How to Get an Internship on Capitol Hill

An intern in a congressperson's office gains firsthand knowledge about the workings of the government. Therefore, internships on Capitol Hill are prized, even though they are unpaid. These highly competitive internships are offered to college students in the spring, summer and fall.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Political Science Career Books
• Career Counseling
• Computers

1. Maintain a high grade point average in college and include extra political science courses in your electives. Remember that the competition for these internships is fierce - your college transcript needs to stand out.

2. Ask your guidance counselor for advice on becoming an intern.

3. Contact individual senators or representatives about available internships in their Washington, D.C. offices.

4. Consider also applying for internships in your congressperson's state office.

5. Realize that an intern's duties can include mundane work, such as filing, photocopying and answering phones.

6. Be prepared for other tasks, such as writing letters, attending meetings, doing research and running important errands. Each office has different expectations of its interns.

Tips & Warnings

• Make certain your writing skills are highly polished. A large part of government work requires written communication.

Who Can Help Sponsored

• Earn your degree from industry experts at University of Phoenix. Take the next step in your career.

[karle]

on 10/31/2008 It is highly recommended to contact a Washington D.C. organization that handles the internship placement, housing, transportation, meals and cultural activities.
The Washington Workshops Foundation has been operating since 1967 and offers the Washington Internship Experience. It is the only summer Washington D.C. internship program for High School students of this type. Information may be found at www.workshops.org

[dannyf]

on 10/18/2006 My recommednation is to visit http://www.IntelliGrad.com
This is a great web site full of resources for alumni and students (college & high school). It helped me find a great internship with a Senator on the Hill!

on 6/30/2006 If it's an election year, help out on the Rep/Senator's campaign. Get to know his/her staffers. A familiar name and face will get you first dibs on one of those coveted internships.

on 11/22/2005 Try to go for your Senators and Reps from your state first before choosing others, usually constituents have priority over candidates from other states.