Native Title Anthropology Internships
The Anthropology Internship Program introduces students to career opportunities in the area of native title and Indigenous affairs and at the same time provides assistance to under-resourced and over-worked anthropologists who work in Native Title Representative Bodies (NTRBs) and Native Title Service Providers (NTSPs), Indigenous policy and other organisations.
* Note that the term Native Title Representative Bodies (NTRBs) includes three Native Title Service Providers (NTSPs) receiving specific funding to perform some NTRB functions (Native Title Services Victoria, NSW Native Title Services and Queensland South Native Title Services).
Short-term internship positions
The internships are offered at organisations around Australia and employ lawyers, anthropologists and other researchers, field officers and administrative staff to represent and support Indigenous communities in native title claims and other negotiations.
Anthropologists play a key role in native title work in Australia in conducting research, undertaking field work and preparing ‘connection reports’ for claims under the Native Title Act 1993. Applications are open to third year, honours and postgraduate anthropology students.
Most internships run for 4 to 6 weeks over the June to July and November to March university breaks. They are a full-time workload usually around 40 hours per week. Applications are open from 11 August to 5 September for the summer 2008/09 internships.
Click here to go to the application page
Longer term contract locum positions
Applications are open to anthropology students as well as qualified anthropologists. Placements may start at 2 months and can continue for up to 1 year. Duties, conditions and remuneration vary from position to position.
(Please note the selection criteria for locum positions differs from those mentioned below - the information below applies only to unpaid student internships).
If you would like any further information, or would like to be placed on our "register of interest" please click here to email the Placements Team.
Selection criteria
Selection for one of the internships will require that applicants have:
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a strong academic record |
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an interest in the area of native title and Indigenous affairs |
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good interpersonal and communication skills |
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cultural awareness and sensitivity |
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the willingness to commit to the minimum required period |
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Locations of anthropology internships
Locations of placements are Australia-wide. We request that interns provide their preferences, and we do our best to accommodate them. However, as placements are dependent upon organisational need, we cannot guarantee that interns’ preferences will be met.
Click here to see a map of the NTRB regions
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Costs associated with anthropology internships
Travel costs and accommodation will in some instances be covered, either partially or totally, by the host organisations. Where this is not possible due to resource constraints, internships will be available to those who can self-fund. Regardless, interns need to cover their own day-to-day expenses (e.g. food, entertainment, local travel etc.)
The Aurora Project does not provide any financial support for interns.
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University course credit
Some universities provide course credit for undertaking internships or for a paper arising from internships (for example, James Cook University). Applicants should consult with their relevant faculty or school as to the availability of such a program.
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What to expect as an intern
Your role as an intern is to assist the host organisation in any capacity, and in any way possible. Interns’ duties will depend on the nature of the placement organisation and particularly whether or not the organisation has in-house or contracted anthropologists. Anthropologists may undertake a range of duties and tasks and while each placement is unique, set out below are some general guidelines on the sort of work you may be asked to do as part of your internship:
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attending meetings on-country and at the placement organisation |
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organising meeting attendees’ transport and accommodation |
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taking minutes at meetings |
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proof-reading documents |
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organising and cataloguing anthropological evidence |
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analysing land claim applications and further documentation in order to identify common practices between local Indigenous communities |
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representing the organisation at community events, such as the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Day of Celebrations (NAIDOC) |
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assisting all staff, such as in the creation of community newsletters |
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data entry into genealogy databases |
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historical archival research: involving note-taking from archival material, archival research preparation, organisation of notes, providing assistance with creating and updating spreadsheets to track research progress |
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setting out and printing genealogies, including ancestor box charts, indented indexes and master indexes |
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learning the basics of conducting interviews with claimants/informants to gather genealogical material |
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interpreting field notes to enter into genealogy databases |
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filing in the library of research documents |
We encourage interns to adopt the attitude that they are volunteers at the host organisations; recipients of a real privilege.
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Obligations following completion of anthropology internships
As ambassadors of the internship program, successful applicants will be expected to assist with the exposure of the internship program upon their return. This will involve duties such as the following:
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provide weekly written emails on the progress of the internship while on placement |
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complete an overview at the completion of the internship, reflecting on the experience and evaluating it |
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commit to arranging and speaking to classes or interested students at your university and at other local career-based events, within the semester following your return - does not apply to those students who have already graduated |
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commit to writing an article for an appropriate internal faculty publication on your placement |
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continue your internship to the agreed end date |
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all interns will be provided with the Aurora Code of Ethics for Interns, which outlines the expectations Aurora has of interns while on placement. |
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