By Alison R., Teen Portal Staff Writer
Are you interested in learning how governments work firsthand? Are you looking for volunteer or job opportunities? If you answered yes to either, but especially both, of these questions, then you might be interested in one of these opportunities that I recently learned about:
U.S. House of Representatives Page Program: Not for the faint of heart, the Page Program is essentially a paid residential internship in the House as “support staff” for the Members of the House in any one of the spring, summer or fall semester periods. Pages mostly carry correspondence within the Capitol complex, which involves walking “considerable distances” every day, answering phones and sometimes even occasionally preparing the House Floor for sessions. The days are long, especially during the school year, because the Page School – located in the Library of Congress – is from 6:30 to 11:30 am every weekday, and the workday ends at 8 pm -– in time for homework! Any high school junior (or rising junior for the summer session) with at least a 3.0 GPA who will be 16 by the start day of the session is eligible, so long as you’re not related to a sitting member of Congress. Applicants also need to find a sponsor who is a member of Congress and be prepared to write an essay, among others things.
2010 U.S. Census Jobs: It’s that time again! If you’ll be 18 by next spring, are a U.S. citizen and speak fluent English, you’ll be eligible for temporary employment for the 2010 Census. Most available jobs are as official “census takers” and require a valid driver’s license and vehicle. The hours, 20 to 40 a week, are flexible and the weekly pay, which includes training and transportation reimbursements, is “competitive,” according to the official Web site. Bilingual speakers are highly encouraged to apply, and most employees work in their own community. Recruiting will peak this fall for the start of the census next April and applications can be done through the regional offices of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Additional government jobs can be found through USA Jobs, the official job site of the federal government, and Student Jobs, a portal of federal government jobs especially for students, including highschoolers, which has an online account system. Information about volunteer opportunities in the federal government, which are highly rare and often difficult to find, can be found at the Volunteer Service page of USA Jobs.
