Washington Internships. Deirdre Martinez

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СКАЧАТЬ on your assignment, you may be making copies, answering phones, helping tourists, or responding to mail. As in most internships in D.C., if you are willing to complete these mundane tasks with alacrity and good humor, you may be assigned more interesting projects. There is an online application but be warned: students who apply to the White House often don't hear if they're accepted until very late. For summer, it isn't uncommon to hear back from their hiring office in April. We'll talk more about your application strategy in the next chapter.

       The People You'll Meet

      Because of the size of the White House complex and the variety of the offices where you might be placed, the people you meet will vary widely. For example, if you are in the press office you will likely meet the various members of the press team, and you may communicate with reporters and other members of the media. When you choose your preferred office assignments, you might think about the people who work in and with that office and if they are in a field that might be helpful to you for your next internship or job.

       What You'll Get

      In addition to normal office duties, interns attend weekly lectures, volunteer at special events, participate in tours, and contribute to a community service project in the Washington, D.C., area. If you have a successful experience, you'll also walk away with email addresses for at least two or three people who are willing to speak to your skills as a reference. Regardless, a White House internship is very prestigious, and just having that on your resume will help you obtain future internships and jobs in Washington.

INTERNING IN A FEDERAL AGENCY

      GOOD BOOKS AND WEBSITES

      System Under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics by Donald F. Kettl (2007)

      The New Public Service: Serving, Not Steering by Janet Vinzant Denhardt and Robert B. Denhardt (2007)

       http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/All_Agencies/index.shtml

       Where You'll Be

      In addition to the White House, the executive branch of the federal government includes departments, agencies, government corporations, boards, commissions, and committees. The website in the box at the top of this page is worth a browse to get a sense of the vast numbers of offices that make up the federal government. Many of these are located near the Capitol or the White House and along the mall, but others are scattered around Washington and in the suburbs and beyond. Each of these bodies is extremely specialized and has very different organizational structures. Interning in one of these offices could be one way to get very close to the day-today functioning of the government.

       INTERNING FOR THE FEDS

       Federal Bureau of Investigation

       https://www.fbijobs.gov/honors.asp

      From their website: “Once selected, FBI Interns can look forward to three extremely rewarding and interesting months. You'll be working side-by-side with Special Agents and Professional Support personnel on important cases and procedures. You'll feel like you're a part of the Bureau…because you are. Upon arriving in Washington, D.C., Honors Interns will attend an orientation at the FBI Headquarters. Interns will be assigned to an FBI Headquarters division based on their academic discipline, potential contribution to the division, and the needs of the FBI. For instance, interns whose discipline is in the physical sciences may be assigned to the FBI Laboratory's Forensic Science Research and Training Center in nearby Quantico, Virginia. All interns will be under the Supervision of the Assistant Director of their assigned division. By the end of your internship, you will have a thorough understanding of the inner workings of the FBI.” FBI interns are paid at the GS-6 level, which works out to about $2,000 a month. Deadline is November 1.

       Central Intelligence Agency

       http://www.cia.gov/emplooyment/student.html1#top

      From their website: “You will be given the opportunity to work with highly-skilled professionals and see first-hand the role the CIA plays in supporting US officials who make our country's foreign policy. We are interested in students majoring in engineering, computer science, mathematics, economics, physical sciences, foreign languages, area studies, business administration, accounting, international relations, finance, logistics, human resources, geography, national security studies, military and foreign affairs, political science and graphic design. Interns are required to work either a combination of one semester and one summer internship, or two 90-day summer internships.” CIA pay is competitive, and their deadline is November 1.

       United States Department of State

       http://www.careers.state.gov/student/programs/student_internships.html

      From their website: “It's an opportunity for you to get an inside look at the different types of positions and responsibilities available in foreign affairs. Think of it as taking a career test ride before you actually have to decide what you are going to do with your life.” Students tentatively selected for the internship program must undergo a background investigation and receive either a secret or top secret security clearance. Deadline is November 1.

       What You'll Do

      Because of the huge variety of placements possible, it's very hard to say what you might do. One student at the Federal Trade Commission this past summer spent most of his time working on legal briefs, which was great preparation for law school. Another student with the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction spent much of her time researching and writing for a book the office was preparing on the story of Iraq reconstruction. Another student at the Department of Defense spent most of his time finding his way around the Pentagon and running errands. As we'll discuss in the next chapter, it is critical that you ask questions during the interview so that you're clear on what kind of assignments you can expect. We'll also talk more about strategies to get better assignments.

       THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WANTS YOU…WE THINK…

      According to Call to Serve, a nonprofit whose mission is to encourage young people to seek jobs with the federal government, the federal government will need to fill 193,000 “mission-critical” positions by 2009. You might think that given their need to recruit high-quality personnel there would be countless internship opportunities available. Unfortunately, it is not easy to find open internship positions, and the hiring process is often tedious. There are two websites that might be helpful: http://studentjobs.gov and http://www.makingthedifference.org/index.shtml.

      As for timing, while it's possible to find an announcement for an internship at one of the agencies in March for the coming summer, there are a number of federal agencies that require a very early start. For these agencies, they often suggest you start collecting the required documents a full year before the summer you intend to participate in the internship, and their deadline for applications is typically November for a June start СКАЧАТЬ