Intern directly with working legislators!
The CAS Legislative Internship Program is a professional opportunity that matches students with Vermont lawmakers. Each spring, from January to May, these student-legislator partnerships meet regularly to plan essential tasks for the intern to complete. By becoming a part of the Legislature, you will engage with not only legislators but also professionals uniquely involved with real-world issues you may care about including judiciary, education, energy, commerce, technology, corrections, health care, and more.
Nonprofits, for-profits, lobbying firms, and Vermont citizens regularly converge at the Statehouse in Montpelier to debate policies that affect the lives of everyday Vermonters. While the work will be particularly engaging for students interested in the political process, the experience will also appeal to students interested in research and policy on a wide range of areas. All students will develop professional skills while working in a fast-paced environment.
The application deadline for the Spring 2024 legislative session has closed. Please consider applying to the program for Spring 2025!
Our Mission
Here in Vermont, we are lucky to have one of the most accessible legislatures in the country. You don’t need to schedule an appointment or go through staffers in order to meet with legislators — because they don’t have staffers. Our goal is to offer legislators assistance with anything that they would otherwise have their own staff do. Through this service, we hope to offer students, legislators and Vermonters a meaningful engagement with each other in the policy making process.
Potential intern tasks and projects
- Attending and summarizing committee hearings
- Providing concise policy summaries and reports
- Tracking and summarizing bills
- Providing constituent services
- Social media support
- Event planning
- Writing press releases and letters
Program Expectations
Students must be prepared to meet professional expectations and deadlines, attend (at times) boring, complicated meetings, respond quickly, creatively problem solve, and go above and beyond requests. In return, you will have an unforgettable learning experience, expand your network, and develop in-demand professional skills in preparation for your later career in the political or policy world.
Skills required in a potential intern
- Excellent self-direction
- Time management
- Organization
- Communication and response skills
- Research and analytical skills
- Note-taking
- Self-advocacy
- Self-motivation
- Writing skills
- Patience
- Flexibility
Requirements & Logistics:
This program requires students to attend class on campus every Monday and a work a minimum of ~10 hours per week for your legislator, for a total of 200 hours. Class time and travel time are not included in the 200 hours.
Weekly schedule
The Legislature meets Tuesday — Friday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Students must spend at least 4 hours per week in-person at the Statehouse. As such, it is best to plan your Spring course schedule to have at least one day without classes so you can to travel to the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday for the required once-a-week visit (twice a week if possible).
Transportation Information
Public transportation from Burlington to the Vermont Statehouse takes approximately 1 hour in each direction. Legislators are representatives of various Vermont communities, so you may also be asked in the course of your duties to travel to their areas of the state and visit with local offices or constituents.
Carpooling with others in the program is strongly encouraged. There will be an expectation to split gas money if a carpooling arrangement takes place.
Program Schedule & Credit Information:
Because the Vermont Legislative Session does not line up with UVM’s academic calendar, students in this program will be required to enroll in the Winter Session in addition to the Spring course.
Winter Session Schedule: The first week of the Winter session (December 26 – 30) will be remote and will consist of training modules designed to prepare you for the upcoming internship experience. Your internship will begin in-person during the second week of Winter session to align with the start of the Legislative Session. You’ll need to be back in Vermont and ready to go for the start of your internship!
Credit information
The program awards a total of 5 internship credits:
- Winter session – 2 credits (CAS 2991 OL1/OL2)
- Spring session – 3 credits (CAS 2920 F/G)
The Legislative Internship Community of Practice counts as elective internship credit.
If the program is related to a student’s major or minor, they can request that the credit count toward their major or minor by contacting their department chairperson.
Political Science students: With the approval of the chair or the director of undergraduate studies, this internship experience may be substituted for the POLS elective. Contact Peter VonDoepp to request approval.
Hours
CAS’s internship hours-to-credits rate is 40:1. So you will be working about 200 hours at your internship to earn the 5 credits. If you would like to continue at your internship into the summer, you may arrange that with your legislator and apply for funding through UVM’s summer internship scholarship process.
Legislator matching
You will be matched with your legislator by late November and will be expected to meet with your legislator at least once before winter break.
Application Process:
Fill out the application form by October 8. You will be asked to answer short answer and multiple choice questions about your professional experience, skills, and upload a one-page writing sample.
If selected as a finalist, you will be contacted to schedule an interview with the course instructor.
Required Information Session
In order to apply for the Legislative Internship Program, you MUST attend an information session or watch the recording prior to completing your application.
- Dates TBD
Eligibility Requirements
- Hold Junior or Senior class standing at the time of the internship
- Have a 3.0 GPA or above
- Attend an information session prior to applying
- If selected, attend an interview with instructor
- Have ability to travel to the Statehouse once per week (driving, carpooling, or public transportation)
Students are strongly encouraged to take no more than 3 courses in addition to the internship course
Student Testimonials:
“This experience is a good transition into the “work world”. I feel as though I am able to talk to adults in a professional manner without any anxiety or nervousness.”
“The skills I learned that have been particularly useful in this experience are how to advocate for myself when concerns/worries arise, clearly communicate when in need of clarification, and set boundaries when scheduling around my other work. Other skills specific to the internship that I have learned are how to track bills, answer constituents via email, take concise notes during committee meetings, and relay information.”
“This class has helped me solidify my belief that political science is definitely what I want to study as an undergraduate.”
Liz First-Raddock (she/her)
Faculty Mentor
Liz First-Raddock has over 25 years of experience in media, journalism, and local government and advocacy. She has worked for various local radio stations including Vermont Public Radio, WBUR-FM, the Burlington Free Press, and more recently at VT Digger and the Vermont Office of Legislative Operations. In her role as Legislative Internship Program Coordinator and now faculty mentor, Liz has worked with over 100 students to get them engaged and working directly with the Vermont Legislature.
What have students said about the UVM Legislative Internship Program?
“Highly recommend this experience to anyone interested in politics!”
Talia Goldstein
UVM 2022“This was an incredibly informative experience. I feel like I have learned more than I could have from any class. The skills that I have gained from this internship are things I will absolutely be using in my future.”
Anonymous
UVM 2024“Thank you for the opportunity. It was challenging, but I learned a lot and really am so grateful for the time I spent in the program.”
Matt Sorenson
UVM 2022“I think it is a great opportunity and gives you access to a variety of perspectives on issues that you may never hear of otherwise.”
Anonymous
UVM 2023“I have already recommended this program to a lot of my classmates and friends. I truly think this has been an invaluable experience in my college career.”
Anonymous
UVM 2025“The committee interns have been an essential element to our committee this session. Their weekly reports helped shape our policies throughout the session.”
State Legislator
AnonymousStill have questions?
Email cas.interships@uvm.edu — our team would be happy to assist.
