Internships are increasingly seen as a must-have on a young person’s resume. Unfortunately, these opportunities are often hard to receive considering the prevalence of unpaid internships. Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen wrote an op-ed over at Roll Call announcing his decision to pay his own congressional interns and urging all of his colleagues to do the same.
I’ve made the decision to pay our interns — despite our tight office budgets. I know some of my colleagues do the same. But a survey done last summer by Mic found that less than half of U.S. Senate offices and only 10 percent of U.S. House offices pay their interns. Clearly, we have more to do. That’s why I’m working to encourage the Congress to set up a system that makes congressional internships accessible to all students who are qualified and want to intern on Capitol Hill. These internships are incredibly competitive — and they should remain so. But no student should miss out on this opportunity due to financial hardship.
We are quick to point out the lack of diversity in intern photos, but do we ever consider how exactly it happens? It’s likely that the prevalence of unpaid internships is a contributor. With so few paid opportunities available, it really exacerbates inequality. If we want more diverse leadership in our federal government, we need to open the door to make it possible.
Not only does a Capitol Hill internship give students networking and mentorship opportunities, but it can lay the groundwork for their future ambitions. In many congressional offices, previous Hill experience is a de facto requirement — and internships are a great way to get a leg up when applying for entry-level positions.
While obtaining internship experience is certainly beneficial to both the job candidate and the hiring office, many congressional internships are unpaid. This means that this opportunity is out of reach for young Americans who simply do not have the financial means to dedicate an entire semester or summer to a congressional internship without pay. For many young people, summer is a time to earn money to help cover the costs of college. And even if that isn’t the case, Washington, D.C., is one of the most expensive places to live in the country — and even if they try to work on top of their internship, the costs put it out of reach for too many.
The same people who especially need a foot in the door to start their career—women, people of color, low-income individuals, etc.—are the ones who can’t afford to work for free. Unpaid internships essentially lock them out of the process.
An individual’s professional future shouldn’t be harmed simply because they can’t work for free. Learn facts about unpaid congressional internships and the work to end them in a report over at Pay Our Interns.