One thing I've observed in my various political and government related internships is that the hours are very erratic. Sure, for me as an intern I worked a pretty standard nine to five days, but I'm not talking about interns. They get off easy. No, I'm talking about paid staff. They are worked like dogs and often times they're still hard at work long after the interns have packed up and gone home for the night. Depending on where you're working, a government job can be grueling and demanding. Some nights you may stay at work until after midnight! One night when I was interning with the Biden for President campaign, we had to stuff envelopes and send them out by the next morning. All the interns and the staff stayed stuffing and sealing those envelopes several hours after quitting time! So, if you don't think you can handle the demanding schedule of that kind of job, make sure you know the office procedure before making a commitment.
So then, if you as a staffer work a lot and get paid a little (and you do), then why the hell would anyone want that kind of job? Well, if you're someone who is just thrilled by the prospect of working in government, then while you might not be crazy about the hours, you truly appreciate the opportunity. But that's the thing about government jobs. They're demanding, make sure you really have a passion for what the job is, because if you don't, you could very well be miserable.
The Erratic Hours of Working in Government
Great Website to Find Jobs
Hill Zoo
I can't believe it took so long for me to post this link. I learned about it while I was interning this past summer, but I guess it just slipped my mind as to share here. I know, big oversight right? Well better late than never. It's dubbed as the "Home Page of Capitol Hill" and I know a lot people who are interested in working on Capitol Hill have relied heavily on this site. It's pretty terrific, it keeps an up to date listing of offices in the Capitol who are looking for employees, so you can be aware of all the latest job openings that you're interested in. You can find info here about internships, paid careers, etc. I highly recommend using it as a major source in your search for a political job!
Non-partisan Government Jobs
I feel as if up until this point, I've talked primarily about political jobs which contain a partisan element. Senate, House, White House, campaign (especially) internships all are inherently partisan. Even Senate and House internships are ostensibly constituent services, but many offices will disqualify you if they find out you are no a member of their Party. But what if you want to serve your country but hate the shrill and petty nature of partisan politics. Well have no fear, there still is a place for you.
The best place to start looking for a non-partisan internship is with people/offices which do not have a (D) or (R) after their names. Depending on the state, it could be with your mayor, or with a local judge. With these internships there is much more focus on the real issues that matter to you rather than political posturing. You can feel like you're helping your community without feeling like you're also helping a particular political Party.
However if you want to be involved in the federal government, there are still plenty of non-partisan jobs available to you. It might surprise you to learn that many offices within the Executive Branch do not require any particular partisan affiliation. Remember, the Executive is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the entire Country. These jobs really get down to the nuts and bolts of how the government works, and thus are not (or perhaps I should say should not in light of recent scandals) partisan. Thus, even if you are a Democrat, you could still obtain a job in any of the Executive Departments. Certainly, there are some posts that are partisan, but the vast majority of positions are filled with career bureaucrats and do not require any political work. These are great opportunities to learn about GOVERNMENT rather than politics.
