Main Purpose of Job:
The British Embassy Japan Network promotes work experience and internship opportunities with the aim of building strong links between the UK and Japan. We encourage;
Successful completion of the Internship programme will give you the option of joining our interim personnel pool for future fixed term job opportunities, and will give you the experience to support strong applications for future permanent roles in the British Embassy Tokyo or Consulate General Osaka.
What the Jobholder will be Expected to Achieve:
This Internship programme would particularly suit someone with strong links to either the UK or to Japan and is considering pursuing a career in international relations, trade and investment, or similar fields in the future.
Successful candidates will gain an understanding of the mission of the British Embassy and its Consulate through training and work assigned by the key teams of Japan Network. Your role will be determined based on your interests, specialities, skills and experience. In any team, you are expected to bring in new ideas, approaches, fresh perspectives, a willingness to challenge entrenched working practices, and help us boost capacity.
Your host team will provide you with a range of opportunities to familiarise you with our way of working and our current policy focus areas, and will agree with you a full programme to cover the term of the Internship that reflects your interests and learning objectives. The Internship can last up to a maximum of 6 months, but it is possible that we can accommodate shorter periods and reduced working hours following consultation at the interview.
Our internship programme offers a unique work experience, and usually focuses on one or two areas. We expect to be offering placements with focuses including:
1. CommunicationsJoin a creative and fast‑paced communications team working across press, digital, and marketing. Gain hands‑on experience in media monitoring, social media content creation, campaign evaluation, and Embassy‑wide outreach. You will shadow senior communications leads and contribute to projects such as major visit communications and high‑impact digital initiatives.
2. ConsularSupport a team delivering meaningful work to protect and assist British nationals. Gain exposure to prevention projects on issues such as prison reform and victim support, while engaging closely with Japanese authorities, NGOs, and frontline consular staff. You will also contribute to outreach activities, crisis preparedness engagements, and service‑quality improvements across the Consular network.
3. Trade PolicyJoin the Embassy’s Trade Policy team and work on real‑world economic and trade issues shaping UK–Japan relations. Contribute to projects on CEPA utilisation, environmental services, and stakeholder outreach, while building skills in policy research, media monitoring, and analytical reporting. This role offers a unique opportunity to engage with policymakers, government partners, and business audiences.
4. Business and TradeHelp strengthen UK-Japan trade ties by supporting promotional activities, researching market opportunities, and connecting businesses. Focus areas include the Food & Drink sector and Creative Industries, aligned with the UK’s industrial strategy.
5. MarketingStrengthen the UK–Japan trade and investment relationship by supporting marketing activity that showcases the UK’s strengths and areas of competitive advantage. Contribute to building a positive and compelling narrative by linking market insights and analysis to digital and traditional marketing activity, aligned with the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy. The role supports campaigns, content, and communications that promote the UK as an attractive partner for trade and investment.
Language Requirement:
This role requires written and spoken proficiency in both English and Japanese. Fluency (minimum of C2 level for CEFR framework*) in one language and business level (minimum of high B2) in the other.
*Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages sets the following mastery or proficiency levels:
A background in or understanding of specialised areas such as international relations, economics, global challenges, science, trade or marketing
Working Patterns: 3 to 5 days per week
The British Embassy Japan Network supports and promotes flexible working. This role allows for flexibility in start and end times, subject to the needs of the team and agreement with your line manager.
Depending on your personal circumstances such as school life, focus time for your study or family, we may adjust work schedule when necessary.
This role will be offered pending successful reference and security checks and is subject to the appropriate permissions to work. Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy Tokyo is subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Japan employment law.
No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in Japan with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit. Any costs related to obtaining or renewing permits and visas are the responsibility of the successful applicant.
Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.
The FCDO operates an agile approach to delivery. To facilitate an agile workforce, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as we may reasonably require.
Learning and Development Opportunities:
The British Embassy Japan Network offers comprehensive learning and development opportunities which will be fully available to the jobholder. We regularly run both work area specific training and more general skills development in project management, finance, and leadership.
For those on an internship or returnship programme, we offer training to help understand competences and improve interview skills for future career opportunities.
Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.
Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.
We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.
Note: All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the online application form completely including the employment and educational details, experience, professional skills and behaviour-based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the applications and incomplete form in any respect may not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage. Only shortlisted candidates for interview will be contacted. Interviewees will be assessed on the core behaviours/qualifications listed above. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified via the system in due time. Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’. If during the reserve period of 6 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.
To ensure a successful application it is important that you explain how you demonstrate these behaviours, including through your experience. You are strongly advised to read the Success Profiles Civil Service Behaviours Framework, which provides detailed guidance on how the behaviours are defined.
Applicants are encouraged to use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format to prepare specific examples of when they have demonstrated these behaviours in their application. Using the STAR format to provide evidence of your skills and experience in your application and at interview helps to give a structure. You briefly describe the situation in which you showed the behaviour, and then explain your task in addressing the situation, what action you took and the result of this.
Please ensure that your application is authentically written based on your own experiences. If AI tools are used, their usage must only be limited to specific tasks such as ensuring formatting consistency and keyword relevance. The core content, personal narratives, and responses to behaviour and skill-based questions must genuinely reflect your professional journey, experiences, and achievements. We place great importance on originality and individual effort throughout the application process. Any form of plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.
For inclusivity and diversity, please remove the following personal information when uploading your CV: name, address, email address, age, date of birth, gender and nationality.
The start date mentioned in the job advert is a tentative start date and the successful candidate will be required to undergo security vetting procedures. Any offer of employment will be subject to the candidate achieving suitable clearances.
This opportunity is closed to applications.
