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With May upon us, many Waseda University students are likely researching internships and considering participating. Sota Ishii, a student in the School of School of Political Science and Economics, interned at the Inter-American Development Bank, an international organization, through an affiliated program offered by Waseda University. Sota says it was able to grow significantly while working with staff from diverse backgrounds. We asked Sota about the circumstances that led Sota to participate in the internship, the actual work involved, and what Sota learned.

I was able to gain trust and demonstrate teamwork even in a strict organization

Sota Ishii, 5th year School of Political Science and Economics

Reasons for participating in the internship: Seeking a career in international financial infrastructure

From February 1, 2024, I participated in an internship for two months that was implemented in partnership between Waseda University and the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB).

Apart from travel, I had no experience abroad, but at the age of 20, I served as vice-chairperson of the Japan-US Student Conference (※1), which hosted 30 participants from each country. This was a turning point for me, and I learned that values and ways of thinking about communication fundamentally differ depending on the environment (especially the country or region) in which one was born and raised. At the same time, I felt a strong sense of my own identity as a Japanese person, and at the same time, I also felt a stronger desire to help Japan to be able to interact with the world on an equal or better level while retaining its "Japaneseness."

Furthermore, because I studied economics at undergraduate level and felt that I was suited to working in a position that supports the foundations of life, I began to explore a career in an international organization involved in financial infrastructure. During this time, I learned about the existence of "development banks" and decided to participate in this internship. I was assigned to a team of economists in charge of the Caribbean region at the IDB's Washington DC headquarters.

Exterior of IDB's Washington DC headquarters

(※1) Japan's oldest student international exchange group. We believe that peace between the United States and Japan is peace in the Pacific, and peace in the Pacific is peace in the world, and we aim to realize peace between the United States and Japan through mutual understanding among students. I decided to participate because I sympathized with this philosophy, and even served as vice executive chairperson.

Learning from an internship: The importance of making a good impression on others

Development banks are organizations that raise funds in developed countries and lend to development projects in developing countries. Usually, investing in the development of developing countries is risky, and it is difficult for developed countries to raise private funds, but by getting involved in project progress management and ensuring the certainty of loan repayment, development banks can reduce the risk for donors, promote fundraising, and contribute to the development of developing countries. Development banks are often an important source of fundraising for recipient countries, and many of the economists on my team were stationed there and frequently met with the country's top officials.

With my team members. The second person from the right in the back row is my experienced boss, David, and the person on the left in the front row is Khamal, who helped me manage my tasks. I learned a lot from these two, from how to think about finances to how to spend my private time.

The thing that left the biggest impression on me through the internship was the need to always be aware of how others see you. Compared to Japanese domestic companies, the backgrounds of the staff are more diverse, and you often work with a variety of people on a project-by-project basis for a short period of time, so I felt that people often judge your character and abilities based on their own standards and first impressions.

At first, I thought that if I just got friendly, it would work, but I soon realized that this attitude made me seem immature and reduced the opportunities for people to talk to me, so I stopped. After that, I tried adopting some of my boss David's way of speaking, and through trial and error for two months, I got used to the workplace and was given various tasks, but I think I could have improved in terms of communication. For example, people who are good at their jobs tend to have a wide network of contacts, so if the internship period had been a little longer, I would have liked to expand my network within the organization.

The main tasks of the internship were the analysis of macro data (※2) and the preparation of reports on government bond sustainability, which are preliminary steps in formulating project policies. As the three of us worked together under various instructions from our superiors, we were able to grasp the results we were looking for, the priorities of our work, and the timing for consultations, and it was a happy moment to realize that teamwork works regardless of race or age. However, I often felt that I needed a deeper knowledge of economics to work alone, and I keenly realized why one of the hiring requirements for full-time economists is to have a master's degree or higher in economics (although everyone I met had a doctorate).

Outside of the workplace, I got the impression that society is divided by physical characteristics. This time, there were about 20 interns from Latin America and Europe, and we went out to eat and hang out together privately, but a group as diverse as ours is rare, and we sometimes attracted attention from those around us. However, the division I'm talking about here doesn't necessarily mean hostility, and it felt like we only interacted on the surface when we were in the same space, which was a new experience for me, who was born and raised in Japan.

Watching the Super Bowl with many interns. Some of us even started dancing during the halftime show.

(※2) Data compiled from information on companies and households obtained through statistical surveys.

Message to juniors: If you are interested in building an international career, give it a try!

This internship is recommended for anyone interested in an international career, as it gives you an idea of how to work in an international organization. If you are particularly interested in economics, please apply to the Economist team, as this is one of the rare industries in which economists are the stars. The skills required for the job are statistical knowledge, analytical skills using statistical software (R or STATA), document creation skills using Word or Excel, and English.

Spanish is also a desirable skill to have. The reason I felt this way was because the IDB's support targets Latin American and Caribbean countries, so the majority of staff are from Latin America, and Spanish is often used outside of meetings. I struggled at first because I didn't understand anything, but I would often ask questions like "What do you say in Spanish?" when I went out to play, and I gradually increased my knowledge.

IDB is an environment where talented people gather from all over the world, and each person continues to work hard to further their careers. In such a place, I was able to have a valuable experience of trying out and acquiring the skills I had acquired by observing and being taught around me. There may be obstacles such as costs and complicated procedures, but I feel that it will definitely contribute to my career and personal growth. Please give it a try. I'm rooting for you.

A commemorative photo after the internship completion session!