office intern

field representative

teacher's aide

security officer

intern

U.S. House of Representatives

Congress is a fast-paced work environment and the traditional train of thought on the work environment is that it is a sink or swim culture.  This is partly true, but it is not the full picture of what it is like to serve the American people.

The truth of the matter is that things unfold at an alarmingly fast rate, thanks in part to the 24-hour news cycle.  Any one report can light up an office's phone switch board.  Because of this, staffers must be up to date on all issues, and especially on the issues they cover (if they have an issues portfolio).  

While there are many pitfalls to avoid, i.e. making your boss sound bad, or leaking sensitive office information, the institution of Congress offers an incredible amount of resources for staffers to be well prepared to maintain themselves and their bosses informed on the most current issues.

The in-house think tank, Congressional Research Service, offers the most in-depth and thorough information.  Often, its analysts even draft private memos for individual offices if they receive special requests.  This allows staffers to request information about any topic without fear of it becoming public or the information falling into the hands of another office.

The Congressional staff subculture also offers many avenues to foster camaraderie.  From happy hours and athletic leagues, to receptions and seminars, networking opportunities abound.  Many staffers share their stories of how a friend introduced them to a staffer and was able to land a job because of that connection.

The hardest part of an otherwise excellent job is the demand on your personal life.  Staffers often answer requests from their boss after work-hours, and spend many nights studying white papers in order to thoroughly brief their boss' for hearings or TV interviews.  The amount of information that crosses a staffer's desk can be overwhelming, so staffers must quickly learn to discern important from disposable information.  This is no easy task when every email intends to sell you on its importance.

The whole experience leads to a rewarding and satisfying career most of the time.  Staffers are exposed to a wealth of information that most citizens are not, and we get to see the inner workings of American politics from up close and behind the scenes.  Staffers are well prepared to do any number of things post-congressional career if they so choose.  The team oriented and fast and demanding pace of a Congressional office prepares a staffer to excel in any number of industries because the bar for excellence in Congress is so high.  Not only that but few things are as exciting as being a part of the process of making the United States a better country for all.

Working for the U.S. House of Representatives (and the U.S. Senate) was a complete joy ride filled with excitement and challenge. There, I orchestrated not only the Member's schedule, but the general operations of the office. From computer system trouble-shooting to office supplies and maintenance to providing assistance to constituents, attending meetings in absence of the Member and submitting Minutes/Reports, arranging and facilitating the Hill needs of outside corporate VIPs (such as finding congressional banquet halls for groups and special events), to composing letters to agency heads and other high-profile persons for Member's signature, organizing blocked hotel rooms for huge events, hostessing out of town visiting groups, setting up a new Member's office (every aspect from congressional banking accounts, phone services, office furnishings, mail accounts, and computer systems for the Washington office as well as the District offices in the state).

What I learned was the inner workings of the Legislative Body and how the process works, above and beyond the slim parameters taught in school. It is not just how a Bill becomes a Law. Much more is involved with the Bill itself - with all those moving parts! When you wonder why a certain unpopular amendment passed, it is because it was attahced to a Must Pass Bill, agreed by both Houses, sent to the President, who signed that Bill. Now that unpoplular piece is also Law because it piggy-backed on a Must Pass Bill.

I would recommend Capitol Hill as a good place to work, to grow and to learn. There, you CAN advance in your given field.

Obviously, each member office is organized and run uniquely. I can only speak to what I experienced in my office but I do believe that the following points are applicable to most member offices. 

Pros
- Working for a powerful and prestigious institution feels impressive on paper.
- Some training opportunities that can be useful for career growth.
- Direct exposure to the inner workings of federal government.
- Public transportation subsidies for employees were helpful although they didn’t even fully cover my commuting costs.

Cons
- Offices rely heavily on very young, low-paid junior staffers who do nearly all the work but are treated as expendable and rarely acknowledged.
- Senior staff often contributed little, spent hours gossiping and socializing, and left their mistakes for junior staff to fix.
- Very limited telework (only one day a week), despite no operational reason for everyone to be physically present.
- No system of formal performance reviews, even though the employee handbook required them. Excuse from leadership was always that they were “too busy.”
- Pay was extremely low. Despite working full-time with a postgraduate degree, I was still considered low-income in my city, while senior leadership awarded themselves salaries far above staff.
- Regularly had to deal with threatening or extremist members of the public, which was stressful and draining.
- Hostile attitude from management toward attempts at unionization. 

Overall
The House of Reps name on your CV is the main benefit. The reality is long hours, low pay, poor management, and very little recognition for hard work. Good for gaining insider knowledge but not sustainable as a long-term career unless you’re already independently wealthy or well-connected.

I really do not have time to expound upon the benefits and opportunities to soar, the challenges and the personal and professional rewards of working there.

Some Member Offices may not be as growth-centered as others, some Members may be difficult to work for...but if you continually 'deliver the goods' and can be recognized for doing so you WILL survive the tumultuous times. This environment has many challenges, stress factors may be present as in ANY job. The difference is how you respond to the challenges, how you react to the pressures that will arise 'To Get The Job Done.' How resilient are you? How determined are you? How analytical are you? It takes an analytical mind to see the task or project, consider the 'pieces' it will take to accomplish it, and execute.

I loved it. It gave me to room to grow, to master the arena I oversaw, to make extraordinary connections and friend both within the Congressional Complex and outside in major industry and corporations. 

And guess what else? When I first began it was in the Senate. Because the job advertisement did not SAY it was a position serving a U.S. Senator, I did NOT KNOW when hired that I would be working for a U.S. Senator until the fourth weekly staff meeting!! When I asked in that meeting WHY did the advertisement NOT TELL that important piece, I was told this: "We did not want a person who wanted to work just BECAUSE it was on Capitol Hill. We wanted a person who wanted to work - period." Well, there you have it.

It was a great experience getting to see how our government works at the federal level. Intern coordinators are usually very understanding (although this can vary greatly by office). DC is not at all how it is depicted in popular media. Things are fast-paced but not House of Cards fast.

Employment is always at-will and job security is virtually non-existent. People usually begin to look for new offices 3 months in (but again, this varies greatly by office). These factors combine to create and experience that is not for everyone. 

A typical day includes news clips, writing a few policy memos, and going to a briefing/hearing. The amount of administrative work interns do once again varies greatly by office.  

All of my intern coordinators were amazing and understanding individuals. As for co-workers, most are happy to have the extra help and the worst I have had is some aloof but amicable co-workers(whether they are other interns or staffers).

The hardest part of the job is the pace and variety of task. It is not so much the difficulty as it is the variety of types of workloads and how fast the pace can change. 

Ultimately interning on Capitol Hill is a great way to network and see if you fit into that environment. Even if you don't, you meet great well-connected people who want to improve the world.

A typical day work consists of reading Capitol Hill newspapers and scouring news aggregating websites, as well as the front pages of major newspapers first thing in the morning, working the telephones with members of the news media to determine the stories that they are pursuing and broadcasting, pitching Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee to various news outlets, drafting op-eds and statements on messages of the day and key Member initiatives.

I have learned how to effectively manage a press operation with the support of legislative staff.

My co-workers were very engaging and brought a lot to the table in their areas of expertise.

The hardest part of the job is finding the nexus between ongoing news stories and determining how to best place the Member of Congress into that narrative.

The most enjoyable part of the job was knowing that I would walk into the office every day and greet co-workers and supervisor who had a dedication to the office and their roles within it.

A typical day at work very busy on many levels and in many aspects - if you are a Scheduler and Executive Assistant. Typical day for legislative staff and Press/Communications Director hectic, since legislative staff handle 6-8 legislative issues on the Floor, Committee Hearing on those issues, must stay on top of ALL of them and be ready at a moment's notice to brief the Member on any changes, nuances, hints of changes, caucuses on the issue(s) at hand.  For a Scheduler, the Member has a schedule like you would not believe! That Scheduler is a walking Repository of information on the who/what/where/when/why of the scheduled meeting, hearing, caucus or event. Many times, you can call it off the top of your head in passing the Member as he/she goes to vote or attend a hearing and asks you, where next?  So much to share, so little time to finish this now. Gotta run.

Working for the House of Representatives is a fast paced always changing atmosphere to work at. Depending on what is going on with the government that day or depending what topics congress could be voting on that week. I happen to handle all military issues that any of our constituents may have whether its with the military branch or the veteran affairs, also with this role I cover any government issues In 3 different cities and provide security for the congressman when he is back home in the district along with staffing him as his aid at the same time. My work involves travel as I go to Washington D.C. about every other month in order to conduct and attend meeting with military branches and work on legislation that may be headed to the floor to get voted on by congress. This has been a very prestigious job for the last 2 1/2 years but I have worked my up fast and have hit the top of where I can go. This was all for an experience as I am now looking for a career I can plan on retiring from and take care of my son.

Working in the House of Representatives is like no other experience you will ever have.  It is hard to generalize because each Congressional office is different and the experience will swing wildly from outstanding to miserable, not only office to office, but on any given day.

However, in terms of seeing how politics and government work, in terms of covering an incredibly wide diversity of subjects and issues, it is hard to beat.  In that connection, I would also add that it offers enormous opportunities to work with outside groups, and can - but does not always - involve foreign travel.  (For me, the travel opportunities - because of the issue I covered - were not frequent.  Nevertheless, I traveled to 5 foreign countries and had the experience of landing on - and touring - an aircraft carrier operating in the Atlantic.)

All in all, it is hard to put into words what working in the House is like.  Suffice to say that for all its ups and downs, it was the best job experience I've ever had.

Job uncertainty loomed every day of my employment with this office. As a caseworker, I was responsible for helping constituents with their problems while I felt that my mental and physical well-being was ignored. I was subjected to defend myself to constant accusations of disloyalty and incompetence while consistently obtaining positive outcomes for the people who needed help. We were required to work long hours, oversee projects, and support other staff with no formal training. I was with TX30 this time for over 2 years without a raise or a bonus. The worst part was having 5 supervisors and 7 coworkers come and go around me while being accused of being a part of the problem and not an important part of the team. It would take an act of God for me to go back or recommend working for this particular Member in the future.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Office intern 6 salaries reported	$36,712 per year
Field representative 2 salaries reported	$53,750 per year
Teacher's aide 3 salaries reported	$48,099 per year
Security officer 3 salaries reported	$58,762 per year
Intern 2 salaries reported	$39,595 per year

Working at U.S. House of Representatives: Company Overview and Reviews

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. House of Representatives Ratings

Popular jobs at U.S. House of Representatives

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected