By Anonymous Duration: 27th April 2015 – 26th June 2015 Over the course of the past summer, I was granted the opportunity to intern at the legal department of International Justice Mission’s field office in Chennai. I cannot provide any contact details of persons inside the organisation. I cannot, for that matter, divulge the location of the office. I doubt I will ever forget the seriousness with which the human resources person instructed me to keep mum about the activities at the IJM offices as I signed a confidentiality agreement becoming of a Bond movie. I had been very intent on interning at IJM and proceeded to sign every document placed before me – the internship contract, the internship rules, the IT agreement, the child protection policy. This human rights organisation was established to battle global poverty through rescue operations, rehabilitation, and by closely working with local governments and justice systems; interning with them gave me a very enlightening and sensitising experience. A family friend, working in the Chennai field office, introduced me the director of its legal department, when I had approached the former about a possible internship. The director had been blunt about not being keen on taking on a first year intern, which plummeted my optimism. Nonetheless, he gave me the contact details of a member of his team and asked me to apply anyway. I applied in early January 2015, emailing the contact my resumé and statement of purpose, along with a cover letter, following which, I had a telephone interview with her. I was subsequently required to send a writing sample and two reference letters, and because I am a Christian, I was also asked to send a statement of faith. During a short visit to Chennai in March, I was called to the office for a personal interview. My contact, who would later be my direct supervisor, informed me that I would be required to intern for a minimum of two months; at the time I was much too eager to get the internship, and agreed without hesitation. I later realised that I could have negotiated a month-long internship instead of working the entire summer away. Anyway, after the interview, I was told that my application would be processed. They reverted with an acceptance confirmation soon after, and I was elated that they took me in, despite my completing just the first year. The office is spread over two floors, and is well air conditioned; this was a huge bonus, considering the wrath of Chennai summers. My first few days were more of an orientation period in which I was asked to give my signature to the several intimidating documents and then given my call letter. I was to work under the legal department, consisting of several lawyers, a social worker, and an administrator. The Chennai field office deals specifically with bonded labour, so my bosses started me off on manuals and case laws on the bonded labour system in India. I was soon moved from […]
↧