PLACEMENT REPORT
I
NTERNSHIP AT
D
UTCH
M
INISTRY OF
F
OREIGN
A
FFAIRS
HANNEKE SIEMERINK
S2300435
Preface
Before you lies my placement report. During my placement I got to intern at the Communications Department of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my placement supervisor Julie Sprengers. She has helped me with her guidance, and provided a calm balance to my nerves. I look up to her, and aspire to be her equal as a professional one day. I’d also like to thank all my colleagues for giving me learning opportunities, and advice. It was a pleasure to work with them. A final thanks goes to my land lady, Belinda. Living with her was the highlight of my stay in The Hague, and I hope we will maintain our friendship.
I hope you enjoy reading this report, Hanneke Siemerink
Content
1. Introduction ... 4
2. Applying for internships ... 4
3. Expectations ... 5
4. Placement provider: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs ... 5
5. First week ... 6
6. Corona ... 6
7. Tasks ... 7
7.1 Tasks in general ... 7
7.2 Main task: EU Back to School ... 7
7.3 Brexit ... 8
7.4 Matrix and Calendar ... 8
7.5 List management ... 9
7.6 Summer colleague event ... 9
7.7 GDPR Workshop ... 9
7.8 Communication app ... 10
7.9 Dilemma logic ... 10
7.10 Working attitude and placement supervision ... 10
7.11 Personal learning process ... 11
8. Living in The Hague ... 11
9. Expectations, and difficulties... 12
10. Reflection: how does the internship fit into my degree, and career orientation? ... 13
11. Advice ... 13
1. Introduction
At the beginning of 2019 I started with my second master’s degree: International Relations and International Organization. I decided to do so, because it seemed to be a logical conclusion to my previous focus of study: Communication and Information Science.
For my internship, I had hoped to find a placement where I would find my two fields of study combined. I succeeded in achieving this goal by getting hired by the Communications Department of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In this report, it will first be discussed how I applied for internships. Then I will discuss my expectations, and my placement provider. After this, an overview of my first week is given, and the consequences of the Coronavirus on my internship are taken into consideration. Following, we get into my specific tasks, living in The Hague, and whether my expectations were met. Finally, I’ll give a reflection on how the internship fits into my degree and career, give some advice for future interns, and give a conclusion of this eventful period.
2. Applying for internships
During the first semester of 2019-2020, I started looking for placements. For me, this was a very nerve wrecking process, because I never had to apply for a job or placement through a letter. For example, my first placement provider I approached at an event from my study association to ask if they still needed interns. They said yes, and I immediately got the placement. This time was much different.
Before I started looking, I already had a list of demands in my head. A short list, but a necessary one. First, I wanted to go abroad (did not happen). Second, there should be a form of payment, since I have living costs. Third, the location must be in a safe (for women) area. The first, and third demand, I could easily find without limiting my options to much. However, there are lot’s of providers who refuse to award interns with a fair reward, most of those are private companies. With this in mind, I only started applying at government agencies, because they provide a good wage, and sometimes even housing costs.
In total I applied for three places. The first one at the Dutch embassy in Washington DC, the second one at the Dutch embassy in South Korea. I did not even get invited for an interview. So for my third application, I decided to do things differently.
This application was at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague for the Communications Department. I immediately thought it was the best place for me, because my bachelors degree and first master are both in the field of communications. As a strategy, I decided to call them with a question (whether master students could also apply, because they specifically requested bachelor students). Now, they had a voice/face that wend with my application, and I already had the chance to have a small chat.
After sending in my resume, recommendation letters, and motivation letter, there was a wait of a few weeks, where I only got the confirmation that my application was received. Then, I got the call. They asked me to come in for an interview, and my interviewee (the intern before me) told me I was at the top of the list.
From Groningen to The Hague I went, whilst being very nervous. Thankfully, my reception was very nice, and they immediately put me at ease. My interview was very much focussed on
my other field of studies, because that was what they were looking for. That I am also doing international relations studies, was merely a bonus for them. They asked me the standard questions about my ambitions, my hobbies, what I can bring to the table. Then we got into the meat of it, how would I run a programme named ‘EU back to School’. It led to an interesting discussion, after which the interview was ended. They asked me if I had a final question, I think I just asked if they were as exited about me as I was about them. Thankfully they were!
3. Expectations
What did I expect before starting my internship. To be honest, I was not really sure what to expect, because the organisation is so different from anything that I had done before.
My first internship was at an organisation that was anything but top down. It was very relaxed, and I got to schedule my own working hours, had fun with my fellow interns, and had (still have) a very fun rapport with my supervisor. She is one of the people who wrote me a letter of recommendation for this internship.
What I expected from this internship was a very formal work environment. Very top down, no nonsense types of people. I expected to come into office five days a week, and to be dressed smart every day. I also thought that I would have close contact with my colleagues and fellow interns, since we were supposed to be in the office, right? However, that did not really happen. This I will discuss in chapter 5: Corona. I also expected it to be very different from life as a student, although I did not really know how yet.
4. Placement provider: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign affairs is the mediator between citizens, companies, NGO’s, and government branches from inside the Netherlands, and those same types of organisations outside of the Netherlands. The specific mission of this ministry is to make our kingdom (the Netherlands) safer and more prosperous, while also working towards a fairer and sustainable world. They do this 24/7.
My specific department was Communications. This is a support department of foreign affairs, meaning that is supplies support for the entire organisations for everything that has something to do with communication. This could be managing the internal communications website, newsletter or app, but also offering assistance with campaigns such as the one for Brexit. The communications department also coordinates the media and communication strategies around ministers and other government officials. The communication department also has an educational role when it comes to the image of the Netherlands in foreign countries.
The communications department consists of four sub departments: - News management
- Editorial
- Communication advice - General support
As an intern I got a peak at all departments, except Editorial. Structure wise, all sub departments work together, or at least stay in close contact.
A final note on my placement provider is that it was a formal work environment, where there was a clear top down structure, and some people seemed very formal. However, it also was a place where colleagues clearly were at ease with each other, and were not afraid to speak there mind or interact more casually. As an intern this was also encouraged.
5. First week
Before going into the meat of things, I’d like to say a few things about my first week as an intern. Why? Because this was the week in which Corona became a big national issue, and also the week that was the reason that I still got to do the internship after some other internships got cancelled at my department.
I did not start on the day I was supposed to, because I was asked to come in a week early. This meant that I would work on a spare laptop, and had to do communications from my private phone. Not an issue for me personally, but for privacy issues it was advised against.
My tasks for the week were managing some emails, and getting to know the organisation and my colleagues. This was very interesting, because I got to read the previous interns report which included her account of my department. She got me some helpful notes on who to address for what, and what to find where. I also got an insight in my supervisors tasks, for which I was supposed to support later on in my internship.
My first two days were great; I got to know my workplace and had some lunches or coffee dates with colleagues. Then there was day three. This was the day where some organised chaos became visible for me (although I’m sure they already saw what was coming up to a certain point). Corona had arrived, and suddenly, my tasks seemed quite insignificant considering what was happening in our country.
No more time for lunches and small talk, but hard work for my colleagues and a day where I got send home early. When I came back on Thursday, it was clear this was going to have a serious impact on my internship and I was send home that afternoon with the message that they hoped I was allowed to come back on Monday. The building was closed for all non-essential personnel.
6. Corona
Due to Corona, our building got shut down along with the rest of the Netherlands. I called my boss on Monday, and got the news that I would not be needed for a while. This was also because I could not come in to pick up my laptop and phone, which meant I was not allowed or able to work from home. They also didn’t know if or when I was allowed to come back.
After a few weeks, I decided to check in with Julie, my supervisor, to see what was going on. I heard from other students that their internships got cancelled, and I started to get quite nervous. Especially so when I received an email from the personnel department with the question of whether I’d like to postpone, cancel or ‘start’ my internship. After a chat with Julie I was
allowed to have started on my original date, but still did not know if I was actually allowed to come back for real.
Thankfully, after a month and a halve I was allowed to come pick up my equipment for work, and could finally start my internship for real. I was also in for quite a surprise, because my department was supposed to have more interns. However, theirs got either postponed or cancelled which meant I was the only one left on my level.
7. Tasks
7.1 Tasks in general
During the internship I got a very diverse set of tasks. Not in the least because I was the only intern left, which meant that all ‘intern jobs’ were left for me to do. This meant that it got very busy later on, but, because I was gone for a while in between my first week and me picking up my equipment, I did not have any work in the first few weeks other than my main task. This was due to the issue that a lot of colleagues had forgotten about there being an intern at all, which is not that weird considering the circumstances. Also, Corona got a lot of events cancelled. Events that I as supposed to assist on, so my initial tasks were all gone except the main one which was drastically lessened in its load.
When I discussed this with my supervisor, she told me I had to get the jobs myself. This was quite scary, because I had to contact colleagues that I had not met yet and who did not even know I was still there to begin with. Thankfully, they were all very nice about it, and helped me by either giving me tasks or by informing other colleagues of my existence.
7.2 Main task: EU Back to School
The main task during my internship was coordinating a programme called EU Back to School. EU Back to School is a programme that was assigned to Foreign Affairs by the European Union, and has the goal to further understanding about and support for the European Union amongst high school students. Not only in the Netherlands, but also in different countries such as Germany, France, and Belgium.
The programme itself consists of classes given by guest teachers who are all either working for or with the European Union via the Dutch government. They teach on various subjects, such as the European Union in general and what it can do for high school students, but also on subjects like Brexit, safety, fake news, youth unemployment, and environmental issues. All these subjects are thought from a European / Dutch perspective.
As the coordinator, it was my job to manage the applications of schools for lessons, to connects guest speakers to go speak at schools, to help prepare lesson plans, to update the programme, and to send a weekly update to the speakers. Because of Corona, all classes had to be cancelled from a safety perspective, which meant my main task coordinating EU Back to School became making sure that all classes got cancelled. I also did not get to prepare lesson plans, and the weekly update was no longer as necessary since nothing was happening.
I was also in close contact with some of the speakers, whom all gave me great tips and helpful insights. Most of them were very enthused about the programme, and came across as very passionate. They truly see the value in the programme as an educational tool for the generations that come after them. One speaker even volunteered to continue helping with the programme after his retirement.
My final task for the programme was to evaluate the programme, and to give an advice on what to do with it in the future. In order to do so, I made questionnaires to get reviews from schools an speakers. Especially the speakers gave very helpful pointers. The results of the questionnaires were used for the evaluation report. There was a lot of feedback, but overall the speakers were very enthused about the programme. 100% wanted to continue working with EU Back to School. As the coordinator, this was very motivating. I also wrote an advice on what to do with the programme from now on, which I did together with my supervisor. This was very helpful, because it showed me what a business report looks like versus for example a thesis.
7.3 Brexit
My second task was assisting my supervisor with her role on the Brexit taskforce. In the beginning, this meant that I got to make notes on meetings that she was a part of. It was very interesting to listen to discussions on such a big event, and what comes with managing this from the Dutch perspective. Unfortunately, due to bad reception, I had to miss some of the meetings because calling in was either not possible or I could not hear even halve of what was said. Later on, when I got some understanding of the taskforces, and my supervisors role, I got an extra task. Together with the taskforces intern, I got to set out a job for part of the campaign. This meant writing an instruction, and assisting with choosing the company that was best for the job. What I liked most about this job was the contact with the other intern because it gave me the chance to communicate with someone on my level.
My final task was to keep an eye on my supervisors tasks during her vacation, which meant that I was the contact point from the communication department for the taskforce for a short while. Thankfully, I only got one question while she was away, and I was happy to discuss it with my fellow intern.
7.4 Matrix and Calendar
A big task that came from my initial asking for jobs was to edit a communications matrix, and to build a new communications calendar for the teams managing the government officials schedule. The matrix was easy, and not a lot of work, but the calendar I had to build from scratch in Excel.
This was not a difficult job per se, but it was one that was a lot of work, and I also wanted to have some fun with it. There were several demands of what it needed to contain, such as what, how, and whom. I decided to colour coordinate it with the matrixes that I worked on earlier, and to add some visuals in order to make a clearer overview. A final thing I wanted to add was a selection menu, which helped with building the visuals. In order to give a good overview, I also made an automatic tab that was automatically updated from all the other tabs.
Now, for a student who is used to working with excel, this sounds quite easy to do. However, all my colleagues had to be able to work with it, and they also needed to be able to fix the underlying codes or change them, after I left. This meant that I also made an instruction with exercises which I then got reviewed by my colleagues. Weirdly, I actually enjoyed this task a lot because I needed to consider what was necessary for instructions and whether the exercises worked for everyone.
The colleagues that gave me the assignment were very happy with the final result, and the base that I made for the calendar was also used for the calendar of a different sub department.
7.5 List management
The only task that I got that I truly consider an interns job was something that I can only call list management or maybe list assistance. Essentially, I got to edit a list in excel. A very long list. It contained over 700 rows with five columns that all needed to be checked and filled in by hand. It was a really boring job. However, the contact that I had with the two colleagues that gave me the assignment was very nice.
7.6 Summer colleague event
During one of our morning calls for the entire department, they announced that they needed help with organising the summer colleague event. I jumped at the chance to help, mainly because I had gotten quite lonely as the only intern, working from home, and being stuck in my room in The Hague with only my roommate whom I did not really know yet.
Assisting with this event meant that I could interact more closely with some of my colleagues. We had fun discussing our options, even though it was difficult to come up with ideas due to all the restrictions. We could not really meet in person, because, even though events of this size were allowed again or doable, we had to set an example. Therefore, we chose to do the event digitally.
My first task was to find out how we were going to do this, and how much it would cost us to do. In the end we decided on having a drink together over Microsoft Teams, where everyone would get a drinks and snacks package delivered at home. During the event there would be a speech from our head of department, and a farewell moment for some colleagues who were leaving the department. After this, we started with a pub quiz.
For this event, I got to help with the logistics of it, with ordering the food and drinks, with inviting the colleagues, and with the pub quiz. Together with two colleagues, we made it department / Corona themed with ‘guess the colleague’ childhood photos, guess the locations of the picture questions, and musical questions where they would guess the song and singer or band from a line of the music.
7.7 GDPR Workshop
One of my smaller tasks was helping with the preparation for a General Data Protection Regulation workshop. The workshop would be focussed on sharing sensitive data, and fishing
With my colleague who gave me the assignment, we brainstormed on what should be in the workshop, how many sessions we would need, who would learn what, and which sub departments needed priority.
After these sessions, we wrote a proposal for our board who then could decide on whether to do the workshop, and in what form.
7.8 Communication app
A fun assignment for me was assisting with the design of a communications app. This was very exciting to me, because it was linked directly to my very first internship during my communication bachelors, where I interned at a company that designs, builds, and maintains these types of apps. It also gave me the opportunity to work with a team with members that came from outside of Foreign Affairs.
For the app design, we had sessions in which we discussed what the app would have to do, who it was for, and who has excess to all functions. We first did this with a small group of the communications department, and later on with a company similar to the one of my first internship. It give me a chance to see both sides of the process.
7.9 Dilemma logic
The biggest job I got, other than coordinating EU Back to School, was not even for my own Ministry. It was a job for the Ministry of General Affairs, where there (apparently) was also a lack of interns.
The job was a research assignment, where I was going to first learn about a concept called ‘dilemma logic’, and later on was going to interview organisations that had used this concept for various projects. The assignment was given to me by the creator of this concept, Guido Rijnja, who was one of my favourite colleagues to work with.
Dilemma logic is a method which helps with the communication around project or events that require a support base from all stake holders involved. As a government, this is essential for a harmonious completion of sensitive projects or events.
Through this assignment I got to know people from several government organisations, such as a township, DUO, IGJ, and the Ministry of General Affairs itself. It was a great chance because I got to interview people who are at the top of their careers in positions that I can only aspire to be in one day.
Right now, whilst writing this report, I’m still working on this project with Guido and Marieke, a content specialist from General Affairs, which will be finished and published in the following weeks.
7.10 Working attitude and placement supervision
I would like to describe my working attitude as very enthused. I was really looking forward to do something other than studying, and, at 27 years old, feel ready to start working. That’s why I took every opportunity that I got to do tasks during the internship. During my final
performance review my placement supervisor seemed quite happy with everything I had done, and told me that she hopes that I’ll apply for a job to be part of their team.
The supervision during my internship was something else. This mostly had to do with Corona reasons, since it was more difficult to check in or be checked in on. However, I did have a biweekly meeting with my supervisor during which we discussed how my assignments were going, and what struggles I ran into. I feel that I had a good rapport with my supervisor, Julie, and am satisfied with the supervision that I received.
7.11 Personal learning process
I can honestly say that I have not so much learned a lot, as grown a lot on a professional level as well as a personal level. I feel truly ready to start working. I feel like a professional who knows what she is doing. I feel like a grown up with real responsibilities.
Before starting my internship, I had several learning goals, which I think I all achieved or at least gained insight on.
- I’ve learned how to combine my two fields in practise; that they go hand in hand. - By writing the yearly report for EU Back to School, the advice report, and the proposal
for the GDPR workshop, I’ve learned how to write a report for a non-school setting. I’ve also learned how to write news style articles by working out the interviews for dilemma logic.
- I really wanted to gain confidence in my expertise, which, as mentioned above, I did. - I got to experience the difference between the public and private sector which isn’t really
that different as far as the job goes, but in my experience the environment itself was more formal in the public sector. This could also be because my first internship was at a smaller tech company.
- I think I could still work on my time management skills, but it is getting better.
- Working in a big department was much different from working in a smaller one. It is more difficult to stay in contact, and to keep everyone in the loop on important projects. This was even more difficult with the whole Corona situation.
- Working in Corona times did not make it feel like a full time job. I had a bit of freedom in choosing my office hours, which made working much more relaxed than expected. - Working with my colleagues was not so different from a school setting, although I
definitely looked up to the people I was working with. They seemed more confident in their knowledge and skills.
8. Living in The Hague
Living in The Hague was very different from Groningen. I honestly got a little bit homesick: I missed my family, friends, the woods in Drenthe, and my own apartment in Groningen. But still, it was also a lot of fun living over there.
I stayed with my land lady, Belinda, which could not have worked out better. For around 450 euros, I had a separate bed and living room, which is ridiculously cheap in The Hague. Belinda
was also very nice to live with, and she had a cat, Zohra, with whom I’d also gotten quite close. Unfortunately, she died of old age in my final weeks there, which pains me still.
As for my social environment, well, due to Corona that was non existent at first. Everything was closed, so I spent my days working, chatting with Belinda, and doing online games with my friends back home. Not what I expected, but I guess that goes for everyone these days. Once the Corona restrictions got lessened, I got to see a bit more of the town. We went to Scheveningen, and had dinner on the beach. We went shopping in the Fred (that’s how the locals call the Frederik Henrik Straat), and visited small expositions. I also went on a ‘meet friends’ app, since it was difficult to get to know new people in the city. I had a few interesting coffee dates with others who were either interning or trainees in The Hague. I also learned how to play pool from a professional player who we met at a bar. I’m still no good at it. A final connection I made was with the owner of DiplomatTV, who makes cultural movies, commercials, and other types of films. They invited me to one of their movie premiers, where I got to meet and greet several ambassadors. The owner of DiplomatTV also wants to discuss what we can do for each other in the future.
9. Expectations, and difficulties
Most of my expectations were not met. I did get to work in a very formal working environment, it was very top down, and the people were no nonsense types. However, everything else did not go as planned.
Firstly, a whole month of my internship vanished with the first Corona outbreak. This also meant that later on I did not get to go into the office. I think I’ve been there online four or five times. Close contact with my colleagues was also non-existent, and my fellow interns had all disappeared.
Instead, I worked from home. Often in my pj’s, rolling out of bed when it was time for my first meeting at nine. If I had to get in frame, I’d often just where a smart shirt with pyjama bottoms under it. Not really what you expect from a professional.
Difficulties that I came across were mostly on the communication with colleagues level. It’s hard to contact people you’ve never or barely met with questions over the phone, having to explain who you are every time. Especially when most don’t even know you are there. This was mostly intimidating to do, but something that had to be done. Another problem came with working from home, in the sense that I had a bad cell reception and had to work via my phones hotspot. A final problem was getting over my own insecurities and just getting the job done. I was very scared to do or say something that was blatantly stupid. This was mostly a confidence issue.
10. Reflection: how does the internship fit into my degree, and career
orientation?
How did my internship fit into my degree? It was a perfect fit as far as my track goes, since it was the place to be considering I want to combine international relations with communications. Especially my communications degree came in handy, because most of my tasks were related to that field. However, when looking at the Brexit assignment, my knowledge of IR was very helpful, because it helped me to obtain a broader perspective of the issue.
How my internship connected to my Master programme is more difficult to answer. I think the only course, other than my thesis, it directly relates to is the course Dimensions of Citizenship. During this course I learned what it means to be a citizen, and what responsibilities the government holds for each of us. I think my internship, especially whilst working with dilemma logic, gave me more insight in this course. Dilemma logic is about sharing your dilemma’s as a government, to create a mutual understanding, and to show that you respect and consider your citizens concerns. It also gave me insight in what those concerns could be, and what can happen if you don’t communicate (like that).
As far as my future career goes, I definitely would love to work for the Dutch government. More specifically, the specific department of Foreign Affairs that I got to work with now. I’ve seen that they have career tracks ready, with lot’s of prospects. I like the working environment, and liked my colleagues (for as far as I’ve met them). It gave me useful contacts for my future, also with organisations other than my own ministry. I got to meet one of Rutte’s speech writers, a former journalist who works at DUO, the head of the IGJ, and communication advisors from companies that I’ve got to work with. I am also still in contact with my supervisor from General Affairs, whom I’m going to continue doing interviews for.
11. Advice
Before concluding this report, I’d like to give some recommendations to my fellow students. First, I’d like to tell you that “you are a professional”. It is okay to have doubts, but know that you have got this.
Secondly, get recommendation letters, even when they are not necessary for a placement. Go to your professors, or people you’ve worked with within the field. It helps you to stand out, and it is also handy to have them ready for when they are necessary.
Thirdly, don’t be afraid to get noticed. After getting rejected, I decided to stand out by calling them. It gives them a chance to get to know your voice, which means you already feel familiar to them. You can also do other things, such as putting an extraordinary skill on your resume, or adding your picture to your resume.
Fourthly, it’s difficult to ask your colleagues for help when you work from home. I don’t know why, but for some of us (me included) using the phone feels like an enormous leap. Just do it, they are probably happy that you called. Remember that they are probably also feeling a bit isolated in these times.
Keep a journal of everything that you do. It not only helps you write your placement report, but can give you a sense of what you have achieved as far as well.
12. Conclusion
Looking back at my placement period, I can honestly say that I have learned a lot. The jobs I’ve gotten were very divers: from making a (very long) list, to coordinating an entire programme. It was a time with lots of variation: I went from working in a strict office environment with a dress code, to working at home in my pj’s. For the first time during my studies, I had a roommate. I got to live in a different city, and had (some) chances to meet new people.
As a professional, as well as a person, I have had the chance to grow. I am truly grateful for this experience, which has given me a sense of purpose. I can now, confidently, say what I want to do in life. Not only professionally, but also personally in the sense of that I know what is important to me on a daily basis, what kind of environment do I want to live in, and what type of job do I want to do.
Even if it is not part of their programme, I would advice every student to take the opportunity to do a placement period. It is worth your time and effort.
