Hosting an intern does more than give students a place to work, it sets the stage for a unique and well-rounded learning experience that develops practical skills, hones students’ interests, and opens young minds to a world of diversity and opportunity. The work place is just one part of TWC’s program.

The Washington Center’s goal is to provide an avenue for students to gain hands-on experience in professional work environments that relate to their academic and career interests. The program is structured to benefit both the student intern and the sponsoring organization. To ensure that the minimum standards are met to grant academic credit for an internship, The Washington Center has established the following evaluation criteria for internship site sponsors.

The organization agrees to comply with the following as conditions for hosting interns from The Washington Center:

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Linked by the common purpose of developing future leaders, The Washington Center has formed a network of relationships that is mutually beneficial to both the students and internship sites. The Washington Center has worked with thousands of internship sites throughout its 35-year history.  Together, we have helped students build rewarding lives and careers.

In addition, internship sites receive many benefits when they partner with The Washington Center:

Supervisors can expect a serious student who is interested in the best possible experience while in the nation's capital. Therefore it is important for an internship site supervisor to carefully plan and pace the intern's learning and work experience to help students hone the critical communication, analytical, teamwork, technical and other skills employers want over the course of the entire semester.

The Washington Center expects an internship site supervisor to:

The next generation of leaders in the U.S. and around the world are being forged at The Washington Center today. For 35 years, TWC has been dedicated to serving ambitious, public-spirited and socially-engaged young people from colleges and universities around the world. From the beginning, The Washington Center has highly valued its network of dedicated partners who share its vision of experiential education.

Additional information for each of group of partners is available here, along with details on how to assist TWC in advancing its mission.

Students receive academic credit from their home institutions for a semester or summer spent interning through The Washington Center. Students pay a program fee to participate as well as a housing fee if they choose to stay in TWC-provided apartments. Some internship sites provide a small stipend to their interns for expenses; others may provide scholarship support to assist in tuition or housing costs. Financial support or payment is not required to hire TWC’s interns.

How Financial Aid Works

The Washington Center highly values its relationship with internship supervisors and mentors. Its goal is to continue investing in and developing these relationships for the mutual benefit of students, the internship sites and the organization. Available resources include an Internship Site Handbook, New Supervisor Orientation, the Internship Sites Newsletter and a staff readily available to assist as needed.

Hosting an intern is a prime way to make a difference in the lives and education of the next generation. You can set the stage for this well-rounded learning experience any time of year; TWC’s programs run for 15 weeks in the Fall and Spring, and 10 weeks in the Summer.

Over 1,000 nonprofit, international, private sector, and government agencies work with The Washington Center’s interns each year because the program offers quality, diversity, support and selection.

Some partner organizations where TWC has placed interns include: