Academy Members in the DC metro area have the exclusive opportunity to request a summer intern.
Each year, the Academy recruits highly motivated graduate and undergraduate students nationwide for its summer internship programs. Selection Committees identify top applicants who are matched with an organization, where the student will work full-time for 12 weeks.
Note for 2024 Summer Programs: The Academy will encourages a return-to-office program based on official public health guidelines as they are issued, and if necessary, transition to a hybrid program (teleworking). Final arrangements will be discussed with each placement and student selected for the program.
Photo caption: Lillie Hiegl was the 2020 Eileen Sweeney Graduate Intern in Disability Policy. Lillie spent her internship working at the Social Security Advisory Board. Lillie also participated in a conversation with E.J. Dionne of the Washington Post on July 30, 2020 (pictured above), as part of the Academy’s Intergenerational Dialogue on Why Social Insurance. Watch the video here.
Why host an Academy Intern?
For over 30 years, the Academy has successfully matched talented students with our partner organizations – providing a rewarding and enriching opportunity for both Academy Members and their interns. Training future leaders in social insurance is an important part of the Academy’s mission.
Intern supervisors play a key role in deepening the understanding of our nation’s social insurance programs and in providing talented students with a substantive learning experience.
Placement/Supervisor role(s) and responsibilities:
- Provide a substantive level of work assignments (such as research, policy analysis, or program evaluation projects) that the student can complete, in part or in full, within the 12-week duration of the internship program.
- Provide adequate supervision, such as meeting with the intern on a regular basis, so that s/he can perform assigned tasks at an acceptable level.
- Provide schedule flexibility to allow the student to participate in the Academy’s weekly seminar series (specifically designed for interns, students, and other young professionals).
- Complete a 3-week and a final evaluation form for the student and the Academy.
- Provide support to the development of the intern’s summer project.
- Contribute to the cost of the program: cover the cost of the intern’s summer compensation.
Program funding update: The Academy compensates interns in our program according to Washington, DC’s minimum wage ($17.5/hour as of July 1, 2024). Depending on how many hours a week an intern works (35-40 hours/week) and how many weeks (10-12 weeks), the amount each student earns may range from $6,125-$8,400 for the summer. The Academy’s total cost (including recruitment, placement, and ongoing support to each intern throughout the summer program) is substantially more than the compensation interns receive.
Testimonials from previous intern supervisors:
“We hired Sophie (Sherman) to work for us part-time during the fall while she completed her degree. As always, thanks for matching us so well.”
– Michael E. Gluck, Vice President, AcademyHealth
“We just released the paper Izzie (Skračić) worked on with us. The report, Accessing Long-Term Care Coverage Through Medicaid, is available here. We will be hosting a public webinar to discuss the report a week from today…Izzie participated in our members-only webinar last week and did an excellent job and she will join us again for the public webinar.”
– Tyler Bond, Research Director, National Institute on Retirement Security
How to request an Academy Intern
Complete the Placement Application Form and return it to the Academy. The selected students will be matched with ‘best fit’ placement organizations. ‘Best fit’ is based both on your needs as indicated in the Placement Application Form, and on the students’ experience, background, and interests.
The preferential deadline to request an intern is Friday, March 1, 2024. Applications received after this date will be considered on a rolling basis, as determined by need and “best fit” factors.
If you have questions, please contact Ariella Jailal at ajailal@nasi.org or 202-243-7282.
Thank you for helping the Academy train the next generation of leaders in social insurance!