Host organisation: Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust
Project title: Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Relaunch
Project description

We are the charity behind Edinburgh’s status as the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature.

We work to connect people to Edinburgh’s literary story and to each other, creating opportunities for writers, readers, literary professionals and visitors alike.

We deliver award-winning programmes, lead high-impact campaigns, and advocate for the transformative power of words.

In 2004, Edinburgh was designated the world's first UNESCO City of Literature, making it the first UNESCO Creative City. We are now entering a new chapter, with our second ever Director starting in June and a host of new projects. We have a great opportunity for someone to really learn about arts administration at an exciting point in our history.

We have recently commissioned a new website, an impact study into the benefits of literature in Edinburgh, and we're scoping new public engagement activities such as poems on the tram ('Tramlines'). We're building momentum for this new chapter and would love to share this with a researcher.

This would provide the selected intern with a hands on opportunity to work within a small arts organisation and gain a host of skills, while benefitting from close work with our Director.

Outputs

The internship would involve:

  • Researching and writing content for our new website
  • Helping us to promote the results of our commissioned impact study into literature in Edinburgh
  • Supporting the planning of an event to share all the exciting new work we've been doing
  • Supporting the relaunch of our newsletter
Location
In-person preferred, although as our office is not accessible I am willing to offer remote for anyone with accessibility issues.
Benefits to the researcher

Developing professional communications and using digital platforms to disseminate research, ideas, impact and garner engagement would be a very useful professional experience for a doctoral researcher. Should they continue into an academic career, knowing how to communicate with the public and multiple stakeholders will be invaluable. This will give them hands on experience of sharing a study with the public and key partners.

Alternatively, should they move into a career beyond academia, professional communications skills will be useful in a variety of arena.

They will work closely alongside our Director, who has herself made the transition from doctoral research to arts administration, and can therefore offer real and practical advice as well as encourage the development of skills. It will also give the researcher access to Edinburgh's network of literary and arts professionals. Introductions could also be made, if desired or appropriate, with international cultural leaders within the Cities of Literature network, to provide any additional advice about forging a career in culture.

They will have very clear and tangible outputs to point to in any future job search - supporting a website redevelopment, launching a newsletter and event planning are all experiences which could be used flexibily when pursuing a post-doctoral career.

Key relationships

The researcher will work with our Director and our Board. They will come into contact with, in a range of ways, our varied audiences:

Primary

  • Writers (emerging and established)
  • Readers and Book Lovers
  • Tourists and Visitors
  • Literary Organisations and Professionals (local and national)
  • International Literary Community & UNESCO

Secondary

  • Educational Institutions
  • Cultural Policymakers and Local Government
  • Donors and Supporters
  • Corporate Partners
  • Media and Press
Timescale

Start date (or must start by): Flexible

End date (or must end by): Flexible

Work structure: Ideally 3 days a week but with flexibility

Subject areas

This opportunity would be relevant to the following subject areas:

Classical Literature; Creative Writing; Drama & Theatre Studies; Curating; Museum and Gallery Studies; Museum Policy & Management; Cultural Geography; Heritage Management; Conservation of Art and Textiles; Art History; Policy, Arts Management and Creative Industries; Gender and Sexuality; Cultural Studies and Pop Culture; Cultural History; Political History; Imperial/Colonial History; History of Science/Medicine/Technology; War Studies; Religious History; Economic and Social History; American Studies; Post-Colonial Studies; Scottish Studies; Media and Communication Studies; Journalism; Television History, Theory and Criticism; Publishing; New Media/Web-Based Studies; Film History, Theory and Criticism; Interpreting and Translation; English Language; Comparative Literature; English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh Literature; Literature from the Anglophone world; Colonial and Post-Colonial Studies; Lifewriting; Children’s Literature; Science and Fantasy Writing; Poetry; Literary and Cultural Theory; Ethnography and Anthropology.

Person specification

A1. Knowledge Base
  • Essential: Subject Knowledge; Information seeking; Information literacy and management; Academic literacy and numeracy. 
A2. Cognitive Abilities
  • Desirable: Problem Solving.
A3. Creativity
  • Essential: Inquiring minds.
B1. Personal qualities
  • Essential: Enthusiasm; Integrity.
B2. Self management
  • Essential: Responsiveness to change.
C1. Professional conduct
  • Essential: Respect and confidentiality.
  • Desirable: Ethics, principles and sustainability.
C2. Research management
  • Desirable: Project planning and delivery.
D1. Working with others
  • Essential: Collegiality; Team working; Collaboration.
  • Desirable: Equality and diversity.
D2. Communication & dissemination
  • Essential: Communication methods; Communication media.
  • Desirable: Publication.
D3. Engagement & impact
  • Desirable: Public engagement.

First published: 9 October 2025

<< Internships and Artist Residencies 2026