Policy Internship Fall '23
Policy Intern – Two Openings
EESI is committed to building a community of staff, board members, advisors, donors, interns, fellows and volunteers, and partners who hold diversity, equity, and inclusion as core values. This commitment strengthens the organization, improves our overall effectiveness, and helps ensure the policies we advance and programs we implement promote an equitable transition to a decarbonized, clean energy economy.
EESI seeks to make its internships accessible to all.
Environmental and Energy Study Institute
Next available position: Fall 2023. Application closing date is July 16, 2023.
Internship location is at EESI's office in Washington, D.C.
EESI’s interns contribute substantively to the advancement of critical environmental and energy policies while gaining insight into the workings of Congress and the federal legislative process, knowledge of significant environmental and energy issues, and an understanding of how a not-for-profit organization works. EESI internships offer invaluable career benefits and opportunities and may also be used for undergraduate credit. As part of the internship experience, we offer weekly professional development sessions with EESI staff and outside guests.
As the Policy Intern, you will be a key member of the EESI Policy Team. You will assist EESI Staff with research and writing projects focusing on U.S. federal climate change, energy, and environmental policy issues including, but not limited to: clean energy, energy efficiency, adaptation and resilience, environmental and climate justice, sustainable agriculture and forestry, sustainable transportation, high-performance green buildings, and workforce.
We offer a friendly, informal, and inclusive work environment dedicated to helping interns succeed in the internship and launch careers in the environmental and energy field. We are committed to helping you achieve your individual professional goals, and we will be happy to tailor your projects for the semester accordingly.
Intern Responsibilities
In collaboration with and under the guidance of the policy team, the intern will:
- Research and write web articles on a broad range of climate, energy, environment, and U.S. policy issues.
- Contribute to EESI's biweekly newsletter, Climate Change Solutions.
- Attend and track the latest Congressional hearings, other legislative activities, and scientific and policy briefings. Share observations with staff verbally and in writing.
- Assist staff in research for fact sheets giving you the opportunity to take a deep dive into new climate, energy, and environment topics.
- Play an integral part in the successful execution of our informative and acclaimed Congressional briefings, which are looked to as a key source of information. You will also help us create engaging post-briefing content such as interviewing panelists and capturing briefing highlights.
- Other responsibilities as required, based on the intern's interests and the organization’s needs.
Intern Qualifications
Our internship program is designed for students who are currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree as a current or rising junior or senior. Prior internship experience is not required.
- Interest in U.S. federal climate, environment, and energy policy, with particular enthusiasm for providing fact-based information in a non-partisan manner.
- Strong writing and research skills; clear and concise writing is required for newsletters, Congressional briefing write-ups, and fact sheets.
- Detail-oriented, self-starter, flexible, and able to manage multiple tasks.
- Open to feedback, with strong desire to develop professional skills
- Effective interpersonal communication skills
- Ability to work in a team and independently
- Ability to represent EESI professionally
Compensation
Interns are compensated at the rate of $17/hr. You must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
Internship Application Requirements
Please note you will need the following to apply:
- Cover Letter. Your cover letter should be one page in length. At EESI, the first thing we review is the cover letter. It is important to submit a well-written cover letter specific to your interest in interning with EESI. The cover letter is your opportunity to highlight relevant interests and experiences along with what you hope to learn and what you can contribute as an EESI intern.
- Resume. This is your opportunity to show us the experiences you have had so far that prepare you for an EESI internship. Your resume can include unpaid or paid work, academic achievements, or extracurricular activities as experience.
- Writing sample in a journalistic style (1-2 pages). This is a writing-intensive internship.
- Your writing sample can be about any topic—just show us that you like to write!
- Possible writing samples could include a memo, fact sheet, backgrounder, formal blog, article, or a one-page excerpt from a longer piece.
- Please avoid submitting an academic research paper. If you have not yet had the opportunity to write a non-academic paper, you could consider adapting an academic paper you have already written for a general audience like EESI’s.
- Your writing sample should be written by just you. Please do not submit a co-authored writing sample. And please do not submit a published writing sample. We want to see your writing shining through—as opposed to a piece that has been heavily edited by another person.
- At the top of the document, please provide some background about the origin of the writing sample. For example, was it written as an assignment for a particular course? If so, which course? If an excerpt, please include the title page.
Looking for additional tips on submitting a competitive internship application? Check out this document compiled by our staff.
Current Status
Applications are open until July 16, 2023, for the Fall ’23 semester.
Internships require a commitment of between 26-30 hours per week during a 14-16 week semester (Spring and Fall) or a 10-12 week semester (Summer). A recommended course load for a 30-hour internship is 3-6 credit hours.
About our application and review process
In an effort to ensure that our internship selection process is fair, we redact all personal information before reviewing applications, including the name of your college or university. Each candidate’s anonymized application profile (cover letter, resume, and writing sample) is reviewed by a member of our staff. During this stage of the review process, it is not possible to attach any correspondence to your anonymized profile. Full profiles, unredacted, are viewable by EESI staff at the interview stage. We are committed to updating candidates on the status of their applications. Please wait to receive updates.
In 2017, Paul Haven made training the next generation of climate leaders part of his legacy. His wife, Jackie Haven, is generously fulfilling Paul’s vision and is helping to fund EESI’s internship program.