Suppose a certain Congressperson is a member of a few caucuses one would like to help the Congressperson with. How would one go about obtaining a job with said Congressperson?
WRS
Volunteer on a campaign. Be a lawyer.
It is exactly like getting any other job. Send in a resume and cover letter, call to ask for an interview, and be a good candidate for the job. Many folks intern for a congressman in order to make themselves qualified for a paying position.
Keep in mind that the odds of getting a job with a particular congressman are extremely low. A congressman probably employs about a dozen staff in his Washington office, and maybe another few in his district office. Competition for a limited number of openings can be intense, and wages are usually substantially below comparable jobs in the Federal government.
Here is a site that talks about Summer internships for the Senate Health Committee. Basically you are eithering sending your application and resume A0 to the head of the Committee directly, or b) to your specific Senator.
http://www.ph.ucla.edu/hs/congress.html
This site (scroll down) has the job lines and websites
http://www.house.gov/cao-hr/
Congress critters are always looking out for free labor. Getting paid is a much more difficult proposition. Unless you have some sort of experience, generally through internships, it’s very difficult to start out with a paid job on a campaign or as an LA in the Washington office. Social work experience can often get you a job in the district office helping with paperwork for government programs, visas, etc.
My recommendation is to volunteer for a campaign or work as an unpaid intern for starters, just to see if the work is something you’re even interested in. The hours are very long in these sorts of jobs and the pay is certainly not great and a lot of what you will be doing will be mind numbingly boring.
About how much per year would someone working for a Congressperson earn?
Do they accept non-student interns?
Would living in the Congressperson’s district have any leverage as far as an internship or employment is concerned?
Is it possible to intern at a Congressperson’s district office instead of his or her DC office?
Thanks!
WRS
I can only be of limited help because I interned for a state Assemblymember, not a Congressperson.
When I was interning, most of the interns were college students, with a fair handful of high schoolers and a few law students, along with a few non-student types. One woman who basically ran the office at times was a JD who had either failed or never taken the bar exam, but was financially able to volunteer doing things that were important to her. I get the impression that they’ll take your time and effort if you offer it. Whether Congressmembers are more selective, I can’t tell you.
I worked in Sam’s district office, not his Albany office, so that answers that.
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Depends. Just like any other workplace, people with more specialized experience and education that are hired on for higher-level responsibilities are in a better position to negotiate salaries. But an entry level receptionist/mail room position would average maybe a little over $20K.
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Almost all interns are college undergraduates. There are some internships aimed at the graduate school crowd.
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Some, but only very marginally. Remember, your average Congressman has about a million constituents.
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Most Congressmen do have internships at their district offices.
In fact, WRS, working in district office rather than in DC might be better just for your own personal short-term financial well-being as anyone who’s ever tried to find an inexpensive place to live in Washington could confirm. Last time I checked the only affordable place to live while working in Washington DC was in West Virginia. 
Ooops, wrong smiley :smack:
I meant to use this one 
Carry on.