Careers in Foreign Relations

By Willy Franzen

Looking for an entry level job or internship in foreign relations? Here's an overview of how to approach the search and a list of companies that might have entry level and internship opportunities that will interest you.

See companies with foreign relations careers or search the latest foreign relations jobs and internships.

Photo Credit: Flickr user isafmedia

Foreign relations deals with the relationships between nations and understanding foreign policy. You can work for an international organization, the federal government, or another organization that focuses on foreign affairs. Or you can go more local and get involved in community development and public service. There’s no one career path for someone interested in foreign relations, but a few possible job titles for a recent grad include:

Research Associate
Program Assistant
Executive Assistant
Member Services Coordinator
Translator or Interpreter
Security Specialist
Project Coordinator

You need a bachelor’s degree for most of these positions. A concentration in the part of the world you want to study and proficiency in a second language will put you at an advantage.

Companies with Entry Level Jobs and Internships in Foreign Relations

Partners of the Americas - Partners of the Americas is a DC based non-profit that works to “build partnerships that create opportunity, foster understanding, and solve real-life problems.”

See the complete Partners of the Americas profile

Job Title	Location
Director of Operations	Pleasant Prairie, WI
New York - Retail Agency Program	Parsippany, NJ
Personal Banker (safe) 1 - Min	Burley, ID
Personal Banker (safe) 1 - Sol	Soldotna, AK
Vice President of Inside Sales	Austin, TX

See all 20,520 job postings

American Council of Young Political Leaders - American Council of Young Political Leaders is a DC non-profit that introduces "rising political and policy professionals to international affairs and to each other.”

See the complete American Council of Young Political Leaders profile

No current job openings.

Americas Society/Council of the Americas - Americas Society and Council of the Americas are two New York, NY based non-profits in one that aim to improve relations across the Americas.

See the complete Americas Society/Council of the Americas profile

No current job openings.

Group of Fifty - The Group of Fifty is a DC based non-profit made up of select “business leaders who head some of the most significant and forward-looking enterprises in Latin America."

See the complete Group of Fifty profile

Job Title	Location
FBR Licensed Credential Outpatient Therapist, Indiana PA Clinic	Indiana, PA
FBR Licensed Credential Outpatient Therapist, Johnstown PA Clinic	Johnstown, PA
AERI Family Based Mental Health Services - Primary Therapist in Butler, PA	Butler, PA
Construction Superintendent	Fort Meade, MD
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant	Camp Pendleton, CA

See all 988 job postings

Youth For Understanding USA - YFU USA is a Bethesda, MD non-profit foreign exchange “committed to preparing young people for their responsibilities and opportunities in a changing world.”

See the complete Youth For Understanding USA profile

Job Title	Location
Student Exchange/Local Coordinator	Yakima, WA
International Student Exchange Intern	Bethesda, MD
Admissions & Registration Assistant-Temporary (3 positions)	Bethesda, MD
Program Specialist – STEM	Phoenix, AZ
Recruitment Manager 1 position, Flexible Locations: Office Bethesda, MD or Home Virginia Beach-Norfolk Area, VA or Greensboro, Charlotte, Raleigh Durham Areas, NC	Bethesda, MD

See all 27 job postings

Inter-American Dialogue - Inter-American Dialogue is a DC based "leading U.S. center for policy analysis, exchange, and communication on issues in Western Hemisphere affairs.”

See the complete Inter-American Dialogue profile

Job Title	Location
Integration and Trade Specialist	Washington, DC
IFD/ICS-HQ-Citizen Security and Justice Knowledge and Research Coordinator-TTC	Washington, DC
Education Senior Specialist	Washington, DC

See all 1 job postings

Center for The National Interest - The Center for The National Interest is based in Washington, DC and was originally founded by former President Nixon as the Nixon Center for Peace and Freedom

See the complete Center for The National Interest profile

Job Title	Location
Experienced Women's Gymnastics Assistant Coach Levels 2-3	Chesterfield, MO
Experienced Women's Competitive Gymnastics Bars Coach	Chesterfield, MO
Journeyman Machinist	Pittsburg, CA
RNAC MDS Coordinator	Philadelphia, PA
Occupational Therapist (OT) -Pediatric Occupational Therapist Outpatient Ped's setting in Washington, DC	Washington, DC

See all 6,011 job postings

U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress - The U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress is a Washington, DC based non-profit that puts former members of Congress to work on important causes.

See the complete U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress profile

Job Title	Location
Assistant Special Counsel	Washington, DC
Director, Health and Environmental Impacts Division	Durham, NC

See all 2 job postings

InterAction - InterAction, is a Washington, DC based non-profit that “seeks to shape important policy decisions on relief and long term development issues."

See the complete InterAction profile

Job Title	Location
Social Media Intern	Washington, DC
Physical Therapist (PT)- Travel/Local Contract Skilled Nursing for Galloway, NJ!	Township of Galloway, NJ
SAP FICO Analyst	Media, PA
Sales Audit/Bank Reconciliation INTERN	Akron, OH
Technical Analyst Level II	Fort Meade, MD

See all 116,068 job postings

World Economic Forum - The World Economic Forum is an international non-profit that builds dialogue on the world's most pressing issues, and they're hiring.

See the complete World Economic Forum profile

Job Title	Location
Associate General Counsel	San Francisco, CA
Principal Application/Data Security Architect	San Francisco, CA
Application/Data Security Architect	San Francisco, CA
Business Intelligence Analyst	San Francisco, CA
Oracle DBA	San Francisco, CA

See all 265 job postings

Results for Development Institute - Results for Development Institute is a Washington, DC based international development non-profit with some great job opportunities for new grads.

See the complete Results for Development Institute profile

Job Title	Location
System Analyst II	Spartanburg, SC
Web Analyst	Carmel, IN
Social Media Assistant	Wickenburg, AZ
Developer, ETL/Business Intelligence - Group Benefits	Simsbury, CT
.NET Developer / Sharepoint	Hartford, CT

See all 2,959 job postings

International Foundation for Electoral Systems - If you’re interested in the work that IFES is doing to promote democracy, then you need to check out their Career opportunities.

See the complete International Foundation for Electoral Systems profile

No current job openings.

Atlantic Council - If you’re interested in getting involved, then head over to The Atlantic Council’s Jobs page to learn more about how they foster international relations.

See the complete Atlantic Council profile

Job Title	Location
Occupational Therapist / Therapy (OT) Travel - Skilled Nursing Facility	Atlantic, IA
Occupational Therapist / Therapy (OT) Permanent - Outpatient	Atlantic, IA
Account Manager - Energy Efficiency for New Homes / Maryland	Columbia, MD
Corporate Communications Consultant	Hanover, MD
Mid-Atlantic District Leader	Arlington, VA

See all 71 job postings

Institute for the Study of War - If studying war sounds interesting to you, check out The Institute for the Study of War’s job opportunities for college grads.

See the complete Institute for the Study of War profile

Job Title	Location
FOOD SERVICE SPECIALIST 3	Bossier City, LA
Security Guard	Carlisle Barracks, PA
Summer Intern: Social and Cultural Studies	Washington, DC
Persian Editorial Assistant	Washington, DC
Assistant Professor in Architecture, Architectural History and Theory (Tenure-Track)	Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN

See all 15 job postings

Sister Cities International - If reading about Sister Cities International gets you excited, check out their Jobs page and their Youth Ambassador Program Coordinator position.

See the complete Sister Cities International profile

Job Title	Location
Social Worker (MSW)	El Paso, TX
Executive Assistant	Chicago, IL
National Meeting Speaker	Washington, DC
National Meeting Speaker International	Washington, DC
Account Executive	San Francisco, CA

See all 43 job postings

National Bureau of Asian Research - The National Bureau of Asian Research conducts research on U.S. relations with Asia while also training next generation of Asian specialists.

See the complete National Bureau of Asian Research profile

Job Title	Location
Education/Library Science (1314-681)	San Marcos, CA
Social/Behavioral Sciences (1314-680)	San Marcos, CA
Police Records Specialist (FULL-TIME AND...	Downey, CA
Research Analyst - Multicultural / Hispanic	Chicago, IL
Report Analyst - Multicultural / Hispanic	Chicago, IL

See all 6 job postings

U.S. Agency for International Development - There is tons of information on the USAID website, so if you’re considering a career with them, spend a good amount of time learning about the agency.

See the complete U.S. Agency for International Development profile

Job Title	Location
Corporate Governance Analyst II	Tallahassee, FL
Analytics Cloud Developer (1033)	Fort Meade, MD
Web Developer III (14033)	Washington, DC
Regulatory Affairs Specialist (Reading, PA)	Reading, PA
Web Developer	Atlanta, GA

See all 4,120 job postings

Bridging Nations - Bridging Nations pursues their mission in 4 program areas: India-China-US Relations, Energy Technology/Policy, Education/Innovation, and Leadership/Governance

See the complete Bridging Nations profile

Job Title	Location
US - India - China Relations Internship- Spring 2014	Washington, DC
Part time Bilingual Interpreters	Cincinnati, OH
Higher Education and Workforce Development Research - Spring 2014	Washington, DC
Event Planning and Communications Internship	Washington, DC
Web Development/ Graphic Design/ Social Media Internship	Washington, DC

See all 31 job postings

German Marshall Fund of the United States - If you’re interested in foreign policy, then it’d be hard to find a more interesting place to work than the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

See the complete German Marshall Fund of the United States profile

Job Title	Location
Intern, Transatlantic Leadership Initiatives	Washington, DC
Intern, Urban and Regional Policy	Washington, DC

See all 0 job postings

National Endowment for Democracy - Current openings that might be suitable for new grads include Publications Coordinator and Program Assistant for Middle East and North Africa.

See the complete National Endowment for Democracy profile

Job Title	Location
Communications, Media, and Outreach Intern	Washington, DC
Program Assistant, Global Programs	Washington, DC
Multiple Tenure/Tenure-track Faculty Positions, as well as a Department Head Position.	College Station, TX
Program Officer, South Asia	Washington, DC
Associate/Full Professor	College Station, TX

See all 6 job postings

Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter & Associates - Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter & Associates is a Washington, DC based corporate communications and public affairs firm that is hiring new grads.

See the complete Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter & Associates profile

Job Title	Location
Nurse Manager	Natick, MA
Clinical Analyst	Worcester, MA
Digital Strategist	Washington, DC
Sales Trainer / Coach	Piqua, OH
Life and Health Licensed Career Financial Services Professionals/ Agents	Chattanooga, TN

See all 346 job postings

Council on Foreign Relations - The need for understanding foreign policy isn’t going anywhere, so I think the Council on Foreign Relations is going to continue to be an exciting place to be.

See the complete Council on Foreign Relations profile

Job Title	Location
Social Worker	Orlando, FL
Dir I International Bus Dev	Rosslyn, VA
Dir I International Bus Dev	Rosslyn, VA
Assoc Professional Specialist - Public Policy Papers Project Archivist	Princeton, NJ
Engineering Assistant I/II (PCN 25-2370)	Juneau, AK

See all 58 job postings

Independent Diplomat - Independent Diplomat is a unique foreign relations focused non-profit currently looking for a Program and Development Assistant in their New York City office

See the complete Independent Diplomat profile

Job Title	Location
Associate Real Estate Agent - Anne Arundel/Prince Georges County	Baltimore, MD
Associate Real Estate Agent, Multiple Locations - Chicagoland	Chicago, IL
Business Development Analyst/ Market Research spec	Miami, FL
Special Assistant to the President	New York, NY
SPECIAL OPERATIONS AGENT	Houston, TX

See all 50 job postings

World Learning - Right now, World Learning appears to have two entry-level job opportunities available in Washington, DC.

See the complete World Learning profile

Job Title	Location
Online Media Buyer	Camas, WA
Summer 2014 Teaching Fellows Program	New York, NY
Data Analyst	Camas, WA
World Class Internship Program Chicago Central Summer Intern 2014	Chicago, IL
Ruby on Rails Developer	Chicago, IL

See all 28,056 job postings

Carnegie Corporation of New York - The Carnegie Corporation currently has three job openings. One is definitely entry-level, and another could probably be seen as such for the right person.

See the complete Carnegie Corporation of New York profile

Job Title	Location
Program Director, Teaching and Human Capital Management	New York, NY
Executive Director of Corporate Strategic Philanthropy (Corporate Relations)	New York, NY
Software Development Engineer II- BING Job	Bellevue, WA
Multimedia Designer	New York, NY

See all 3 job postings

Institute of International Education - Located in NYC, Institute of International Education manages the Fulbright Program, along with 250 other programs worldwide.

See the complete Institute of International Education profile

Job Title	Location
Heavy Equipment Mechanic	Chantilly, VA
Personal Trainer/Master Trainer	Carlsbad, CA
Instructor - Jewelry Manufacturing Arts (JMA), On -Campus	New York, NY
Gemology Instructor - New York, New York	New York, NY
Assistant Professor of Fine Art Photography	Rochester, NY

See all 1,625 job postings

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