LKY School Internship Programme (LIP)

  1. What is the purpose of the LIP?

    2. Internships provide a good learning platform for students to gain some real-world professional experience and can help students to gain a foot in the door into the organization they aspire to work in upon graduation. It can also help to provide a reality check as students explore and discover their career interests. These short-term stints can act as vital building blocks and contribute to students’ career strategy for the longer term. Beyond providing the opportunity to apply what students have learned, doing an internship can also help students develop their network of professional contacts in a new space. This is especially important for students who are aiming for a career switch.

    Against this backdrop, the LKY School Internship Programme is designed to motivate and support our students to explore meaningful internships, either in Asia or impacting Asia, that enable them to acquire invaluable work experience prior to graduation. This internship programme encourages students to self-source for internships in public, government, non-profit, non-governmental and multilateral organizations. As these internships are often unpaid (E.g. internships in the United Nations), the funding support is meant to help in defraying some of the costs that students may incur during their internships.

    Read about the students’ internship experience under the LKY School Internship Programme here.

    With the support of the LIP, LKY School students have done internships at the following organisations:

  2. Who can apply for funding support?

    3. All MPP (including incoming Double Degree), MIA and MPA students are eligible to apply for the funding. However, please note that this is a highly competitive programme and we expect only a small number of students to be selected each year.

  3. What type of internships will qualify for funding?

    • Any unpaid full-time position done during the winter or summer vacation (at least 30 hours a week) or
    • Any unpaid part-time position done during the semester (no more than 16 hours a week), and in an organization that is a public, government, non-profit, non-governmental or multilateral organization
    • Internships done in Asia or impacting Asia
    • Internships that begin after the student has enrolled in their first LKYSPP module (i.e. Week 1 or later of their first semester at LKYSPP)

  4. What type of internships will not qualify for funding?

    • Paid internships and internships in private sector or for-profit organizations are not eligible for funding support from the LKY School Internship Programme.
    • Internships that are paid or compensated in any way (e.g. meal/transport allowance)
    • Internships that take place after completion of studies
    • Language study or teaching (TESL) opportunities and/or
    • Independent research projects
    • Internship organisation that you have founded, owned or worked in previously
    • Internships that fulfill the graduation requirements at another School/Faculty/University

  5. What type of funding support will be provided?

  6. What deliverables must I produce upon being awarded the funding?

    • A write-up on my internship experience (indicate approximate/minimum/maximum number of words, and this will be used to determine whether the School would like to feature your story in our publicity materials)
    • 3 high-resolution photos featuring highlights of my internship
    • A confirmation letter from my internship employer stating that the internship that I have undertaken is an unpaid internship.
    • Organization logo of my internship employer and their written consent for the School to feature their logo on the School's website
    • Completed feedback form with signature from my internship supervisor.

  7. How do I start the application process?

    8. To be eligible for consideration, students must:

    • Have a strong academic record (4.0 GPA minimum)
      Note: The minimum GPA requirement is not applicable to students who currently are in their Year 1, Semester 1.
    • Submit a completed “LKY School Internship Programme” application form (Click here to access the online application form.)
    • Submit a scanned copy of the completed and signed Declaration and Consent Form and upload it onto IVLE. Click here to download the Declaration and Consent form.
    • Provide a confirmation letter with the details of the internship, issued by the organization on their official letterhead, which explicitly states:

      a. the name of the intern
      b. the duration of the internship
      c. a declaration that the internship is unpaid
      d. that it is a full-time position done during the winter or summer vacation (at least 30 hours a week) or
      e. that it is a part-time position done during the semester (No more than 16 hours a week)*
      f. that the organization is a public, government, non-profit, non-governmental or multilateral organization

    • Provide a personal statement which clearly articulates how the internship will fit into your academic or career goals as well as how it will advance the LKY School mission
    • Provide an updated resume / CV
    • Upload the application form and all supporting documents to IVLE - Module: OTH554 Student Life@LKYSPP > Files (Workbin) > LKYSPP Internship Programme (LIP) - AY2017-2018.


    *Note: Point 7d applies for full-time internship done during the winter or summer vacation.
    For part-time internship done during the semester, international students can only work up to 16 hours a week as per ICA regulations.

    For enquiries, please email LKY School Career Services at decb64_bGt5c3BwY2FyZWVyc2VydmljZXNAbnVzLmVkdS5zZw==_decb64

  8. What is the selection criteria?

    9. Preference will be given to applicants who are able to:

    • Articulate a perspective on how methods and theories learnt in the classroom may be applied to their internship.
    • Attest how they will further the LKYSPP mission during and after the internship.
    • Acquire internships for longer durations (i.e. 3 months versus 2 months).
    • Able to fulfil all the mentioned deliverables
    • Show evidence of active student leadership and/or service to the LKY School

  9. When should I start applying for LIP funding?

    10. Students who would like to apply for funding from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy to help support unpaid internships that they have undertaken or will be doing can do so at different time periods in a year, depending on when their internship was/will be completed and when they will be ready to submit their deliverables:

    No

    Application Deadline -2359 hours on these dates

    All internships to be completed and deliverables to be submitted by

    1

    1 April

    30 September

    2

    30 August

    24 December

    3

    17 November

    28 February

    4

    30 January

    28 February

    For instance, students who have completed summer internships for May to June 2018 and would like to apply for funding support, please submit your application by 30 August 2018. Similarly, for students who are doing their part-time internships during this semester (January to December 2018), you can submit your application by 30 August 2018.

    Upon receiving all the deliverables and supporting documents, Academic Affairs (AA) will then submit the application to our Finance Department, who will require at least 30 days to process the fund transfer to students. 

    For example, if you opt to submit your deliverables by 24 December, payment will take at least 30 days from 24 Dec.

  10. What were some internships undertaken by students that received funding support through the LIP?

    11. With the support of the pilot Funded Internship Programme, LKY School students have done internships at a variety of organisations such as the United Nations Development Programes (UNDP) in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in Thailand, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Iran and the Pure Heart Foundation.

    Read about the students’ internship experience under the LKY School Internship Programme here.