The Foreign Service Journal, December 2019

86 DECEMBER 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT C ongratulations! Your hard work has paid off, and you’ve landed the perfect internship. Now it’s time to think about money, housing and all the other things you need to think about to make sure this internship is a success. Funding Transportation, housing and daily living costs are high in D.C., so carefully consider your financial situation. Universities often have money set aside to help defray the costs of intern- ships for their students. When I was offered my second D.C. internship, I applied for two scholarships to fund my senior honors project at my university. While the school did not technically pay for the internship, it did help offset the expenses associated with interning in D.C., which was a part of this proj- ect. Early on I cultivated a relationship with my project adviser, who helped me win the scholarships that enabled me to intern. Good professors want their students to succeed, academically and professionally. Argue the case of intern- ships being connected to academics— your favorite professor may just lend a helping hand. Local organizations such as your K-12 PTOs, Greek life and Rotary Clubs may also be willing to help. Make a call, send an email, reach out to friends and neighbors. Join Facebook groups, create a GoFundMe, get a part-time job. Anything is possible. Housing When it comes to housing, most interns are left to fend for themselves. Do not finalize housing until you’ve received a definitive acceptance. Once you’ve cleared that hurdle, it’s time to consider your housing requirements. Some factors to consider: furnished or unfurnished? Short-term? Your own bath? Location versus commute? There are three major housing types for interns—university, subletting and corporate—and each has pros and cons. University housing dates are set well in advance, buildings are safe and there are both private- and shared-room options; some universities may offer this program only in the summer, however. Subletting is a mixed bag: dates and cost are flexible and extremely variable, allowing the intern to work out the best and cheapest option. Finding a place to sublet, however, is complex. It’s time consuming, decisions are often made at the last minute, and roommates can be unpredictable. Never pay anything until you’re standing in the apartment and can verify that your roommate/landlord isn’t a scammer. Don’t try to pull it all together just weeks before you need to be there. You may be left in the lurch because if the roommate/landlord backs out or your search bears no fruit, it will be too late to find university or corporate housing. The following sites can be useful as you start your housing search for a D.C. internship. University Summer Housing George Washington https://summerhousing.gwu.edu/individuals-options American https://www.american.edu/ocl/conferences/ Intern-Housing.cfm George Mason https://housing.gmu.edu/summer-mason/ intern-housing University of the http://docs.udc.edu/housing/Housing_Application_ District of Columbia Summer_2018.pdf Howard https://howardsummerconferences.com/ summer-rates-payment/ Catholic http://conferences.cua.edu/summer/rates.cfm Georgetown https://residentialliving.georgetown.edu/summer/ individual# Note that university housing in D.C. is subject to the 14.8 percent D.C. housing accommodations tax. Subletting Sites Craigslist https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/d/sublets-temporary/search/sub Facebook groups bit.ly/fb-subletting bit.ly/fb-subletting2 Corporate Sites WISH https://internsdc.com/rates/ Capstay https://www.capstay.com/prices/ Attache Corporate Housing https://stayattache.com/search/results STARTING YOUR HOUSING SEARCH YOU GOT THE INTERNSHIP: NOWWHAT?