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Intel Focus

Volunteer with us

Volunteer with us

Intel Focus is a small organisation doing open-source investigation, research and journalism on subjects that are often under-reported.

It is designed for people who want practical experience in open-source intelligence, investigations, research, editorial work, media or organisational development, and who are willing to work carefully. We are interested in judgement and rigour more than credentials. Students, recent graduates, people changing direction and people already in work are all welcome to apply.

Volunteers work remotely across several countries and time zones, most contributing a few hours a week alongside study or a job.

Before you apply: volunteering with Intel Focus is unpaid unless explicitly stated otherwise. It does not create an employment relationship and it is not an internship with a guaranteed outcome. We cannot promise employment, funding, payment, future contracts or career progression, and we would rather say so plainly.

Why volunteer

What you can get out of it

  • 01

    Real projects

    Live investigations and research, not training exercises built to be discarded.

  • 02

    OSINT method

    Verification, geolocation, corroboration, source handling and structured research.

  • 03

    Published work

    Substantive contributions can form part of Intel Focus reports and podcast episodes, with credit.

  • 04

    An international team

    Colleagues in several countries. Different vantage points catch different things.

  • 05

    Mentorship and feedback

    Your work is read by people who do this professionally, and the feedback is specific.

  • 06

    Evidence of your work

    A record of real contributions that may support later academic or professional applications.

  • 07

    Room to take initiative

    Propose ideas and, where it makes sense, take on more responsibility within a project.

  • 08

    How it all runs

    Editorial, media, research and organisational workflows that rarely appear in a syllabus.

  • 09

    Partnerships and funding

    Volunteers in Business Development may, where relevant, be named in funding applications and proposals.

Involvement in any particular proposal, project or published output depends on its relevance, your experience and what the organisation needs at the time. It is decided case by case and is not guaranteed.

Process

How volunteering works

  1. Apply

    Complete the form below. It takes about twenty minutes, including five short ethics scenarios.

  2. Review

    We read applications against our current needs and your experience and availability. This can take time, and we cannot always reply to everyone.

  3. Conversation

    Shortlisted applicants are invited to an informal online chat about the work, not a formal interview.

  4. Initial three months

    Successful applicants begin a three-month volunteer period with a team leader and agreed projects.

  5. Review or extension

    Near the end you tell the Head of Organisation and your team leader whether you want to extend or conclude.

Selection is not automatic at any stage, and neither is extension.

Commitment

The initial three months

Initial commitment

Volunteer roles at Intel Focus are normally offered for an initial period of three months, with the possibility of extension by mutual agreement.

Before the end of that period, tell both the Head of Organisation and your team leader whether you would like to request an extension or would prefer to conclude. Either answer is fine. What matters is that we know in good time.

An extension is not automatic. Where one is agreed it takes account of:

  • Mutual agreement between you and the organisation
  • What the organisation needs at that point
  • Your availability and your contribution during the initial period
  • Whether the role is still relevant

A fixed initial period gives both sides a natural point to stop and think, rather than letting an arrangement drift on by default.

Areas

Where volunteers contribute

You can choose more than one, and most people do: Investigations and OSINT, The Intelligence Spotlight podcast, Business Development and Partnerships, Research, Editorial and fact-checking, Communications and social media, and Technology and web development. If your interests sit elsewhere, tell us in the form.

Apply

Volunteer application

Five short sections, about twenty minutes, including five ethics scenarios drawn from real situations in this work. There is no automatic pass mark and no single answer will reject you. After you submit we will show you how we would approach each one. Have a CV to hand: PDF, DOC or DOCX, up to 5 MB.

About you

The name you would like Intel Focus colleagues to use.

Please include your country code, for example +44 7700 900123.

We ask only for your country, never a street address.

Current status (required)

Select all that apply.

Where would you most like to contribute?

Areas of contribution (required)

Select as many as genuinely interest you.

Volunteers here may, where relevant, be included in funding applications, partnership proposals or project teams. This depends on relevance, experience and what we need at the time, and is not guaranteed.

Why these areas, any relevant experience or skills, and what you could contribute. A short paragraph or two is plenty.

Availability and commitment

Approximate availability per month (required)

An honest estimate is more useful than an ambitious one.

Can you attend occasional online team meetings? (required)
Can you commit to an initial three-month volunteering period? (required)

Roles begin with an initial three-month commitment. Near the end of it you tell the Head of Organisation and your team leader whether you would like to extend or conclude.

Principle and judgement

No right or wrong answer, and it is not scored. How people reason about their values tells us more than a list of skills does.

Five short scenarios

Drawn from situations that come up in our work. Choose the answer closest to what you would actually do. There is no running score and no single answer will reject you. After you submit we will show you how we would approach each one, and why.

Scenario 1 Personally identifiable information (required)

While researching a company's supply chain you find a junior employee's public social media. It shows their home address, their children's school and a daily gym routine. None of it bears on the corporate conduct you are investigating. What do you do?

Scenario 2 Verification before publication (required)

A source sends you a screenshot that appears to show a senior official authorising an unlawful payment. It would be a significant story, and you think a rival may be working on it. Nothing has been independently verified. What do you do?

Scenario 3 Graphic and sensitive material (required)

An investigation rests partly on video showing casualties. The faces of the dead and injured are identifiable, and relatives are unlikely to have seen the footage. How do you handle it?

Scenario 4 Conflict of interest (required)

You are assigned to research an organisation where a close family member holds a senior role. You believe you can assess the evidence fairly. What do you do?

Scenario 5 Vulnerable sources (required)

Someone inside an affected community offers valuable first-hand information. They have no media experience, they want to be named, and in your assessment being named would expose them to serious risk of retaliation. What do you do?

CV and consent

PDF, DOC or DOCX, up to 5 MB. Used only to assess your application and for related internal recruitment purposes. Please do not upload identification documents.

Consent and acknowledgements (all required)

Applying does not guarantee selection. You will get a copy of your answers by email, with our notes on the five scenarios.