The Refugee Legal Aid Program (RLAP) of St. Andrew’s Refugee Services provides information, counseling, referral, representation, and advocacy for asylum-seekers and refugees in Egypt through the Refugee Status Determination (RSD) and resettlement processes.
Each year, RLAP offers several unpaid legal internships for qualified candidates who can join us for at least six months. Volunteer terms begin in January and July. The next cohort of Volunteer Legal Advisors (VLAs) will begin mid-January 2016 and commit to RLAP through July 2016.
VLAs work under the supervision of RLAP's legal staff. They conduct intake and follow-up interviews with clients, apply refugee law and policy to clients' cases, and prepare written submissions for UNHCR, IOM, and other national immigration authorities as appropriate.
VLAs receive training, instruction, and guidance from RLAP staff. Working independently and taking initiative are necessary skills for VLAs. Qualified volunteers will:
- Attend a one-week training session at the beginning of their internships
- Work at least 20 but ideally 40 hours per week and for a minimum of six months (applicants who can commit to work full-time will be prioritized)
- Have an interest in international law and refugee issues
- Be flexible and sympathetic to cultural expectations
- Have strong research skills
- Work independently and take initiative
- Write effectively and persuasively
- Work with maturity and professionalism in stressful situations and with emotionally-difficult subject matter
- Write and speak English fluently
- Have their own laptop computers with Microsoft Office
Desired qualifications include:
- Experience with legal analysis (such as law students or graduate students in a relevant field)
- Previous experience working with refugees
- Previous experience living/working in the Middle East and/or Cairo
- Social work, psychosocial training, or other experience working with vulnerable groups, particularly survivors of violence, torture, trafficking, or SGBV
- Communication skills in Arabic, Oromo, Amharic, Tigrinya, or Somali
HOW TO APPLY:
To apply to serve as a Volunteer Legal Advisor, send your cover letter, CV, and short writing sample torlap.applications@stars-egypt.org with the subject "Volunteer Legal Advisor Application".
The cover letter should address your qualifications for the internship and why you are interested in working with RLAP. It should also outline any time commitments you will have outside of our office during the period of your internship (whether you are seeking to work part-time or full-time).
The writing sample should be unedited and in English. An excerpt from an academic paper is acceptable.
Deadline for applications is 30 September 2015.
