued its goals, and more importantly how infectious the atmosphere it created was. It was an absorbing and thought provoking workplace, and I found my previously generic opinions on education and young people's attitude towards politics and power discussed and refined. Working on everything from expert coffee percolating to helping research a pamphlet on Young People and ICTs, the atmosphere challenged and encouraged me to look beyond the conventional. Matt Bethell

After completing a postgraduate degree at LSE and a four-month internship at the United Nations Development Programme’s Public Affairs Office I applied to the intern Research Programme. It was a big change from the UN but I loved working in a small and friendly team. I was made to feel part of the Demos family for the duration of what turned out to be a very exciting and challenging internship. From the outset I was given a lot of responsibility: I worked on an important “Networked Learning” project in conjunction with the National College for School Leadership. I really appreciated the fact that I was treated like an equal by the other researchers, both in terms of the work I was given to do but also during informal discussions during which my input was always valued.  In addition, the variety of intern duties – research, conference-organising, and administrative - allowed me to acquire a thorough insight into the way the organisation ticks! Katia Stasinopoulou

I worked for Demos for three months after graduating from Oxford in Modern Languages in 2001. I was looking to gain some experience before embarking on further study and assisted Demos researchers with two projects. The first concerned the quality of children's lives in the 21^st Century and the second was on joined-up policy for London tourism. I thoroughly enjoyed both of these projects with one of my main tasks being to assist with the organisation of a number of seminars on the main issues touched upon by our research. This was a great opportunity to bring people from all different interest groups together to encourage debate and an exchange of ideas on these important subjects. Since leaving Demos I have postponed further study to take up the position of political assistant in the European Parliament, where I am very pleased to continue focusing on culture and education in my Committee work. Paul Shaw

I began my internship at Demos six months after finishing a politics degree at the University of Nottingham.  Having heard of Demos through its work on gender, I was interested in its social justice outlook and enthusiastic at the prospect of working for a leading think-tank.  During my three months at Demos I assisted with a variety of projects, ranging from a look at the potential of space to the resources available for Key Skills lessons, and being a member of the communications team meant working on the newsletter, publications and the website.  I learnt how to do a mail merge, attended seminars, assisted with interviews and met many interesting people.  I am now leaving Demos, but with the help of recent additions to my bookshelf, I will be continuing to familiarise myself with their ideas for a long time to come. Gemma Rosenblatt