Interning in Tallinn: Student's Experience

This blog post comes from our Fall 2024 student, Samuel, who had the opportunity to intern at the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS). As Estonia's leading think tank on foreign policy, security, and defense, ICDS aims to be the regional knowledge hub of choice for the security and defense communities of Estonia, its allies, and partners. 

Here’s Sam’s experience!

About the Internship

When I signed up for the CIEE study abroad program, I chose the internship option mostly because my university required a credited internship this semester. I was initially worried that having an internship while studying abroad, as well as having to adjust to a new job along with a new culture, would become a difficult part of my experience or otherwise take up time I’d rather have spent on school, traveling, or other activities. However, I’ve really enjoyed my internship at the International Center for Defense and Security, an Estonian government-affiliated policy think tank. The workload hasn’t been overly heavy (though this could be different depending on the internship), and the internship itself and its topics aligned with my interests, career goals, and academic background. I’d even say that having a bit more structure in my schedule, besides school and CIEE events, has helped me adjust more easily.

Day-to-Day Work

My initial expectations of the internship at ICDS ended up being quite similar to what my job would be. I was expecting to be a research assistant, essentially just gathering data for my supervisor and doing some data analysis, and for the most part, that is what my job has been. My internship has also included some other aspects, such as writing a policy brief for potential publications and volunteering at ICDS-hosted conferences.

The environment is rather relaxed, and I have access to experts in policy from all corners of the globe, along with topics such as cybersecurity, the EU, and NATO if needed. While I was only present during two conferences—the Annual Baltic Conference on Defense and the Tallinn Digital Summit—the topics discussed were very interesting. I was able to listen in on talks from military industrial representatives and government/military officials.

Career and Academic Takeaways

As I briefly mentioned in the beginning, this internship was a great opportunity for both my academic and career goals. I gained practical experience in areas I had covered in class, as well as a better look into what exactly foreign policy researchers and analysts look for when writing about a topic. Since my career goals at the moment are either to work as a State Department analyst or at a third-party organization similar to ICDS, this internship gave me a way to see how organizations like this one run and what positions/duties people would have.

The internship also gives me prior work experience in the field of foreign policy and international relations, something very beneficial for future internships or job applications.

Beyond the Internship

Moving on to the rest of my study abroad experience, my takeaway from more than halfway through is that it really wasn’t as much of an adjustment or cultural shock as I was expecting. The university experience is similar to any other university, though this is in part due to my classes coming from the exchange student classes list (that means that they are taught in English, rather than Russian or Estonian).

Almost everyone knows English if you need to communicate, the public transport system is well-run and easy to navigate, and the city itself, while small, is great to explore and very interesting.

Samuel Thrasher, Fall, 2024 
CIEE Program: Russian Language + European Studies 
Seton Hall University