University Intern

• Workplace Bern
• Company Federal Administration
• Category Internship

Task

• Preparation of background documents and statements


• Writing presentations, speech manuscripts, and dossier contributions


• Assisting in drafting Federal Council proposals (including negotiation mandates, applications for signing FTAs), messages to parliament, etc., as well as responding to parliamentary inquiries and questions from the public, including media inquiries.


• Preparation for and participation in meetings of WTO bodies, working groups, and meetings with civil society

• Completed university degree (preferably in international relations, law, or economics)


• In-depth knowledge of Swiss foreign trade policy


• Interest in issues at the interface between trade and environmental policy


• Careful and independent working style; ability to work in a team and service orientation


• Good active knowledge of two official languages and passive knowledge of the third official language, very good English skills

The World Trade Division (WH) is part of the Directorate for Foreign Economic Affairs of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO): The Free Trade Agreements/EFTA Division (WHFH) is responsible for Switzerland's free trade policy and free trade agreements (FTAs) with partner countries outside the EU. The WHFH division leads and coordinates the related negotiations as well as the corresponding domestic approval processes. It is also responsible for Switzerland's relations with EFTA, the administration, maintenance, and further development of existing free trade agreements outside the EU. The WHWT division is the federal competence center for all WTO matters.

The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) is the federal competence center for all core issues of economic and labor market policy and belongs to the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER). It promotes international market opening for goods, services, and investments. To reduce poverty, SECO is engaged in economic development cooperation. It plans economic and trade policy measures in favor of developing countries, Eastern European and Central Asian countries, as well as the new member states of the European Union (EU).