CIA Internships

Summer internships are all about breaking away from your books and testing the waters in the real world. An internship is the perfect way to get a glimpse of how a particular industry works. However, it is all the most effective way of adding plenty of value to your resume. As a student, this should encourage you to intern with an organization that commands respect in a particular field. However, if you are a student who is unsure where he is headed, a CIA internship makes perfect sense. In the grand scheme of internships, CIA figures prominently. If you are interested in foreign relations you fit the bill perfectly; however the CIA is open to hiring students from a range of backgrounds like computer science, engineering, mathematics, economics, foreign languages, physical sciences, area studies accounting, finance, logistics, human resources, , business administration, geography, national security studies, political science ,military and foreign affairs and graphic design.

Depending upon your major you will be allotted your role. For instance a foreign language major will be entrusted with translation of documents. A finance major will look into budget analysis and allocation. This helps you to hone your skills in your field of specialization as well as gain experience at one of the most respectable places of work in the country. The CIA has a number of student employment opportunities, however if it is a CIA summer internship that you are looking for, the undergraduate internship program is your safest bet. This program requires you to work either a combination of one semester & one summer internship, or two 90-day summer internships.

They also offer the CIA part time internship program which is open to undergraduate senior or graduate students who are currently studying in Washington DC. This program can give you a good shot at being offered full time employment with the CIA. Interns are usually required to work two semesters and should be a college sophomore. All the internships are based in Washington DC and come with a good stipend. There are however minimum requirements like being a citizen of the US and a good academic track record amongst others. Another thing you must keep in mind is that you need to apply early. For instance, the application deadline for CIA summer internship 2012 will fall in mid October.

With respect to the legal field, the CIA runs a Legal Honor’s program which is a three year course and gives you an understanding of national security law. However, if it’s purely a CIA legal internship that interests you, you can try your hand at Summer Law Clerk program which is small program for a select few law students. Securing a place in this program is tough, so work hard on your resume! The main purpose of the program is to provide an induction to International Law. It requires a commitment of 10 weeks and there is no guarantee of a job offer at the conclusion of your stint. An internship with the CIA is an opportunity you should not pass up. It hardly gets any better than this!