Congressional internships are highly sought after opportunities to break into a career in government. Internships are usually the first stepping stone to an entry level, full time, Staff Assistant position, paving the way for a meaningful career in shaping policy and serving constituents. Read on to learn about the insider scoop to a career in congress. 

1. Every member of congress offers internships for college students. Some representatives prefer to hire students from their District or State, but not always! Apply to several with tailored application materials to increase your chances. Explore the representative from your home district or the district represented by the Binghamton area (the 19th Congressional District) and reach out directly via phone or email. You can typically find application instructions on members’ official websites and can search the member’s name and “internship” to find opportunities. Each member typically has one office located in Washington, D.C. and sometimes several district offices where interns would be needed.  
2. What do congressional interns do? Interns are a very important part of a congressional office and perform essential tasks for internal and external stakeholders. The duties of congressional interns differ based on if the internship is located in Washington, D.C. or in the District office. In general, Washington D.C. Interns focus on policy and District interns focus more on interacting with constituents from that region.
   1. Specifically, D.C. interns: perform general office duties, attend committee hearings and prepare reports, research policy and legislation, draft correspondence, articles, and speeches, represent the office at meetings and briefings, lead tours of the Capitol for visiting constituents, and answer constituent mail. 
   2. District interns typically do not focus on policy-making but focus on perform casework for constituent, document constituent feedback on policy and answer constituent mail.  
3. What’s the internship hiring timeline? Most Congressional offices hire 1-3 months before the start of the internship; visit their website or build a relationship to learn more about each individual office. Hiring for summer internships usually begins around February or March. 
4. What is usually required in the application process and how can you stand out? Congressional applications usually require a tailored resume, cover letter (or writing sample or both) and letters of recommendation. It’s important to align your skills, academics, experiences and passions with the policies, committee assignments and legislation that are relevant to that representative.
5. Find an internship opportunity based on your policy interest via Committee and SubCommittee members. Check committee and subcommittee memberships and align application materials to those topics. If you are interested in a specific issue, find a congressman or senator on one of the related committees and show them how your knowledge, experience, and passion might be helpful to them as an intern. Committee staff members are usually hired to work in policy areas that fall within the committee’s role and prepare committee members for hearings, meetings and votes. For example, staff members on the House Veterans Affairs Committee work on issues related to veterans’ benefits, access to care and ensuring the Department of Veterans Affairs can best fulfill its responsibilities. Here is a full list of Congressional Committees. Each committee has a website and many of the committees offer internships! If you land an internship in a committee, it will be policy-focused and you will not have any interaction with constituents as you would if working directly for a congressperson. 
6. Here are three excellent third-party paid internship programs with a mission to provide pathways to Congressional internships for various groups:
   1. Congressional Black Caucus Foundation offers a variety of internships, scholarships, essay contests and awards. 
   2. Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute:  The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute offers paid internships through the Congressional Internship Program (CIP). CHCI interns come to D.C. from across the country and Puerto Rico. Summer Application deadline: March 1, 2024
   3. College to Congress provides low-income undergraduate students with 9-week paid internships on Capitol hill who otherwise wouldn’t afford to. Check out their information on LinkedIn as well!
7. How can students afford to pursue internships in D.C.? 
   1. Don’t be afraid to ask if there is funding available if you move forward in the interview process. Most congressional internships in D.C. offer a stipend of $2000 per month, but not all. Students can also consider searching through Fleishman Career Center Internship Funding and the Professional Development Fund to offset costs. 
8. What housing options are available? There are local university internship housing programs at WISH – Washington Internship Student Housing, George Washington University, Georgetown and Catholic University. Be sure to select programs that are open to students from outside each institution. 
9. Start early.  Begin researching congressional representatives and internship opportunities early! These things take time, preparation, strategy and writing. 
10. Network, Network, Network. As with any opportunity, networking is essential and is the #1 way to have your application pulled to the top of the pile. Conduct informational interviews with students and Binghamton University Alumni who are either working in congressional offices or have experience. Need help connecting? Create an account on Mentor Match and also use Binghamton University’s Alumni feature to search for alumni by entering keywords. Meet with a career consultant for more support!

Also check Go Government’s Working in the Legislative Branch webpage for more information.