U.S. Commercial Service Kazakhstan Internship Program
About the Internship Program
The U.S. Commercial Service has an active internship program throughout the year, and we welcome applications from suitable candidates to work alongside our staff at the U.S. Consulate General in Almaty, seeking experience in promoting trade between the United States and Kazakhstan.
About U.S. Commercial Service
The U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Consulate General in Almaty is comprised of an American officer and several local employees. The function of this overseas office of the U.S. Department of Commerce is to promote U.S. business interests in Kazakhstan.
To support this objective - our office counsels U.S. companies, analyzes information on Kazakhstan’s market, facilitates contacts with Kazakhstan businesses, promotes U.S. products in Kazakhstan marketplace, and advocates U.S. business interests. We assist trade missions to Kazakhstan and provide logistical support to U.S. companies holding product launches and exhibitions.
The activities of the U.S. Commercial Service are organized by industry sector, with each of the three Commercial Specialists responsible for specific industry sectors. The intern will work closely with the three Commercial Specialists on a variety of trade-related projects.
Intern Duties
The intern’s work assignments will provide exposure to our full range of activities and services. Every attempt is made to give hands-on experience as appropriate.
Intern assignments may include:
- Collecting and analyzing information for use in market research reports for in-depth analysis of the Kazakhstan market for a specific product sector
- Identify Kazakhstan agents and distributors for U.S. exporters and create a contact database
- Assist with appointment making for our Gold Key and other matchmaking services.
- Assist during Gold Key clients’ visits.
- Process FUSE and BSP requests (refer to linked pages on this website)
- Input of data into our CTS internal commercial database
- Assist in the preparation of trade events and trade missions; seminars and conferences
- Assist in visits of partner U.S. Government Agencies’ visitors
- Assist in the preparation of short, topical industry reports covering Kazakhstan market, which are of interest to U.S. exporters
- Assist with trade and other events taking place during the internship
- Assist with day-to-day office tasks
Requirements
In order to qualify for an internship, potential candidates should be:
- Undergraduate or Graduate students during the semester of their internship
- Available for a minimum of three months
- Able to work 12 hours a week
- In possession of a U.S. or Kazakhstan passport (host country national)
- Basic computer skills are a prerequisite (Word, Excel)
- Fluency in Russian; fluency or high-proficiency in English language skills
- Internships are on a NO-PAY basis. Please note that interns do not receive any compensation, and no housing or other financial assistance is available.
Worldwide U.S. Government policy on interns is that they must be enrolled in full-time academic study course.
While we prefer interns with International Business, Business Administration or Marketing majors, we will consider all appropriate applicants.
All acceptances are subject to a security clearance prior to beginning work at the Embassy, which generally takes 1 month to complete. Please ensure to allow a sufficient amount of time to process both your application and security clearance.
How To Apply
If you are interested in an internship with the U.S. Commercial Service's Almaty office, please send at the address below:
- your resume
- a cover letter (preferable)
- a 1-page writing sample
- two letters of recommendation (optional)
This information must be received by our office well in advance of your intended start date. Once received, applications will be reviewed by our office and successful candidates will be invited to interview. If offered an internship, you will be asked to complete a number of security forms.
Timeframes
The Internship program runs on a quarterly basis.
Contact Information
If you require any further information or would like to submit an application, please contact:
Aliya Shaikhina
Commercial Specialist
U.S. Commercial Service
U.S. Consulate General
41 Kazybek bi St
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Tel: +7 (727) 250 7612 ext. 6491
Fax: +7 (727) 250 0777
E-mail: aliya.shaikhina@trade.gov
