Host a BA Intern in Washington, D.C.

Looking for an intern this summer? Want to help facilitate the professional growth of women with drive, who may need a little help in kick starting their career? Want to join a community of professionals in D.C. yourself? Then we encourage you to consider signing up to become one of BA Women’s 2020 internship partner organizations!

HOST A BA INTERN

PARTNER HOST ORGANIZATION APPLICATION DEADLINE:
MARCH 16, 2020*

*Please note that submitting this form will not automatically guarantee your organization/company placement of an intern for summer 2020. We aim to provide a wide selection of host organizations to our EmpowHER participants, and will prioritize matching them with host organizations that best align with their professional backgrounds and interests.

WHY SHOULD I HOST AN EMPOWHER INTERN?

It can be difficult and time consuming to find and select an intern who is the right fit for your team: someone who is dependable, takes initiative, and truly has a passion for their work. That’s where BA Women can help. We’ll connect you to incredible, vetted talent to support your organization’s summer 2020 internship needs—cutting down on the time you’d normally have to spend posting your internships, sorting through resumes, and screening your applicants. Better yet, you’ll also be opening doors to young women as they launch their careers, advancing our shared goal to “lift as we climb.”

WHAT MAKES EMPOWHER PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS A FIT FOR MY ORGANIZATION?

An EmpowHER participant is a BA Woman: daring and compassionate, tenacious and persistent. She lifts while she climbs, making the world around her a better place, every step of the way. A BA Woman has a passion for change and the drive to go out and make it happen. She’s eager to be in a dynamic environment like D.C., and ready to work to advance the mission of your organization!

EmpowHER participants are collegiate women who have completed at least 60 credit hours (the equivalent of a junior in undergraduate education), but also include recent college graduates and post-graduate students. Each year, we accept the top 40 applicants, who come highly recommended by champions in their communities, through our competitive and rigorous selection process.

OTHER THAN SCREENING CANDIDATES, DOES EMPOWHER PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL SUPPORT?

Before EmpowHER participants come to D.C., they will have completed our comprehensive spring e-learning curriculum, which includes modules that teach the core tenets of Washington, D.C.-specific professionalism. EmpowHER interns also have the unique benefit of coming to you with a support network already in place—a community of fellow BA Women to offer guidance and the advantage of the insights from our summer professional development program.

And, because we know professionals at every step of their career benefit from a network of like-minded individuals, we also invite all of our partner organizations into our network of BA women and men. This means more invitations to networking opportunities like our signature Supervisor Meet and Greet!

WHAT IS THE INTERNSHIP PLACEMENT SUPPORT TIMELINE?

March 16
Deadline for host organizations to complete our online form to become a partner organization and host an EmpowHER participant this summer

March 16 - April 1
Enrolled EmpowHER participants complete our self-paced spring e-learning curriculum, learning the skills, knowledge, and direction they need to get the internship of their dreams

April 1 - May 1
EmpowHER participants, with the help of our staff, apply to and interview with partner host organizations and other potential internship hosts. If an EmpowHER participant applies to your organization, EmpowHER staff will be in touch to flag their submission in your applicant pool—expediting your recruitment timeline in the process.

May 1
Suggested date for all EmpowHER participants to have secured an internship. Participants will provide our staff with a copy of their offer letter to confirm their successful placement.

May 30 - August 1
While internship start and end dates may vary, the EmpowHER program officially starts May 30th and ends August 1st, with most internships beginning June 1st

Sign up to become a BA partner host organization today!

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO HOST AN EMPOWHER INTERN?

EmpowHER requires all partner host organizations to have a designated supervisor and to the extent possible, a workstation for their intern. In addition, supervisors are invited to attend our annual Supervisor Meet & Greet (typically held in June) and to complete a brief end-of-summer evaluation on their intern and experience with EmpowHER.

As part of their experience, we also ask host organizations to be flexible in their intern(s)’ schedule throughout the duration of their internship to allow them to participate in weekly EmpowHER programming—which will typically be held after work as early as 5:30pm. A full schedule will be made available to confirmed 2020 intern host organizations as soon as possible.

DOES THE INTERNSHIP NEED TO BE FULL-TIME? HOW MANY WEEKS DOES THE PROGRAM RUN?

Internships that qualify for EmpowHER participation may be part-time, but must be no fewer than 20 hours a week and at least 6 weeks in length. EmpowHER programming runs from May 30th to August 1st, with most internships beginning June 1st. While we accept internships outside of these dates, it is the responsibility of the program participant to make arrangements for additional dates outside of the EmpowHER program period (we will provide additional information at enrollment, and guidance can be provided on an individual basis by EmpowHER staff). And, while we encourage full-time placements, we understand that this sometimes isn’t possible.

Please indicate the hours and dates you expect your internship to run on your form submission above.

DO HOST ORGANIZATIONS NEED TO BE LOCATED IN WASHINGTON, D.C.?

Host organizations need to be located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Internships in Maryland and Virginia qualify, as long as they are within ~30 miles of D.C.

AM I GUARANTEED AN INTERN?

While we are excited to welcome you into our network of internship partner host organizations, and we hope to engage with you soon, we cannot guarantee your organization an intern from the upcoming or future cohorts of EmpowHER participants. We’ll advertise your opportunity with participants whose interests match your organization’s work, and encourage them to apply independently. However, we can’t guarantee that any of our participants will be a match, as organizational and industry interests vary year to year.

You’re also under no obligation to extend an offer to EmpowHER participants who may apply to your organization—because we know the importance of finding the perfect fit for your needs and want the final decision to be yours! We’ll be sure to reach out once all of our interns have found their summer homes, to close the loop on this year’s cycle of placements. And, if not selected as a partner this year, you’ll still be a member of our BA community—and will receive BA Women communications, invitations to our events, and be on a priority list for communications regarding the internship placement support process for our next cohort of EmpowHER participants!

DO PARTNER HOST ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TO COMPENSATE INTERNS?

The short answer is no, providing compensation is not a requirement to becoming an EmpowHER partner host organization. However, we highly encourage all organizations to make an effort to pay their interns in whatever capacity they are able—an hourly pay, a summer stipend, or even a travel subsidy would be highly appreciated by your intern, who’s just moved to one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. in order to pursue her professional goals in public service.

We understand that not every partner host organization, especially those in the public service sector, will be able to offer compensation for their interns. However, paying interns is increasingly becoming the industry standard, and is an important step in closing the racial and gender opportunity divide. You can learn more about paying your interns today by reading our Leveling the Playing Field White Paper.