Volunteer or Intern

Chintan welcomes volunteers and interns. The difference between an intern and a volunteer is that an intern spends a fixed amount of time at Chintan, undertaking a specific project set to deadlines. Usually, we expect a product at the end of an internship. A volunteer, on the other hand, spends time and donates skills to existing programmes in order to enhance them, and does not have to produce a tangible product.

Chintan takes in interns from all over the world. In the last few years, our interns have been from high schools in Delhi, Delhi University, the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Johns Hopkins University, the American University, as well as several European Universities.

Given that there are limited resources, such as mentors and seating space in Chintan, we accept only such interns and volunteers who are most likely to contribute towards our mission. Every intern and volunteer is allocated a mentor, receives a short orientation to our work, and is given all necessary letters of recommendation and credit for his or her work.

Volunteers can apply at any time and we will help create an opportunity that suits them and Chintan.

Interns can apply to any one of the following internships.

Chintan Youth Internship

This is open to anyone under 21 years of age. Our youngest interns are 14 to 15 years old. As a youth intern, you can work with us to design a project you would love to do. For example, a youth intern in 2009 created a slide show for awareness about waste recycling, which was missing from our website. Another young intern decided to raise funds to help with medical camps for wastepicker children. If you are interested, please fill in the form here.

Chintan Senior Internship

This internship is open to anyone who has or is pursuing a professional course that is of direct relevance to any of Chintan's programmes, and is willing to work to strengthen our programmes. Some examples of relevant courses are international development, environmental sciences, law, design, filmmaking, monitoring and evaluation, and business development. The internship is rigorous and expects a good deal of self-motivation. The working environment is professional, and interns can expect to hold meetings with clients, undertake interviews and produce well-written assignments. Often, Chintan will post specific assignments for which it seeks interns. Interns from out of India are also helped to settle into Delhi within the first fortnight. To apply for this internship, fill in the form here.