Think of it as test-driving a career before you decide what you’re going to do with your life. You’ll gain valuable work experience that you can apply to virtually every endeavor — whether you work in government or the private sector. Most of all, you will feel good about doing something worthwhile for your nation.

At the U.S. Department of State, we like to say that we represent America to the world. As an intern here or abroad, you will, too. The U.S. Department of State Student Internship Program is an unpaid internship with the opportunity to work in U.S. embassies and consulates throughout the world, as well as in various bureaus located in Washington, D.C. and at Department offices around the United States. This program is designed to provide substantive learning experiences in a foreign affairs environment.

While the duties of U.S. Department of State Student Internship Program participants vary from bureau to bureau, office to office, and embassy to embassy, it is not uncommon for these students to:

• Participate in meetings with senior-level U.S. Government or foreign government officials
• Draft, edit, or contribute to cables, reports, communications, talking points, or other materials used by policymakers in furthering U.S. foreign policy objectives
• Support events, including international and/or multilateral meetings and conferences or
• Engage directly with U.S. audiences in helping to explain the work of the Department of State or foreign audiences in helping to promote U.S. foreign policy and improve understanding of U.S. culture and society

For internship program details such as duties of an intern, participating offices and bureaus, types of internships, and housing information, please view and download the Student Internship Program Brochure.

The deadline to apply for the fall 2018 internship program is March 2, 2018.