2026 Summer - Student Intern (Volunteer)

Executive Office of the President - US Trade Representative•Washington, DC

10d•Onsite

About The Position

The intern program at USTR offers unpaid volunteer opportunities for students, recent graduates, and veterans to gain knowledge and hands-on experience in U.S. trade policy. Intern responsibilities may include conducting research and analysis, compiling statistics, preparing reports and briefing materials, assisting with meeting and conference planning, drafting correspondence, and attending meetings, hearings, or legislative markup sessions. Internship opportunities are available across most departments within the Washington, D.C. office. Begin a challenging and exciting career with the Executive Office of the President (EOP). The EOP is comprised of offices, agencies and councils that directly support the President. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is an agency within the EOP established to develop and coordinate U.S. international trade policy. The head of USTR is the U.S. Trade Representative, a Cabinet member, who serves as the President's principal trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on trade issues. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is an agency of more than 200 committed professionals with decades of specialized experience in trade issues and regions of the world. We negotiate directly with foreign governments to create trade agreements, to resolve disputes, and to participate in global trade policy organizations. We also meet with governments, with business groups, with legislators and with public interest groups to gather input on trade issues and to discuss the President's trade policy positions.

Requirements

Program participants must be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years or older before the first day of the program, and meet at least one of the three following criteria:
Currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program at a college, community college, or university (two- to four-year institution).
Graduated from an accredited undergraduate or graduate program at a college, community college, or university (two- to four-year institution) no more than two years prior to the first day of the EOP Internship Program.
A veteran of the United States Armed Forces who possesses a high school diploma or its equivalent and has served on active duty, for any length of time, no more than two years prior to the first day of the EOP Internship Program.
Note: If you are a male born after December 31, 1959, and are at least 18 years of age, civil service employment law (5 U.S.C. 3328) requires that you must be registered with the Selective Service System, unless you meet certain exemptions.
Internships will be hosted in person on the White House campus, located in Washington, D.C. Selected Interns will be expected to complete the entire 14-week term and must participate fully in all mandatory on-boarding/off-boarding activities. Please note that living accommodations and relocation support will not be provided.
All participants in the USTR Internship Program must undergo a rigorous security review and drug testing prior to the start of the program.
All participants must sign an USTR Internship Program Participant Agreement Form.
The USTR Internship Program supports academic credit requests. While we do not arrange academic credit for you, if your academic institution hosts an academic credit program, we can work with you and your institution to accommodate these actions.
You must submit a complete application package which includes:
Cover Letter
Your resume showing dates of employment and duties performed.
A COMPLETE RESUME IS REQUIRED. Your resume must show relevant experience where you worked, job title, duties and accomplishments, employer's name, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr), and hours per week. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, please ensure you provide the pay plan, series and grade level, i.e., GS-0201-09.
Note: If you upload more than one resume, the last resume received will be the one utilized for consideration.
Other supporting documents (must meet at least one of the three following criteria):
Currently enrolled in accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program at a college community college, or university (two- to four-year institution):
A copy of a current official transcript must be submitted with your application to verify your qualifications.
Graduated from an accredited undergraduate or graduate program no more than two years prior to the first day of the EOP Internship Program. Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed six years from the date on which the degree or certification was completed.
A copy of a qualifying degree to include an Associates, Bachelor's, Master's, Professional, Doctorate, OR obtained a Vocational, Technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution, within the previous two years.
A veteran of the United States Armed Forces who possesses a high school diploma or its equivalent and has served on active duty, for any length of time, no more than two years prior to the first day of the EOP Internship Program:
A copy of your DD-214 and SF-15 forms are required.
Complete application packages must be submitted within this portal by the deadline.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated interest and a commitment to public service through schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and previous work or internship experience are beneficial to applicants.

Responsibilities

Responsible for handling variations from prescribed procedures in solving problems related to office administrative matters.
Prepares a variety of correspondence, memoranda, and information.
Assists in developing material for briefings, reports, presentations and conferences for division/office staff and supervisors.
Provides research, analysis, statistics and legislative markups.
Assists in day-to-day operations through performing a mixture of routine and sometimes complex tasks.