Capitol Hill Internships: Requirements and Opportunities

Congressional internships offer invaluable firsthand experience in the legislative process. These internships provide opportunities to observe how a congressional office operates, understand the federal legislative process, and develop research skills related to public policy. Working in Congress can be a great way to make a difference and gain hands-on experience with the legislative process.

What is a Congressional Internship?

An intern is an individual who provides assistance to a congressional office on a temporary basis, whether paid or unpaid. The internship experience is typically considered to provide an educational benefit for that individual. An intern's role does not substitute for or replace the duties of regular employees. However, if an intern is paid, then some of the rules applicable to congressional employees may apply.

Distinguishing Interns from Similar Roles

It's important to distinguish interns from other roles in congressional offices:

Volunteers: Volunteers also provide assistance to a congressional office, and the experience is generally considered to be of educational value for the volunteer. A volunteer's role in a congressional office can be similar to that of an unpaid intern. A volunteer cannot receive financial compensation for his or her service from any source. The volunteer's assignments are not to replace the regular duties of paid employees.
Fellows: A fellow is an individual who also performs services in a congressional office on a temporary basis, but typically through participation in an established, graduate-level or mid-career education program. Fellows often receive compensation from a sponsoring employer, professional association, or other organization while working in Congress during the course of the fellowships.
Pages: A page is a high-school junior, at least 16 years old, who participates in a more structured program for a semester or summer. Pages continue to serve in the Senate, but the House program was discontinued in 2011. Although they are appointed by individual Senators, the pages provide assistance as a group in the Senate chamber, and receive housing, education, and a stipend from the Senate.

Formal Rules and Guidelines

Few statutes or standing rules of the House or Senate make specific references to congressional interns. In many cases, the distinction between a paid internship and an unpaid internship affects which formal rules apply to interns. Fewer House or Senate rules may apply to unpaid interns than to paid interns. The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR) notes that interns are covered by the Congressional Accountability Act under certain limited circumstances.

To enhance accountability for unpaid interns, the House or Senate ethics committees or individual congressional offices can set standards for unpaid interns to abide by that mirror some of the same rules that paid interns or congressional employees follow.

Ethics and Conduct

The House Committee on Ethics, for example, advises that offices obtain an agreement in writing from unpaid interns at the outset of an internship. The Senate Select Committee on Ethics requires that unpaid interns file a disclaimer with the Financial Clerk of the Senate acknowledging that their service is voluntary, or gratuitous, in nature. The committee also notes that the conflict-of-interest provisions in the Standing Rules of the Senate "apply to any intern, fellow, or volunteer providing Senate services," even if the individual is only working for a single day.

Because information sent and received from a congressional computer or network may be traced back to a particular office, an office may choose to implement additional standards for interns' incidental computer and internet usage. Paid interns are required to follow the House or Senate gift rules that apply to regular employees, and the House and Senate ethics committees advise that unpaid interns should also abide by the gift rules. Generally, these rules prohibit (1) receiving gifts from lobbyists or foreign agents, (2) receiving any individual gift valued at over $50, and (3) receiving $100 or more in gifts (each valued at $10 or more) from a single source.

Additional Information and Guidance

Offices often provide additional information or guidance to interns about congressional operations or resources. Offices, for example, might provide an overview of the House or Senate rules that apply to interns, or clarify their own office policies regarding attendance, technology use, phone etiquette, and other expectations. Information about emergency procedures and contact information for the appropriate police or medical services is commonly provided (the Capitol Police and Office of the Attending Physician, for staff in Washington, DC, and local contacts for interns in district or state offices).

Some offices may provide interns with a basic overview of the legislative process or how to perform legislative research. Locations of buildings or offices within the Capitol Complex and information on dining facilities and other on-site services may be useful for interns on Capitol Hill, and similar information about the area surrounding a state or district office could be provided to interns in those offices.

Intern Selection Requirements

House and Senate offices are able to set many of their own requirements for intern selection, just as they are with general personnel decisions. Some offices, for example, may require that interns are currently enrolled students, have reached a certain level of education, or that interns live in a Member's district or state.

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Non-Citizens

In many instances, Members of Congress have broad discretion to determine who works in their offices, but different laws, rules, and considerations may apply to a noncitizen's potential service, based on the individual's status, particularly if the individual receives pay. House offices may wish to contact the Office of the General Counsel, Committee on Ethics, or the Committee on House Administration before employing a noncitizen as an intern. The House and Senate ethics manuals provide some general guidance for congressional offices on working with foreign-national interns. Conflict-of-interest considerations may affect the responsibilities an office chooses to assign to a foreign-national intern. policy in a way that benefits the intern's home country.

Political Activities

The respective ethics manuals remind Member offices to be careful not to mix official congressional resources with campaign resources. Interns working in a congressional office may also work for a political campaign, but the two responsibilities are to be carefully delineated and kept separate so that congressional time, property, facilities, equipment, or other resources are not used for electoral campaigns.

Nepotism

If an intern is paid, then the standard prohibitions regarding nepotism or employment of relatives established in law and House or Senate rules apply. Because each congressional office is its own hiring authority, an intern may be related to another Member or staff in a different office without violating these rules.

Age Considerations

Often, interns in congressional offices are college-age individuals or recent college graduates between 18 and 24 years old. Historically, individuals under 18 generally served Congress as pages. There is also no maximum age for interns. Older individuals returning to higher education, considering a career change, or seeking a congressional internship for other reasons could also receive an educational benefit from such service and may have useful experience to share with a congressional office.

Internship Length

Internship lengths often reflect time periods designated by the academic calendar, occurring, for example, over the course of the fall or spring semester, or during the summer. There are no minimum lengths for House or Senate internships in statute, but certain considerations may affect the parameters offices choose for how long an internship should last. More detailed guidance is available for the maximum length of internships.

Read also: Job Openings at CREC

Compensation and Funding

Interns may receive pay from the congressional office in which they work, if the office chooses to provide it. The continuing resolution for FY2025 and the FY2024 appropriations bill provide some designated funding for internships in House Members' personal offices, in House committees, in House leadership offices, and in Senators' personal offices. Members may also use their own office resources, such as from the Members' Representational Allowance (MRA) in the House and the Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Account (SOPOEA) in the Senate, to provide compensation for interns. Committees or other congressional offices may provide compensation for interns through their appropriate accounts designated for staff salaries. In the House, the Committee on House Administration has typically set a maximum and minimum gross annual rate of pay for interns for Member and committee offices. Previously, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Congressional Intern Program operated in the House from 1973 to 1994 and made two-month paid internships available for each Member office.

Many educational institutions or other organizations sponsor congressional internships, and interns may receive stipends from these groups for their internships. If the congressional internship youâre applying to does not pay interns, you might still be able to get financial compensationâCongress allows outside entities to pay Congressional interns, subject to certain conditions. Some third-party organizations give stipends for unpaid congressional internships.

Academic Credit and Enrollment

The House and Senate expect that a congressional internship provides an educational experience but, institutionally, make no requirements that an intern receive school credit or be a currently enrolled student. Some congressional offices may choose to select interns on the basis of whether they will receive, or will not receive, academic credit for the experience.

Each educational institution sets its own requirements for granting academic credit, and while some schools or academic departments encourage internships and grant academic credit for them, others do not allow students to receive academic credit for internships. School requirements may prevent a student from receiving academic credit for an internship experience that the intern may have personally found to be highly educational. A short internship, for example, may not meet a school's requirement for the number of hours served to receive credit, or students may be responsible for paying tuition on any academic credits earned.

Number of Interns

There is no minimum required number of interns for each congressional office; offices are not obligated to hire any interns unless they choose to. If interns are unpaid, there is no cap on the maximum number of interns for either the House or Senate. Offices, however, may want to ensure there is enough office space for interns to work in, and that there is enough work available to provide interns with a sufficient educational experience. If interns are paid, there may be a maximum number of interns an office can employ, based on applicable staff ceiling rules for the office.

The number of interns in offices can fluctuate from year to year and within seasons during the year. During the summer, for example, offices commonly have more interns than during other parts of the year. For Member offices, the location of an internship in Washington, DC, or in a state or district office may also affect the number of interested and available interns.

Location and Responsibilities

The substance of the work performed in an internship may vary between district/state offices and Washington, DC, offices if the roles assumed by those different Member offices vary. For example, an intern's tasks may involve more constituent service activities in a district or state office than they would in a Washington, DC, office where the emphasis may be more on legislative activities.

The same House and Senate rules and policies generally apply to district or state office interns and to Washington, DC, office interns. Due to the high concentration of congressional interns on Capitol Hill, some training opportunities and congressional programs may be available to Washington, DC, interns, but not to interns serving in district or state offices further away. House interns who are paid under the House Paid Internship Program may work in Washington, DC, in the office of a Member, in a committee office, or in a House leadership office, or interns may work in a Member's district office. The Committee on House Administration has also stated that paid House interns may be eligible for telework in the event of a disaster, pandemic, or other emergency.

For security purposes, interns in Washington, DC, offices can obtain a congressional ID badge, available from the Office of the Sergeant at Arms for the appropriate chamber. District or state office interns are also eligible to receive ID badges at the request of the employing Member office. ID badges are to be returned to the Office of the Sergeant at Arms upon completion of an internship.

Mandatory Trainings

If interns are paid by Congress, then they are to take many of the mandatory trainings discussed below that new House or Senate employees are required to take. If interns are unpaid, however, fewer House or Senate trainings are mandatory for them. Because interns may be working with Congress or in a professional environment for the first time, congressional offices may want to have their interns attend additional trainings to better ensure they are prepared for their work and can represent the office appropriately.

All interns in the House of Representatives are required to complete a training session on workplace rights and responsibilities. Also in the House, any individual who has access to the House network needs to complete an information security training online. A paid intern who is employed for 60 days or more is to take a House ethics training, which is mandatory for new House employees.

In the Senate, all interns or fellows are required to receive the same antiharassment training as paid employees. The Senate Office of Education and Training has provided a number of courses specifically designed for interns. A few, including harassment prevention and an overview of the Senate Code of Conduct, have been listed as required courses, whereas others, like information security training, have been listed as recommended or optional. Many of these courses are online and can be accessed via the Senate intranet in a state or Capitol Hill office. Other courses offered by the Senate Office of Education and Training or the Senate Library may be open to interns if space permits.

Additional Programs and Resources

Some programs and courses offered by CRS are open to congressional interns, provided that they have completed the CRS intern orientation. Many summers, the Committee on House Administration and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration have cosponsored the Congressional Summer Intern Lecture Series, providing congressional interns with insights about politics and policymaking from Members of Congress, other government officials, and journalists.

Senator Scott offers internships for college students, recent college graduates, and others looking to experience life on Capitol Hill. The purpose of the program is to give interns firsthand knowledge of the way in which a Senate office operates on a daily basis, to observe the legislative process at the federal level and to develop research skills related to public policy. Responsibilities include assisting full-time staff in developing detailed responses to constituent concerns and policy questions. Interns will often be given the opportunity to assist with a special project.

How to Obtain a Congressional Internship

Congressional internships are often quite competitive, and getting one is far from guaranteed. Congressional internships vary greatly by office and committee. Even the same officeâs internship program may vary from year to year, depending on which staff member leads the program, how much funding the program receives, and whether the office is in the majority or minority.

Types of Internships

Internships in personal offices can occur in the Memberâs state/district office(s) or in their DC office. Many congressional internships take place in the summer, but there are also semester internships, for example in the fall or spring.

There are several kinds of congressional internships. The most common internships involve general office work, and are often marketed as adjective-less âinternships.â There are also more focused internships (âlegislative internsâ; âlegal internsâ or âlaw clerksâ for law students; âpress internsâ for communications staff; âdigital internsâ for office management assistance; etc.).

Choosing an Office or Committee

In general, congressional committee internships are more prestigious and tend to be âmore policy-focused than internships with individual Congressmen or Senators.â They are also typically more competitive, especially if you lack prior DC experience.

Although there are broad differences between the average Senate and House internship, thereâs also a lot of variation among internships in each of these categories. Senate internships are often viewed as slightly more competitive and sought-after. A senatorâs office is typically larger, more streamlined, and better funded. Youâre likely to form close working relationships with your manager and other interns, but less likely to form close relationships with everyone in the office. House internships are slightly less competitive, but youâre more likely to do a higher percentage of substantive work (drafting memos, offering your opinion in meetings, etc.) and form close relationships with everyone in the office.

Members have great latitude in how they run their offices. Some offices pay interns, consistently give them substantive tasks in their policy areas of interest, and host events or provide formalized mentorship for interns. In contrast, others do not offer payment to their interns and restrict them to performing only administrative tasks. Some rough signals of a high-quality internship program include (1) paying interns, (2) having a well-run interview process, and (3) having office programming or events dedicated to interns.

Application Tips

Personal Ties: Personal ties to an officeâs constituency are preferred but not typically essential. Hiring managers in Congress generally prefer applicants with strong connections to the district or state the office represents, especially if youâve lived there (either at home or during college). If you donât have ties to the district or state, you may be able to substitute ties to the jurisdiction with ties to a given office from your network.
Ideological Alignment: An ideologically aligned office is more likely to offer you an internship. Youâll likely get more value from the internship, in terms of personal enjoyment, building a professional network, and the possibility of the internship leading to a full-time staff position. Your office choice can influence your future policy opportunities, including further work in Congress or in partisan think tanks.
Timing: While more summer internship positions are offered on the Hill in total, summer internships are generally more competitive since many more students apply for them. If youâre interested in a full-time position on the Hill, it may be wise to do an internship the semester before you want a full-time job. Youâre more likely to hear of job opportunities and get offers if you plan on staying in DC, whereas it can be difficult to maintain relationships with people on the Hill while youâre back in school or outside of the Hill ecosystem.
Application Materials: The application process differs from Member to Member, however, most will require that you submit your resume, a cover letter, letters of recommendation, and some also require college transcripts and/or a writing sample. Your resume cannot be longer than one page, and you should quantify the impact you made in each of your bullet points.
Interviews: Before your interview, do some research and be prepared! Read recent news articles about the Member and be able to say a few things you admire about the Member and to discuss his or her most well-known positions. Consider writing down some of the questions you think will be asked, and come up with your answers. In your interview, itâs important to be knowledgeable but also likable. Interviewers nearly always ask something at the end like âDo you have any questions for us?â â so, have a few questions ready to go!
Apply Early: Apply early as your application may get more attention and many offices hire interns on a rolling basis. Application requirements, including submission deadlines, vary, but deadlines for summer internship applications generally fall between February and April.

Overcoming Financial Barriers

Historically, Congressional interns have typically been unpaid (or underpaid), making it harder for those from low-income backgrounds to get a foot in the door in Congress. Fortunately, this trend has partly reversed in recent years, with many Senate and House offices now offering to pay their interns. As of 2021, Senate interns receive a stipend of ~$2,000 per month, which is a substantial increase from just a few years ago.

If the congressional internship youâre applying to does not pay interns, you might still be able to get financial compensationâCongress allows outside entities to pay Congressional interns, subject to certain conditions. Some third-party organizations give stipends for unpaid congressional internships.

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF)

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Incorporated (CBCF) offers several internship programs to provide undergraduate and post-graduate African American students with firsthand experience in the legislative process:

Walmart Emerging Leaders Internship: Provides students with firsthand experience in the legislative process, focusing on policy research, legislative writing, constituent services, and communications.
State Farm Communications Internship: Provides students with hands-on experience in political communications and media strategy, working closely with press teams and communications staff.
Congressional Internship Program: Provides students with firsthand experience in the legislative process, contributing to policy research, legislative drafting, constituency engagement, and committee hearings.

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