I invite all college students to apply for a Congressional internship in my Washington and South Florida offices for spring, summer or fall terms. The term of the internship is flexible. However, it must be at least three months in length, and you must commit to no less than 20 hours per week. All internships in my offices are unpaid. You do not have to be a resident of Florida's 23rd Congressional District to intern in my offices, though preference is shown to applicants from South Florida.

Duties will be wide ranging in nature, as interns in my office are tasked with a variety of responsibilities ranging from special projects and legislative research to drafting constituent responses and providing general office support. Additionally, interns in my office have the opportunity to attend congressional hearings, briefings, and seminars. In many instances, interns are also asked to handle special projects that I have assigned.

As an intern, you will have access to the same resources as my full-time congressional staff. Recently, interns in my office have prepared reports on important issues that Congress has considered, assisted in the drafting of floor statements and press releases, designed and authored a newsletter which was distributed throughout South Florida, and prepared analyses regarding trade agreements currently being considered by the Administration. I am very proud of the program that we have designed, as it gives students valuable insight into how Congress works.

When interns leave our office, they will take with them a packet of projects they have completed for my staff and me. 

We expect interns to follow a schedule determined by the intern and intern coordinator. My office is lively and fast-paced. Interns should be prepared to meet deadlines and work well under pressure. We consider our interns to be an integral part of the staff and assign to them substantive work to do. Routine office support, however, is also a part of the job. As a policy, though, we do not ask interns to take on any task that we do not regularly do ourselves.

Interested students should be familiar Microsoft Word, Windows 2000 and XP, and the World Wide Web. The internship is writing intensive, and I encourage students to try and obtain course credit for their work with us. We will work with you and your school to facilitate course credit.

If you are interested in interning in any of my offices or have any questions, please contact my intern coordinator via e-mail at interncoordFL23@mail.house.gov or by phone at (202) 225-1313 for more information.

To apply, please send a cover letter, current resume, and short (1-2 page) writing sample to:

Office of the Honorable Alcee L. Hastings
ATTN: Intern Coordinator
2353 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-0923