Policy Internships Programme

Why Internships?

Despite the success of our scholarships programme, which has funded over 500 postgraduate courses for Muslim students, the feedback from our scholars has made us aware of the persistent barriers experienced in breaking into certain industries. Why is this?

Institutional issues: unconscious bias remains prevalent due to negative media perceptions of Muslims coupled with overly generic diversity schemes, which fail to recognise the underrepresentation of Muslims even under subcategories such as ‘BAME’.
Lack of representation / Imposter syndrome: some Muslims remain intimidated at the thought of entering spaces where they feel they do not belong/will not be accepted because they cannot see familiar faces there

Our internships programme aims to break this perception down and acts as a bridge between talented, aspiring British Muslims and organisations that are willing to commit to diversity and inclusion.

Why MP's Offices?

British Muslims remain underrepresented in the political sphere. By enabling British Muslims to gain experience in a political environment and developing their skills they are better equipped to enter the field.

Not only does the intern gain invaluable experience, but in occupying a space in your office they can showcase the significant contributions Muslims can make by bringing new perspectives and help to breakdown any (un)conscious biases that may exist.

What Does the Internship Look Like?

3-12 months
Part time or full time
In person, remote, or hybrid

Our role	Your role
Advertise role amongst our networks and all social media channels Check in with the intern regularly to offer additional support Offer advice for options post-internship Fully fund the internship / fellowship	Ensuring a point of contact/ mentor for the intern who can offer support Providing the intern with meaningful work experience & help develop networks Willingness to engage in community matters

Recruitment process

Candidates apply through an online portal
Applicants will be initially vetted and interviewed by the AF team.
Suitable applications will then be forwarded to relevant MP’s Offices, who will interview and make an offer for the internship position.

No compromise on quality

If no suitable candidate is found for an internship, then new arrangements will be discussed. The Foundation will not settle for tokenistic representation and does not want host organisations to employ Muslims simply to fill the role.

Further Information