Foreign Affairs Internships

In This Section

Below is a list of internship opportunities for college students! There are opportunities to get involved in government, research, and policy.

The six Foreign Service Agencies offer internship opportunities for students. Explore more below:

United States Department of State

The U.S. Department of State offers a variety of unique internship and fellowship opportunities for students to learn more about diplomacy and foreign policy including the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program and the State Department Virtual Foreign Service Internships.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

USAID offers paid and unpaid internships and fellowship opportunities to qualified, talented students and recent graduates. Interns work in one of USAID’s offices in Washington, D.C., supporting program work in economic growth, agriculture, education, health, environment, democracy and governance, conflict prevention, and humanitarian assistance.

Foreign Commercial Service (FCS)

FCS offers internship opportunities for students looking to learn about how to market and sell U.S. products overseas. Interns have the opportunity to work in domestic offices across the U.S.

Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)

FAS’ International Agricultural Internship Program gives graduate students a chance to gain first-hand experience working at one of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service overseas post in U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world. This program is ideal for candidates looking to gain experience in agricultural economics, trade policy, international relations, marketing, or international development.

Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

APHIS offers students and graduates a variety of internship, fellowship, and externship opportunities.

United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM)

USAGM offers internship opportunities throughout the year for college students looking to gain experience in a diverse and dynamic international broadcast network.

More internships in government and in multilateral organizations can be found below:

The White House Internship: A Public Service Leadership Program

The White House Internship Program (WHIP) is a public service leadership and development program that provides emerging leaders with an opportunity to gain valuable skills while supporting the work of the White House Office and furthering the priorities of the Administration.

Who: U.S. citizen undergraduate students, graduate students, or veterans with a high school diploma or equivalent.
What: Work in the White House with assignments that include conducting research, managing incoming inquiries, attending meetings, writing memos, and staffing events.
When/Where: Washington, D.C., Fall, Spring or Summer.
How: Apply via https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/internships/white-house-internship-program/apply/.

Interns can work within the following:

Organization of American States

OAS offers internship opportunities for college students to gain experience working within the main political forum of the Region that promotes and supports Democracy, Human Rights, Multi-dimensional Security, and Integral Development in the Americas.

Who: Undergraduates in at least their second year of college. Graduate students are also accepted. Must have a 3.0 GPA. Fluency in French, Spanish, or Portuguese required.
What: Internship with OAS, which is an international political organization that aims to resolve and prevent conflicts. Internships help to support Democracy, Human Rights, Multi-dimensional Security and Integral Development in the Americas.
When/Where: Seasonal internships in Washington, D.C.
How: Apply via http://www.oas.org/en/saf/dhr/internships/indexEN.asp.

To explore more federal internship and fellowship opportunities, click here.

Below is a list of internships offered by think tanks and nonprofit organizations in Washington, DC.

Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training

Who: Students at an accredited College or University.
What: ADST interns will learn about diplomatic history and contribute directly to the series Moments in U.S. Diplomatic History, conduct research projects, and attend seminars and presentations at the State Department and other locations around Washington, D.C. Interns also regularly conduct interviews with Foreign Service Officers and Ambassadors.
When/Where: Internships are offered during the fall, spring, and summer semesters and are located at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, Virginia.
How: Email ADST at internship@adst.org with the following: Resume, Cover Letter, A 3-5 page writing sample. For more information on the internship and how to apply, click here.

Center for Strategic and International Studies

Who: Undergraduate, Graduate, and recent graduates are welcome to apply.
What: CSIS interns participate in a variety of activities that support individual programs/departments, including research, writing and project development. In addition, interns will participate in programs offered by the Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy (AILA), the in-house leadership development program.
When/Where: Internships are offered during the fall, spring, and summer semesters and are located in Washington DC.
How: Explore open internship opportunities and apply via https://careers.csis.org/opportunities?category=internships.

Council on Foreign Relations

Who: Undergraduate and graduate students with majors in international relations, political science, economics, or a related fields.
What: CFR interns help citizens better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. Internships include working for the Executive Office, CFR.org, the Studies Program, Publications, Communications, the Meetings Program, the Corporate Program, and Foreign Affairs publishing.
When/Where: Internships are offered during the fall, spring, and summer semesters and are located in New York and Washington DC.
How: Apply via https://www.cfr.org/career-opportunities/volunteer-internships.

Aspen Institute

Who: Graduate or Undergraduate students.
What: Opportunity to work at an educational and policy studies organization. Responsibilities can include research, data entry, editing, administrative work, etc.
When/Where: Internships are offered during the fall, spring, and summer semesters and are located in Washington DC, and Aspen, Colorado, but potential for internship in New York City.
How: Apply via https://www.aspeninstitute.org/careers/internships/.

Center for International Policy

Who: Undergraduate and graduate students.
What: CIP offers a range of internship opportunities including the technology policy internship, security assistance internship, the climate, arms, and migration internship, a communications internship, and finally, a development internship.
When/Where: Internships are offered during the fall, spring, and summer semesters and are located in Washington DC.
How: Apply via https://www.internationalpolicy.org/internships.

Brookings

Who: Undergraduate, graduate students, and recent graduates.
What: Interns may work with Brookings’s staff in research areas such as Economic Studies, Foreign Policy, Global Economy and Development, Governance Studies, and Metropolitan Policy. Interns may also work in departments such as communications, human resources, and central operations management
When/Where: Internships are offered during the fall, spring, and summer semesters and are located in Washington DC.
How: Apply via https://www.brookings.edu/careers/.

American Enterprise Institute

Who: Experienced undergraduate, graduate students, and recent graduates with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA.
What: AEI is a research-based think tank in Washington DC. Internships are available on the research side (Foreign Policy, Economics, Politics) and business side (Executive office, Accounting, Communications).
When/Where: Internships are offered during the fall, spring, and summer semesters and are located in Washington DC.
How: Apply via https://www.aei.org/internships/.

Labor Management Internships at AFSA