FIRE Summer Intern
FIRE offers a ten-week, paid summer internship as part of our efforts to educate students about their rights at colleges and universities. This internship gives current undergraduates the opportunity to assist FIRE in defending civil liberties on campuses across the country.
FIRE interns do substantive work and participate in weekly seminars with FIRE staff and other experts on freedom of expression, due process, and much more.
Interns will work at FIRE’s downtown Philadelphia office. The 2022 program will run from May 31–August 5 and interns will receive a stipend of $4,000.
FIRE interns:
- Work closely with our outreach, defense, policy reform, legislation, development, and media teams to assist with research and administrative projects.
- Assist with the planning and execution of the FIRE Student Network Summer Conference. The FIRE interns will also lead an hour-long session for conference attendees.
- Contribute to FIRE’s Newsdesk.
- Learn the foundational arguments for protecting core rights in our free society through reading and discussion in weekly seminars with FIRE’s staff and other experts on civil liberties.
- Develop activism plans for ensuring open discourse on campus.
Application Procedures
Applicants should submit a cover letter, résumé, and writing sample. The sample should be a piece of original writing (or an excerpt) no longer than five pages. Many applicants submit essays that they have written for class, or articles they have published in the school paper. While the style and substance of the writing sample is your choice, please consider the type of writing published by FIRE in making your selection. If you do not have an appropriate writing sample, we encourage you to write about your interest in our mission.
The Summer 2022 internship application will close on Friday, March 4, 2022 at 11:59 pm (ET). All prospective interns will be informed of their application status within four weeks of the deadline. The internship process will consist of two rounds. The early decision round will close on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022 at 11:59 pm (ET). The regular decision round will close on Friday, March 4, 2022 at 11:59 pm (ET). Each year, FIRE receives hundreds of applications for the summer internship. Given the competitive nature, we strongly recommend applicants submit their materials during the early decision period.
Questions and inquiries about FIRE’s Summer Internship Program can be submitted to internship@thefire.org.
Apply today! You must apply on our website. We do not accept applications through Handshake.
Qualifications
FIRE is looking for intelligent and energetic undergraduates (rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors) attending colleges or universities in the United States who are interested in FIRE’s mission and work, and are looking to engage in free speech activism on campus. Ideal candidates are responsible, focused, organized, have a passion for civil liberties, and have a history of taking action in support of causes they believe in. All interns are expected to demonstrate excellent research, writing, and communication skills. The ability to work under pressure and a sense of humor are also important.