Internship opportunities

At Rapid Asia, I was mostly responsible for updating the website and managing social media, as well as assisting with reports on international issues. These responsibilities helped broaden my knowledge beyond the International Affairs sphere while providing me with challenges that help prepare me for future job opportunities. By the time I had left, I had accomplished all that I had hoped to and more.

I originally joined Rapid Asia to improve my understanding of economic, political, and cultural issues affecting Southeast Asia, but I gained so much more from my internship. The reports I wrote were enlightening and helped deepen my understanding of issues affecting people around the world. My coworkers provided valuable insight on any questions or concerns I had and helped me overcome any challenges I was facing during my assignments. The trust afforded to me by Rapid Asia was invaluable to my success, and I would have never gotten so far in my internship without the trust my supervisors always had for me while accomplishing my tasks. The team at Rapid Asia truly made me feel welcome as a foreigner in a new country.

I joined Rapid Asia hoping to build a foundation in the development field as a fresh graduate. Throughout my internship, I was able to both utilise and enhance my skills in conducting research and writing. I was tasked with assisting in data collection that involved translating and summarising key findings based on qualitative data, as well as preparing extensive background research and brief write-ups to support on-going and potential projects. Not only did these responsibilities strengthen my analytical skills but they also broadened my understanding of issues pervading various industries in Thailand such as the fishing, shark fin, aquaculture, and automotive industries.

Moreover, I also appreciated the work environment at Rapid Asia. Everyone was willing to support my professional growth and always had insightful advice to give. Ultimately, I’m glad to have interned here and I’m looking forward to building on the experience I’ve gained throughout the past few weeks.

The period I spent at Rapid Asia as an intern has been valuable and worthwhile. All the experiences I gained are best to prepare me for my future professional career. Being a part of Rapid Asia team had me better understand of social development field as I have always been interested in. Upon joining the company, I would like to be able to do hands-on assignments and engage in projects. Yet, by the time I finished my internship, I have accomplished all these aims I was aiming. I was able to help with translation, background research and key findings. The projects I have engaged were in fields of gender, fisheries, migration and education. I am beyond grateful to have joined an internship program here at Rapid Asia.

Aside from work projects, I have met the most incredible colleagues. I was welcomed to the team and was trusted to assigned tasks to do. Above all, it has been a valuable experience to have joined Rapid Asia internship program.

Joining an internship program at Rapid Asia was a great opportunity after my graduation period. I have gained a lot of experiences and perspectives in Sustainable Development here. I was mostly in charge of labor and migration projects. My responsibilities were preparing showcards, writing background, doing key summaries for qualitative data, checking surveys, and transcribing audio files. Those tasks opened my eyes to social issues and fulfilled my knowledge of social research processes. Rapid Asia is a significant part of shaping me to possess strong critical thinking skills, research skills, writing skills, positive attitude, collaboration, time management, flexibility, and adaptability.

Working life as an intern was joyful, with a supportive environment and friendly colleagues. Rapid Asia seems like a place where I can learn and fail without judging. Everyone is ready to give me suggestions and appropriate solutions.

To me, the time of my internship at Rapid Asia was a worthwhile experience and I believe that it has prepared me well for my professional career. As a part of the team, I assisted with tasks including desk research, background writing, data monitoring and summary, project presentation and document editing, as well as interview summaries and key findings preparation. This opportunity allowed me to be exposed to and gained valuable hands-on experience on social development initiatives across several thematic areas, such as migrant workers, public health, human trafficking, and gender equality, and has equipped me with the critical and technical abilities­­ along with soft and interpersonal skills that will be applicable to my future career.

Everybody at the office made me feel welcomed and supported. I am very grateful to contribute to a such a professional and enthusiastic team. My sincerest gratitude to everyone at Rapid Asia for giving me this invaluable opportunity and memorable experience.

After my graduation, I was unsure about designing my career path, therefore, I joined Rapid Asia to discover more about my interests and talents. My experience as an intern at Rapid Asia allow me to experience all sort of topics regarding social development. I got to experience the real work and learn a lot more about conducting social development research which become very helpful for my current work in international organization and studies regarding rights to work as I was introduced to various topics especially migrants workers and environmental conservations.  Beside the fun and challenging work, working environment and colleagues were an asset to my internship experience. Rapid Asia staff was very welcoming and supportive in all aspects. I gained new skills and new perspective of life after graduation.

Being an intern at Rapid Asia, I have not only gained insightful information and knowledge on current global social issues but also have learned research processes, familiarized myself with international development work and connected with international development agencies. The work of Rapid Asia covers both qualitative and quantitative approach to multiple thematic areas. My responsibilities cover desk research, translation, transcription, background writing, and participating in multiple workshops regarding the subjects of governance, education, migration, gender, labor rights, responsible recruitment management, forced labour, and human trafficking.

The working environment at Rapid Asia is very supportive with enthusiastic team who are always eager to share and provide guidance and suggestions.

“Despite the remote working experience (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), I participated in various projects at Rapid Asia. The projects cover many issues of social development, including topics that I am interested in, such as women empowerment and women participation in peace-building, and new ones, such as agricultural production and animal welfare. I had the chance to contribute as one of the team members, conducting desk review and desk research, summarizing key findings, participating in the triangular discussion, checking online survey data, and administrative tasks.

The working environment is very supportive, thanks to Ann, Mui, Lot, and Daniel, who always advise and provide guidance. I was elated by the internship program to learn, express, and develop my full potential.”

During my internship period, I have gained many perspectives in team collaboration and new knowledge fulfilling within me in Sustainable Development related issues. I have engaged in various kind of tasks such as content research, data searching and data checking. Additionally, it was my pleasure to support the project team doing key summary for qualitative data and searching for some potential sources needed. I have learned through many projects I searched on. It is interesting for me to know the causes, problems and incidents occurring in our community and the world making me realized the reason of the work we have been doing. Those did open my view through Social Development field and got to know the processes driven for achieving the goals. I had a chance to join the outing trip with Rapid Asia’s team and it was the memorial time of mine. We engaged in the team building activities which was very challenging and adventure one. For all those times, I feel being part of the team for all activities. Daniel and all colleagues are super nice and open to me. They gave me advises and recommendations for work. The team is diverse but very flexible in comparable. I love the atmosphere of our working environment, very cozy and friendly. I came here with lot of curiosities and feel thankfully to Rapid Asia for opening this chance for me.

As a remote intern for Rapid Asia, I worked on a number of ongoing and prospective projects, developing a thorough understanding of the day-to-day work involved in monitoring and evaluation for social development clients. My primary responsibilities initially revolved around conducting extensive background research to inform proposals and reports. As my internship progressed, I was offered the chance to write sections of reports and competitive project bids – an opportunity for which I remain extremely grateful. I worked across a number of thematic areas, including gender inequality, forced labour, human trafficking, climate change, and disaster risk reduction policy. The scope of my work allowed me to develop a strong sense of the most prominent issues within the international humanitarian agenda in Southeast Asia, as well as a firm understanding of the strategies being adopted to implement sustainable, long-term solutions to these problems. On a personal level, it was wonderful to work on so many socio-political issues which are of great interest and importance to me.

Despite my reservations about interning remotely (due to the Covid-19 pandemic), the experience was superb. Daniel, Ann, and the rest of the team were very friendly and accommodating, keeping in regular contact via video call, email, and Skype. I felt very well supported by my senior colleagues, and particularly relished the fact that I was encouraged to take on more challenging tasks as the months went on, allowing me to grow on a personal and professional level. The team kept me informed about the progress of all of the projects I had worked on, so that I could see how my work had directly contributed to the work of the company as a whole. I felt that my work was valued and appreciated, and I am very grateful to everyone at Rapid Asia for supporting me in these early stages of my career. I thoroughly enjoyed my three months as a remote intern for Rapid Asia; I learnt a great deal, and I very much hope to meet some members of the team in person one day.

“Working as a project intern with Rapid Asia was one of the important step for me to engage in social development world which I have always been interested in. This internship opportunity has given me such as meaningful work experiences and it helps me developing my personal skills in both hard skills and soft skills.

My key responsibilities in this project intern position are translating the in-depth interview/documents from Thai into English, conducting desk research, summarizing key findings as well as drafting the research ethics approval form. Furthermore, I also assisted the team with some small tasks such as editing the Thai version report and developing the research tools which are questionnaire and show cards. From doing these tasks, I learned about many interesting social development issues such as migration, gender studies, forced labour as well as human trafficking issues. Also, met many new people from the different stakeholders which was such an amazing opportunity for me. I would say my two months as a part of Rapid Asia was super incredible and I am so delighted to work with the team members which are very nice and always welcomed”

“During my internship period, I mainly conducted desk research and stakeholder mapping. I also helped a little bit with questionnaire development and translation. I learned a lot about research methodology. I learned about project management and conducting surveys. But, more importantly, I got a great impression about how to work in the development sector. Rapid Asia is amazing. It is a great place to work. There are ample learning opportunities and everyone is really friendly. As far as my work is concerned, it was extensive. I always had something meaningful to do and I liked what I did. In simple terms, it was awesome”

Working with the Rapid Asia team was an extraordinary opportunity for hands-on experiential learning, applicable practice of both development studies and social research methodologies, and a bright, welcoming introduction to Thailand.

During my internship, I was exposed to a variety of development projects at various stages, resulting in an end-to-end perspective. Likewise, I gained a point of view on each active project by engaging in daily consultative meetings and briefings, assisting team members with research and data preparation, and composing summaries and presentations of project bids, research, and media content. A central task included analyzing quantitative and qualitative data from field surveys and project findings.

Additionally, I had the privilege to participate in conventions; one of which was, Thailand’s Ship to Shore Rights and Labour Practices, hosted by international organizations to discuss primary economic and humanitarian issues with key stakeholders. Such conferences, like the aforementioned, was an opportunity to not only learn and network with other professionals, but also to recognize the direct impact of Rapid Asia’s work.

At Rapid Asia, you’ll deep dive into live projects, gain a tremendous point of view for sustainable change, and develop yourself through the guidance and mentorship from the team. It was a privilege to work alongside Daniel and his highly experienced, professional, and fun team. – Not to mention, they know the best places to eat in town!! Always extending my gratitude to the team.

“We worked on a rice farming evaluation project in the LMB countries for Oxfam. My tasks were, amongst others, to research and summarize data sources, coordinate inputs from various sources, create and evaluate frameworks and data analysis methods as well as implementing them within the final outline of the report.

I was very happy with Rapid Asia – it is one of the very few companies that manages to keep up a familiar atmosphere while working absolutely professional and whose products are absolutely reliable and not driven by opinion. As you state it yourself, research driven by data”