Meeting other interns on the first day of a NGO internship in the UK

NGO Internships in the United Kingdom

More international humanitarian and human rights organisations are headquartered in London than in almost any other city outside Geneva or Nairobi, from Amnesty International's global secretariat to some of the world's largest disaster relief and development charities.

That concentration has built a non-profit sector with real scale and reach, where a single London office can be coordinating emergency response efforts, grant programmes and advocacy campaigns across dozens of countries at once. Add a deeply established culture of charitable giving, a dense network of foundations and grant-making bodies, and decades of institutional experience in international development, and London offers interns a close look at how the non-profit sector actually operates at a global level.

Whether you're a university student, recent graduate, gap year student or career changer, our NGO and non-profit internship program in London can help you build practical experience within one of the world's most important hubs for humanitarian and development work.

Important eligibility information: If you solely hold a UK passport and have lived only in England & Wales for the past five years, you must join a program outside the UK.

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24Guaranteed Internship
Vetted roles in leading London NGOs, charities and non-profit organizations.

14Complete Overseas Support
Visa assistance, London housing, social & cultural events and 24/7 staff support included.

22Global Career Network
Join 15,000+ alumni with dynamic workshops, networking events, and employer references. 

Example NGO and non-profit host organizations in London

We've previously placed interns with organizations across London's international development, humanitarian response, grant-making and advocacy sectors. The organizations featured represent examples of the types of professional environments where participants have gained experience.

Why do an NGO and non-profit internship in the UK?

London's concentration of international NGO headquarters means a single office here can be directing programmes across continents, coordinating emergency response, long-term development work and advocacy campaigns from one building. Interns working inside that structure see how a non-profit organisation actually scales its mission well beyond the country it's based in.

The UK's charitable sector benefits from a long-established culture of giving and a correspondingly dense network of foundations, trusts and grant-making bodies that fund work both domestically and internationally. London's non-profits have also built decades of institutional knowledge in international development and humanitarian response, meaning interns are often exposed to programme design and evaluation practices refined over generations of fieldwork rather than improvised from scratch. Fundraising here has professionalised into its own discipline too, with major charities running sophisticated donor relations and campaign operations that rival those of large commercial organisations.

London is particularly strong in areas such as international development, humanitarian response, fundraising and grant-making, giving you exposure to a non-profit sector whose reach extends across the globe.

Experience the non-profit sector at global scale

International headquarters density
 See how London's concentration of NGO headquarters lets a single office coordinate work across dozens of countries.

Deep specialization
Explore the sector across international development, humanitarian response, fundraising and advocacy.

Global networking
Build connections with professionals working on programmes that span continents.

Established giving culture
Learn how a long tradition of charitable giving supports one of the world's most developed non-profit sectors.

Meeting other interns in London on the first day of an NGO internship in the UK

Explore NGO and non-profit internships in London

London's non-profit landscape spans international development organisations, humanitarian relief agencies, grant-making foundations and advocacy groups. Your internship could give you the opportunity to see how organizations in the city design, fund and deliver programmes that reach communities around the world.

Fundraising & Donor Relations

Raising funds at scale means building relationships with donors ranging from individual supporters to major institutional funders. You could support donor research, campaign coordination or appeal drafting.

You could work on: Donor research support · Campaign coordination · Appeal drafting support · Database management

Grants & Program Management

Managing a grant portfolio means tracking funding against programme outcomes across multiple projects at once. You could support grant application research, reporting or programme documentation.

You could work on: Grant application research · Reporting support · Programme documentation · Budget tracking support

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning

Proving that a program actually works requires rigorous data collection and honest analysis of what's succeeding and what isn't. You could support data collection, reporting or impact research.

You could work on: Data collection support · Reporting support · Impact research · Survey analysis support

Volunteer & Community Engagement

Coordinating volunteers and community partners means matching people's time and skills to the work that actually needs doing. You could support volunteer recruitment, scheduling or community outreach.

You could work on: Volunteer recruitment support · Scheduling · Community outreach · Event coordination support

Looking for NGO and non-profit internships beyond London? Explore our international NGO internships to discover opportunities across a range of destinations. 

Example NGO internship roles in the United Kingdom

Depending on your skills and interests, you could take on a role such as:

  • Legal Impact Intern 
  • Community Development Intern 
  • Cultural Exchange Coordinator 
  • Grant Writing & Development Intern 
  • Education & Youth Development Intern 
  • Operations & Impact Coordinator 
  • Marketing & Events Intern 
  • Research & Innovation Intern 

Your exact role will depend on your host organization and placement.

Explore more example NGO roles >

Seeing a show in the West End during an NGO internship in the UK

What can you gain from our NGO and non-profit internship in the UK?

An NGO and non-profit internship in London goes beyond a single line on your CV. It's a chance to see how organisations turn a mission into programmes that reach people across the world, developing practical skills through work with real-world consequences.

  • Build London non-profit experience

    International non-profit experience on your CV shows future employers you've worked within organizations operating at real international scale, coordinating programs across borders. 

  • Work on real programs and campaigns

    Put your knowledge into practice through projects that could involve development, humanitarian response, fundraising or advocacy, depending on your placement. 

  • Grow your global development network

    Connect with professionals working on programs that span continents while building relationships with fellow interns from around the world. 

  • Understand the non-profit sector at scale

    See how a single headquarters can coordinate funding, programs and advocacy across dozens of countries at once. 

  • Experience London's non-profit culture

    Gain insight into how international development expertise, fundraising sophistication and advocacy combine to shape how the city's charities operate. 

Spending a day exploring London during an NGO internship in the UK

What's included in the UK internship program?

Your program includes support designed to help you get the most from your international internship, from placement and accommodation to visa support, career coaching and 24/7 in-country support.

Explore the full London internship program >

Hear from our interns in the UK

Kaitlyn Potter
Kaitlyn Potter
Watch their story
Alyssa Petty-Fausett
Alyssa Petty-Fausett
Watch their story
Ella Kay
Ella Kay
Watch their story

"I interned with a London-based nonprofit that deals with press abuse in the media and focuses on changing laws around media intrusion in the UK. I had lots of different projects, roles and things that I worked on as an intern, so every day was a little bit different. One week I was up in Westminster with MPs, and the week before I was filming a documentary in Manchester. There wasn't anything very specific that I was constantly doing, other than media monitoring, which was really important to the organization and involved checking the media and making sure they were following the guidelines that we should already have in place in the UK." - Kaitlyn Potter, NGO intern in the UK

"I chose to do the internship program in London because I've never done a lot of travelling outside of my home country. I felt like this was the perfect place to not only feel comfortable because it's so similar to where I'm from, but also have the opportunity to check out other places around Europe, travel, meet new people and experience different communities." - Alyssa Petty-Fausett, London intern

Having afternoon tea during an NGO internship in the UK

Is a London NGO and non-profit internship right for you?

A London NGO and non-profit internship could be a great fit if you're drawn to work that has a real impact beyond the organization itself.

Whether you're a university student, recent graduate, gap year student or career changer, you can build practical non-profit skills while experiencing how organizations in London design, fund and deliver programs reaching communities around the world. It's an opportunity to build your CV, expand your professional network and discover where a career in the non-profit sector could take you.

What is it like to live as an NGO and non-profit intern in London?

Living as an NGO and non-profit intern in London often means the office clusters around King's Cross and Angel, where a surprising number of major charities and development organisations have settled within walking distance of each other. A canal-side lunch at Granary Square becomes a reliable break from the desk once the weather cooperates, barges drifting past while you eat.

Colleagues training for a sponsored marathon or cycle challenge are a near-constant presence, and it's rarely long before you're asked to sponsor one yourself. Weekends sometimes mean a day trip to a National Trust property outside the city, a quieter pace that makes a nice contrast to a week spent on urgent reports and deadlines.

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Having a picnic at the weekend during an NGO internship in the United Kingdom

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