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The Director's Internship Program, under the leadership of IOP Director Jim Leach, arranges paid summer internships each year for Harvard undergraduates interested in pursuing careers in politics or public service. For Summer 2008, the IOP will be offering 40 premier summer internships, in the U.S. and abroad!

Overview

The IOP selects Director’s Interns through a competitive application review and interview process. Those selected for Director's Internships are expected to work for 8-10 weeks with a participating organization during the summer. Director's Interns in NYC, CA and abroad will receive a Stipend of $4,000 and Interns in Washington, D.C., or other domestic locations will receive $3,500 stipends.

Participating Organizations: The following is a list of tentative Host Organizations for the Summer 2008 IOP Director’s Internship Program. 

• 2008 Democratic National Convention, Denver, CO *NEW
• 2008 Republican National Convention, Minneapolis-Saint Paul *NEW
• 2008 Democratic Presidential Nominee Office *NEW
• 2008 Republican Presidential Nominee Office *NEW
• 2008 Third Party Presidential Nominee Office *NEW
• Albright Group, Washington, D.C.
• Be the Change, Boston, MA
• Black Leadership Forum, Washington, D.C. *NEW
• City of London Corporation, London, England
• Colbert Report, New York, N.Y. *NEW
• Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, Washington, D.C. *NEW
• Congressman Christopher Shays (R-CT) *NEW
• Doris Kearns Goodwin Research Position, Boston, MA
• Global Health Chile, Santiago, Chile - Cosponsored by High
• Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sacramento, CA
• Governor Deval Patrick, Boston, MA
• Heritage Foundation, Washington, D.C.
• Hotline, Washington, D.C.
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria
• Kennan Kyiv Project, Kyiv, Ukraine *NEW
• Cosponsored by the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute
• MacArthur Foundation, Chicago, Illinois
• Mayor Thomas Menino, Boston, Massachusetts
• Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles, California
• Ministry Of Health, Mexico City, Mexico
• MTV Office Of Strategic Partnerships, New York City, NY
• National Democratic Institute For International Affairs, Washington, D.C.
• New York City Economic Development Corporation, New York City, NY
• Parliament: Liberal Democrat Mp For Cambridge, David Howarth, London, England -Cosponsored by Harvard's Center for European Studies
• Parliament: Office Of Labour Mp Ed Miliband, London, England - Cosponsored by Harvard?s Center for European Studies
• Parliament: Seoul, South Korea - Cosponsored by Harvard's Korea Institute
• Pbha Summer Urban Program, Boston, MA - Cosponsored by PBHA
• Resources For Our Future, Washington, D.C.
• Senator Hillary Clinton, Washington, D.C.
• Senator Chuck Hagel, Washington, D.C.
• Senator Edward Kennedy, Washington, D.C.
• Senator Barack Obama, Washington, D.C.
• United States Department Of Labor, Washington, D.C.
• Valley Trust, Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa - Cosponsored by High
• Vietnam Program At The Kennedy School Of Government, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam - Cosponsored by the KSG Vietnam Program
• William J. Clinton Foundation, New York City, NY
• William J. Clinton Foundation-Clinton Climate Initiative, Rome, Italy * NEW
• Winston Group, Washington, D.C.
• Women For Women International, Office Of The President, Washington, D.C. *NEW

Additional information about these organizations (PDF)

Eligibility

• The program is open to returning Harvard College undergraduates only (including First Years).
• Students do not have to be involved with the Institute of Politics in order to qualify for these internships.
• Selected Director's Interns do not qualify for additional IOP Summer Stipend awards. 
• Former IOP Summer Stipend recipients are eligible to apply. 
• Unfortunately, past Director’s Intern recipients can not re-apply. 
• International students are welcome to apply.

Application Process

Attention:  Submission this year will be different.   Here are the steps for applying:

1. You will need to apply at our online application form.  Here, we will ask you to provide your basic contact information, First and/or Second choices for Director’s Internship and the contact info. of who will be sending your letter of recommendation.  You will receive a confirmation email of your submission, as well as a ID number. This ID number MUST be included on the top right hand corner of each page of your application. Print out 4 copies of that confirmation email.   

2.  Write and Print 4 copies of a 1-2 page, double spaced essay about why you are applying for your 1^st choice IOP Director’s Internship. Please do not include your name anywhere throughout the essay. Reminder- your confirmation ID # must appear in the upper right hand corner. In your essay, please describe why the internship appeals to you, how you can contribute to the host organization and what qualities you possess that make you an ideal candidate.  

*  If you are selected as a finalist for your second choice, we may ask for an additional essay, specific to that particular Internship at a later date.

3. Print 4 copies of your current Resume- please keep to 1 page. Again, Please do not include your name anywhere on the resume. Reminder- your confirmation ID # must appear in the upper right hand corner.

4.  Have a general letter of recommendation sent to the IOP Internships Program via:

     a. IOP_Internships@ksg.harvard.edu with your name in the subject

    b.  Fax, attention:  IOP Internships Program, 617.496.2293  

     c.  Mailed:  IOP Internships Program, IOP, 79 JFK St. Cambridge, MA 02138

    d.   Dropped off with application

*It is fine for your name to appear on the letter of recommendation as we will black out your name upon distribution.

5.  Bring all Application components, paperclipped together (NO STAPLES PLEASE!) to the IOP Internships Program office on or before Thursday, February 21, 2008 by 4:00 PM. 

If you have any questions about the application process, please email IOP_Internships@ksg.harvard.edu

Selection Process

The IOP is committed to ensuring a fair and transparent selection process. Your Director’s Intern applications will be made anonymous by replacing your name with an ID application number. All first choice applications for each host organization are grouped together and distributed to three members of the Internship committee. The Director’s Internship committee is made up of IOP staff members, the IOP student advisory committee, the student internships chair and the IOP internship coordinators. After reading your anonymous application, the committee member submits a total score sheet based on the applicants resume, essay and letter of recommendation. The top 3-5 applicants with the highest scores become finalists.

At this point all applicants will be notified whether or not they are a finalist. Every host organization has different finalist requirements. Some students will be asked to come into the IOP for an interview with the IOP internship coordinators. While others, may interview with the organization directly. 

Our goal is to have all 2008 Director's Interns selected by the second week of April.