How to get a job in politics

You get a job in politics with the right educational training, research, social networking, being open to entry-level and internship positions, volunteering, or even running for office. Before you can pursue a political career, you will need to know whether or not you are qualified. Politicians and political employees come from a wide range of educational backgrounds, but most will be expected to have at least a bachelor's degree.

How to get into politics

There are several different paths to entering politics, including formal education, civil service, and the military. One can study political science or public policy in college, volunteer with a political campaign or political party, or take a job working in the office of a political leader. It's also a good idea to join a political party and get involved in local politics.

How To Become A Political Internship: What It Is and Career Path

What is a political internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

David Cunningham

The Political Intern acts as a temporary part of a team, learning, networking, and assisting at the same time. Their Internship may happen in a consulting firm or as part of a political campaign, or even elsewhere, but their duties are generally the same.

They are meant to ease the work of others while gaining experience and will usually be tasked with clerical work and observation. They may recruit and train volunteers, take notes and minutes, reply to emails, learn how to use certain software and tools, attend and aid in hosting political events, and conduct research as necessary.

A Political Intern often needs to be enrolled in an undergraduate program that has a strong connection to political sciences at the time of their Internship. They will need excellent communication and organizational skills and will certainly need to be passionate about learning about politics. Some internships are unpaid, but when paid, the Political Intern earns an average of $19.19 an hour.

What's a day at work look like for a political internship?

David Cunningham

Professor, University of Maryland

A day at work for a recent graduate will still be structured similarly to how it would be before the pandemic; however, the location of that work might just take place remotely. I predict a typical day for many of our recent graduates will include research, quantitative/statistical analysis, writing reports, and engaging in public affairs activities.

ScorePolitical InternshipUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,860

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.3

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.59%

Asian 5.36%

Black or African American 10.42%

Hispanic or Latino 12.28%

Unknown 5.12%

White 66.23%

Gender

female 50.46%

male 49.54%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress level

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a political internship

Explore political internship education requirements

Most common political internship degrees

Bachelor's

77.4 %

Master's

9.6 %

Associate

5.7 %

Start to develop specific political internship skills

Skills	Percentages
Foreign Policy	9.59%
Press Releases	6.88%
Administrative Tasks	6.32%
Background Research	5.73%
Political Campaigns	5.07%

Complete relevant political internship training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New political interns learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a political internship based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real political internship resumes.

Research political internship duties and responsibilities

Manage key work research and link building for SEM campaigns.
Set SEO requirements including meta-tags and keyword optimization; manage back linking.
Develop and implement GOTV campaign.
Develop content to advance social media and networking presence on Facebook.

Prepare your political internship resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your political internship resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a political internship resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable political internship resume templates

Build a professional political internship resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your political internship resume.