Well
first of all, congratulations! You’re joining an elite network of individuals
across the whole world who launched their exciting, successful careers with an
internship in Washington, D.C. The experience before you will shape you in ways
you cannot even imagine, far beyond simply building a foundation for your
career. An internship is an opportunity for many to escape the safe confines of
college campus to explore a shiny new city and sample the thrill of the working
world. You’ll love it. During your time here, you will meet people who will
change your life – people from all over the country who will challenge your
existing beliefs and push you to better yourself. To describe this time as a
growing experience would not do it justice and I hope that you choose to take
advantage of this valuable time as much as possible.
In
order to make the most of your time in D.C., there’s a bit of planning and
preparation that you need to do before you board the plane. One of your first
questions is probably how to find housing. There are a number of ways you can
go about this. You can go the Russian roulette route and sublet a room through Craigslist Washington D.C., Apartments.com, or Sublet.com. Keep in mind
that Sublet.com charges you a fee to view their listings and while Craigslist Washington D.C., Apartments.com are free, you
don’t want to sign a lease site-unseen. This is where New To…D.C. comes in. One service we offer is ‘apartment vetting,’
which means that you can give us a list of apartments you would like to have viewed
and we visit them, take pictures of the inside and outside, take measurements
of the rooms, meet the roommates if there are any, and ask the landlord any
questions you may have. Then we provide you with detailed feedback so that you
can make an informed decision about whether or not you want to choose to live
there. Your living situation will have a big impact on your overall experience
in Washington, D.C., so you want to be sure to make an educated choice. Also
keep in mind that this service will save you some serious cash you would’ve
spent on driving or flying out here solely for the purpose of viewing
apartments. If we can help you view any apartments, please contact us at info@new-todc.com. (Charge applies by the number of apartments you would
like viewed).
Some
other options available to you are Washington
Intern Student Housing, Washington
Intern Housing Network, and Thompson-Markward
Hall
which all offer fully-furnished short-term rental options across the District
of Columbia. These options can be a good way to meet people, but they are way
overpriced for what you’re getting. (Many times, they’ll cram 4 people in 1
room and charge you the market rate of one room in a shared apartment). But the
social aspect could be worth it depending on what your priorities are.
Once
you’ve found your housing, your next question may be how to find an internship.
Besides Craigslist
Washington D.C.,
there are a number of databases out there that could assist you in your search.
DC Jobs and Hill
Zoo
offer a list of on the Hill and off the Hill internships. If you would like to
work on the Hill, the U.S. House of
Representatives
offers a list of openings online, but the U.S. Senate is a little bit
more tricky because they only list internship openings by office. It is much more
difficult to get an internship with the U.S. Senate than the U.S. House of
Representatives
because there are so many fewer Members and competition is fierce. If you want
to get into the Senate, contact the District Office in your home state and give
your network tree a good shake as well. Also keep in mind that many House
offices will consider taking out of state interns (i.e. a Florida office
accepting a native New Yorker) depending on the season you are in D.C. and the
office’s demand for interns, whereas this would almost never happen in a Senate
office.
Finally,
be sure to check out USA Jobs which has a
comprehensive listing of all federal government internships. I recommend using this
search engine to see what’s available, but don’t bank on one of these positions
panning out because of the high volume of applicants and also the long review
process the federal government has. If you find an internship you’re interested
in, apply for it but be sure to keep your options open.
So
you’ve got your housing and internship taken care of, what’s next? Networking.
When you tell people you’re going to intern in Washington, D.C. how many times have
people told you to ‘network’ while you’re here? Tons, right? You’re probably sick
of hearing it! You know you’re
supposed to network, but how do you actually go about it? That’s the harder
question, especially if you’re coming straight from college where networking basically
consisted of mustering up the courage to drunkenly approach the cute girl at
the bar. When you get here, networking may seem like an untrained muscle that
your success as an intern requires you to condition. And it is - it’s crucial. New To…D.C. would like to help you
develop this skill so that you can bulk up your rolodex and develop the vital
contacts you need to achieve all of your career goals. We offer one-on-one
coaching as well as group trainings, both of which will ensure that you take
advantage of your time in D.C. by establishing solid contacts without looking
like a superficial schmoozer or the shy kid in the corner. Please contact info@new-todc.com to set up your first meeting today. (Charge applies by
the hour).
Finally,
here is some recommended reading to help you to prepare for this adventure
before you:
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