What's out there?
United States Congress
No office in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives is without its loyal contingent of interns. Every Representative and Senator should have specific internship information on his or her web site, accessible through www.senate.gov and www.house.gov.
- Duties: Experiences vary among offices, but duties typically include clerical assistance with phones, mail, and copying, writing letters to constituents, researching policy issues, attending committee meetings, and sometimes giving tours of the Capitol building
- District or Washington? Working in a state or district office generally involves more constituent casework than a Washington office, which will focus more on policy issues.
- Home State Advantage: It is customary to work for your own Representative or Senator. Preference is usually given to applicants from the Congressperson's state or district. This is not a fixed rule, though; contact the internship coordinator of the office you're interested in to see if they consider applications from out-of-state students.
- Pay: With a few exceptions, internships in Congress are unpaid.
State and Local Government
For students looking for a more hands-on and personal experience than Congress can offer, a State House of Senate can offer a unique opportunity to work closely with an elected representative on a broad range of issues. Internship programs vary among states- look at your state legislature's web site for more information. One nice bonus of working at the state level: interns are more likely to get paid in state legislatures. And since the Federal executive branch isn't, uh, ideal for interns for the next few years, a governor's office can offer a unique mix of high-level work with more local scope. Mayors' office and city councils sometimes have internships; if not, they may be glad to create one for you.
Nonprofits, Interest Groups, and GPOs
Nonprofits do a great deal of very important work on progressive issues. Internships vary widely among different groups. The greatest number of are available in Washington and New York.
Campaigns
Interning with a campaign involves a greater degree of commitment than simply volunteering, and with this comes more access to the heart of a campaign operation.
