Paid Internship at Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (MPIL), Heidelberg, Germany (EUR 450 per month; May to October 2027 Term)

The Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (MPIL), an institute of the Max Planck Society in Heidelberg, is a leading institution in international law, comparative public law and European law. Its directors and its doctoral and postdoctoral researchers work across public law, from the use of force to global constitutionalism and from international human rights law to European constitutional law, and the Institute hosts numerous guests from many countries every year.

The MPIL internship programme lets a limited number of highly motivated undergraduate and graduate students get acquainted with research and academic legal skills in comparative public, European and international law. Each intern is assigned to an MPIL research fellow who acts as tutor for the whole stay, and the intern and tutor set up an education plan at the start.

Typical tasks include:

• Conducting research in international law, comparative public law and EU law;
• Assisting in preparing contributions to the Institute's academic meetings;
• Writing legal summaries of cases and texts;
• Helping organise workshops and conferences;
• Carrying out specifically tailored research, independently or jointly with the tutor;
• Assisting in the Institute's research projects.

Interns are encouraged to join the Institute's weekly research meetings, thematic discussion fora and international conferences. The Institute notes that interns are not student assistants: the internship is an educational experience.

• Internships usually last no less than 4 weeks and may not exceed 12 weeks. Applications proposing longer periods (8 to 12 weeks) are preferred.
• The programme is full-time: the programme page states 39.5 hours per week, while the job posting on the application portal states 39 hours per week.
• Interns enrolled in a degree programme at a university will normally be reimbursed EUR 450 per month. The reimbursement is subject to income tax and social insurance (Sozialversicherung) rules, for residents and non-residents of Germany alike.
• Internships may be taken voluntarily or as part of a degree requirement; in the latter case the intern is responsible for meeting the degree programme's requirements.

Applicants must:

• be enrolled in a full-time undergraduate or graduate university level course during the proposed internship period, preferably in law or related disciplines (for example international relations, European affairs, philosophy, social and political sciences);
• be among the top students of their degree programme, with demonstrated research and drafting skills;
• be fluent in written and oral English (C1 level); knowledge of other EU languages, German in particular, is an asset;
• be computer literate.

PhD candidates are not eligible (MPIL directs them to its Visiting Scholars programme). The MPIL does not participate in the Erasmus Placement Programme.

The official page states no nationality restriction. It notes that citizens of countries which require a visa to enter Germany need approval from the German Labor Agency before entry; this approval is discretionary and requires additional information and an application.

Apply exclusively through MPIL's online application portal. Applications by email are not taken into account, and incomplete applications will not be considered. Submit:

• a CV and a cover letter explaining your motivation and specific interest in the Institute, with the suggested time and duration of your stay;
• a copy of your high school diploma, with an English translation (an unofficial translation will do);
• copies of your academic transcripts, with an English translation including a brief explanation of the university grading system.

The application deadline for the May to October 2027 term is 1 December 2026.

The MPIL programme page states that the application deadline for the November 2027 to April 2028 term is 1 June 2027.