The internship programme is managed by considering the working order in the ORSAM, interests of interns and the time that interns can allocate for the research activities. Throughout the internship, participants make various studies within the research areas determined by the ORSAM.
 
Applicants are expected to work for at least either full-time for two days or part time for four days. “Distant internship” applications are not accepted.
 
Capacity to watch news and comments in regional languages (Arabic, Persian, Kurdish and Hebrew) are preferred.

For the internship applications, a Curriculum Vitae and a statement of purpose are required. In addition to these, one can send the documents, reference letters and transcripts regarding the foreign language. In the statement of purpose, one should include the aims in using the time spent in ORSAM, expectations about the personal development and the research areas the applicant wishes to work in. One should clearly indicate the days and working hours that he/she is planning to allocate for the programme. During the programme, participants conduct their studies within the topics designated by ORSAM with the supervision of the experts on the respective region, country or topic. In designating the topics, both the interests of interns, expectations of ORSAM and workability of the topic are quite crucial.

Regarding the internship applications, students of bachelor’s degree (2^nd, 3^rd,4^th year) or master’s degree in universities in or out of Turkey studying in the departments of international relations, political science, sociology, economics, law, history, philosophy, modern languages (English, Arabic, etc.) and translation and interpreting are prioritized.

There is no fee expected from the applicants and the ones accepted for the programme.

Owing to huge demand, only some of the applications are accepted. The life style, dressing and finery of applicants do not have a positive or negative impact on ORSAM in evaluating the applications. 

The applicants that are accepted to the programme are expected to write analytical review essays regularly on the current issues in the Middle East. When participants deliver their writings, they automatically acknowledge that their work will be published on the Centre for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies website under Young ORSAM, and they also know that if any problem arises regarding copyrights with second or third parties, they have the responsibility on that matter.
 
ORSAM cannot provide accommodation for the interns in Ankara.

The ones finishing their internship successfully are given a “ORSAM Internship Certificate”.

Applications are welcomed any time all the year round. Applications and relevant document should be sent to the assistant to the director, Seval Kök, via sewalkok@gmail.com. Results are announced to the applicants via e-mail directly.


ORSAM MIDDLE EAST SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAMME

This programme is managed as seminars of Middle East-themed courses. The course instructors are ORSAM experts, advisors and university faculty members. 

This year, the third ORSAM Middle East Summer School Programme took place in the ORSAM conference hall between June 20 and July 1, 2011. Allocated in the weekdays, the programme courses were held between 10.00 and 12.00 in the morning and from 14.00 to 16.00 in the afternoon.

The programme courses were: Think Tanks in Turkey and in the World, the Middle East in the Turkish Foreign Policy, the Middle East in the US Foreign Policy, Regimes and Change in the Arab World, Persian Gulf Countries’  Social and Political Structure, Foreign Policy of Israel and Turkey-Israel Relations, Main Dynamics of the Palestine Problem, Iraqi Turkmens’ Social and Political Structure, Current Problems of Iraq, Iraq in the Middle East Equation, Political Structure in Iran and Internal Dynamics, Foreign Policy of Iran, Ethnic Structure in Iran and Iranian Turks, Internal Dynamics of Lebanon and Her Interaction with the Regional Systematics, Internal Dynamics of Syria and Her Foreign Policy, Islamist Movements in the Middle East and Denominational Dynamics, the Middle East Economies, Energy Security in the Northern Africa and Middle East, Water Problem in the Middle East, Turkish Policy of Central Asia and the Process of Transformation in the Region.

During the programme, apart from these, the participants were given briefings by the officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Turkish International Cooperation & Development Agency (TİKA) on institutional human resources policy (and on personnel recruitment).

Within the third ORSAM Middle East Summer School Programme, there were more than 150 participants from 21 cities, 20 universities and 14 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programmes. Furthermore, there were participants from the universities abroad and private sector in Turkey.

The universities of the participants whose higher education is still continuing are as the following: Ankara University, Atılım University, Azerbaijan University of Languages, Bilkent University, ÇanakkaleOnsekiz Mart University, Çukurova University, Gazi University, Yıldız Technical University, Middle East Technical University, Uludağ University, Marmara University, Hacettepe University, Istanbul University, Galatasaray University, Kırıkkale University, Baskent University, Anadolu University, Balıkesir University, Boğaziçi University, Trakya University, Sakarya University, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Selçuk University, Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey University, Cumhuriyet University, ÇankırıKaratekin University, Pamukkale University, Near East University, Karadeniz Technical University, Adnan Menderes University, MimarSinan Fine Arts University, Kocaeli University, SüleymanDemirel University, Boston Tufts University, University of Vienna. The participants’ undergraduate, graduate and doctoral education continues on the following departments: International Relations, Sociology, Journalism, English Language and Literature, History, Law, Economics, Arabic Education, American Culture and Literature, Arabic Language Education, Public Administration, Political Science, Philosophy, Arabic Language and Literature. This year’s participants came from the following cities: Ankara, Aydın, İstanbul, Kırıkkale, Karaman, Edirne, Adana, Bursa, Eskişehir, Denizli, Konya, Sakarya, Kocaeli, Isparta, Nicosia, Kayseri, Trabzon, Çankırı, Vienna, Boston and Washington.

The language used in the ORSAM Middle East Summer School Programme is Turkish. ORSAM cannot provide accommodation for the interns in Ankara.

The application dates for the 4^th ORSAM Middle East Summer School Programme to be held in 2012 will be announced in April 2012. The applications made until the date of announcement will not be evaluated.