Theresa Fleitz on academia, policy and the Water, Peace, and Security internship at HCSS

HCSS Internship Blog and Interviews

Hi Theresa, can you introduce yourself? Tell me where you are from, what is your educational background, if you have any prior work experience before your internship? 

Hi, I’m Theresa and I’m from Germany. But I have lived in the Netherlands for the last 4 1/2 years already. I completed my bachelor’s at the University College in Utrecht in Liberal Arts and Sciences, with a specialisation in Politics and Economics. Afterwards, I moved to Leiden and did my master’s at Leiden University in International Relations with a specialisation in Global Political Economy. During my bachelor’s I was also able to do a research assistantship, which focused on the global health aspect of political economy.

So what initially attracted you to the HCSS internship programme and why did you apply?

I was always interested in learning more about the actual work procedures of thinktanks and the more practical-oriented type of research outside of academic work. Whilst I had some experience through the research assistantship, I was interested to learn more about the bridge between the academic and policy-making worlds. More specifically, when I looked at the details of the vacancy, I also noticed the topics that were researched by HCSS, especially in the sphere of climate security and supply chains – that were very interesting to me. So, I decided to apply!

Can you describe your time as a WPS (Water, Peace and Security) intern? What does your day-to-day look like?

My role is a bit different from the general interns because I am primarily working on the Water, Peace and Security partnership, which is a project that aims to mitigate and prevent water-related security challenges through the development of innovative tools and services. The project is done in collaboration with a larger consortium of other organisations. The WPS work consists, on the one hand of the global work, which focuses primarily on the global early warning tool for water-related conflict and on the other hand of the regional work. For the regional work the aim is to understand the specific local challenges in order to mobilize, build capacity and facilitate dialogue among different stakeholders. Currently WPS works in Iraq, Mali, Kenya and Ethiopia, but HCSS is primarily involved with and is leading the Iraq work. If you want to learn more about the WPS project, you can read about it on the website.

In terms of my day to day, there is no real standard day because I work with a lot of different people. I often have meetings to coordinate both with the HCSS team but also with consortium organisations and local partners from Iraq. Because WPS is currently in the implementation phase there are a lot of different tasks, not only related to research but ranging from preparing presentations for different events to communicating with the partners we have in Iraq, with which we developed work and training programmes. We have also developed a serious game which is one of the big deliverables of HCSS. The serious game was developed for a training for MENA water management officials in Jordan, for which I was also responsible for the logistical planning and support of the content planning.

Can you describe a specific project or task during your internship that you particularly enjoyed? How do you get assigned to projects?

For me the assignment works a bit differently than for the general interns. The normal general process is that every week you get assigned to work on specific projects based on the request of the analysts. Sometimes you get assigned to a project for months, sometimes only for one week. For me specifically it depends on how busy the Water, Peace and Security project is: I either work on the project for five days a week, but sometimes I also have time to contribute to some of the other projects that HCSS is working on. For instance, at the moment I’m also working on a project on the risk assessment of critical raw materials supply chains. Since my work is usually focused more on climate and security it’s also nice opportunity for me to see more of the different topics that you can work on at HCSS.

Sounds interesting! So during your internship, did you have any workshops or trainings, e.g. opportunities for professional development?

Yes, HCSS offers a monthly training for all interns during the internship programme. So far, we’ve covered different aspects such as research methods used by HCSS, which can be different from academic research methods, as well as the basics of PR and communications which will be very useful during your internship. One of the key skills we learned was to use the software Tableau for data visualisations, which is also very helpful for your future career. HCSS not only offers learning opportunities for interns, but also for staff members. Every month we have a Friday afternoon session where a guest speaker gives a presentation on a relevant topic followed by discussions. These topics can range from fossil fuels during the energy transitions to diplomatic negotiation skills. Another more individual opportunity to work on your professional development is the mentorship programme, where each intern gets assigned a personal mentor for the duration of your internship. The mentor helps you achieve your personal development goals, which you set during your first week. Regular check-ins and a monthly mentor lunch is included, another great opportunity to learn more from the professional strategic analysts working at HCSS.

What advice would you have for future interns who are thinking of applying?

First of all, for the application process my general advice is to showcase your skills in the writing sample and the motivation letter. Say and show what you’re capable of and why you really want to participate in the internship programme at HCSS specifically. It’s good to be well informed of HCSS and the work they do, also as preparation for the interview. The interview includes more than just a talk; you should also be prepared to do an assessment showing your skills, by for instance finding sources in different languages. It helps to familiarize yourself with databases such as the World Bank database. Lastly, it’s good to be familiar with comparative policy analysis approaches.

As for the internship itself, I advise you to use the opportunities you’re given to talk to and learn from different analysts, to get insights into all the projects HCSS is working on and to get more of an idea what you would like to work on. Grab the opportunity to get the most out of the internship, build your network, gain experiences in the field and build up the skills that are required for your future career.

This interview was conducted by HCSS PR and Communications Assistant, Alessandra Barrow