Hinckley Institute
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BECOME A HOST OFFICE

Our Program:

The Hinckley Institute places nearly 500 exceptional students annually in internships with government offices, campaigns, non-profits, businesses and more. These internships take place in host offices in Utah, Washington, DC, and in more than 50 countries around the globe.

We connect students with semester-length internships to align with their academic pursuits and goals. Students apply directly to the Hinckley Institute and are interviewed and vetted by our team. Their applications are then sent to host offices who determine who to interview and bring on board. Hinckley Interns are required to enroll in academic credit to ensure they are working towards graduation and complementing their in-class learning with real-world professional experience. Internships should align as closely as possible with the regular semester schedule (Spring: January-April; Summer: May-August; Fall: August-December).

Host Office Qualifications

LOCAL INTERNSHIPS

  • Interns work part-time, a minimum of 10 hours per week, for the length of the semester (around 3.5 months).

  • Duties must be substantive, eg research, writing, administrative, etc.

  • Supervisors will evaluate the intern’s work and verify their work hours at the end of the semester, which is a component of the student’s internship course grade.

  • Host offices must have a dedicated workspace; exceptions can be made for political campaigns.

NATIONAL INTERNSHIPS

  • Interns work full time for the length of the semester (around 3.5 months).

  • Duties must be substantive, eg research, writing, administrative, etc.

  • Supervisors will evaluate the intern’s work and verify their work hours at the end of the semester, which is a component of the student’s internship course grade.

  • Host offices must have a dedicated workspace; exceptions can be made for political campaigns.

GLOBAL INTERNSHIPS

  • Interns work between 20-40 hours per week, for 10-15 weeks.

  • Duties must be substantive, eg research, writing, administrative, etc.

  • Supervisors will evaluate the intern’s work and verify their work hours at the end of the semester, which is a component of the student’s internship course grade.

  • When possible, host offices should have a dedicated workspace for the intern.

Please complete the application form to provide us with contact information and details about your organization.
After you have applied, please contact the appropriate managing director to set up a meeting.

Best Host Office Practices (NACE, 2014)

  • Provide interns with real work assignments. Interns should be doing work related to their major; find the work challenging, and recognized by the organization as valuable.

  • Establish an intern training routine to orient students with their workspace, schedule, work expectations, and intern responsibilities. This serves not only as a guide but can also answer questions and communicate rules and is crucial for overall success as most internships are only about 12 weeks in length.

  • Have an intern manager or mentor. Interns need a go-to person who is organized, patient, and enjoys working with young people and teaching skills. Providing feedback is important.

  • Encourage team involvement. Introduce intern to the whole organization to provide a bigger picture of the company. Expose interns to various levels and disciplines within the organization to help them make connections and gain a larger understanding of how areas of the organization fit and work together.