Mayor’s Internship Program
Overview
Work Component
Exploring Government
Group Project
How to Apply
The Mayor’s Internship Program (MIP) with the City of Philadelphia is an opportunity for current college undergraduates and graduate-level students to learn about and contribute to the city government that manages operations for the nation’s 6th largest municipality.
During their tenure, Mayor’s interns are assigned substantive projects and tasks providing research, administrative, and staff assistance to city managers in various departments across the City of Philadelphia municipal government. Interns are also provided the opportunity to learn about careers in government, hear from leaders in city government, and visit city facilities and operations. The MIP offers real work experience, while exposing participants to the diverse functions and operations of a large municipal government.
The students selected to be Mayor’s interns come from across the nation and represent a diverse range of majors and interests. For instance, recent Mayor’s interns have attended the following colleges and universities:
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Program Overview
The Mayor's Internship Program (MIP) is a ten-week unpaid internship beginning June 4, 2012 and ending August 10, 2012. Interns are required to commit to 25 hours per week and to be available to work the duration of the internship program. Included in the 25 hours are “Exploring Government” activities and participation in a group project. Interns must participate in all three components of the MIP (as described below).
The MIP consists of three main components:
- Work component: Placement in a single department completing substantive work assignments
- "Exploring Government": Every Friday programming that includes speaker events, visits to municipal operations and programs, and leadership development training
- Group project: An interdepartmental issue that a group of interns are assigned to analyze and develop strategies to address
- Mayor’s Interns also participate in the “My Philly Summer” program with Campus Philly. This is a new program which brings together interns working across various businesses in Philadelphia over the summer for fun, interesting, and free networking events throughout the summer. Past events included bowling in Northern Liberties and taking a tour of the Urban Outfitters headquarters.
Work Component
Interns are assigned to work in one department for the duration of the internship. Placements are made based on their background, interests, and overall match with the host department. Representing a wide-range of government operations, a partial listing of last year’s host departments include:
- Office of the City Controller
- City Treasurer’s Office
- Commerce Department
- Department of Behavioral Health/Intellectual DisAbility Services
- Department of Human Services
- Department of Public Health
- Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health & Opportunity
- Finance Department
- First Judicial District
- Managing Director’s Office
- Mayor’s Office of Community Services
- Mayor’s Office of Education
- Mayor’s Office of Policy, Planning and Coordination
- Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy
- Office of the Inspector General
- Parks & Recreation Department
Interns work on a variety of projects and tasks in their host department and have the opportunity to work closely with managers within the department. Examples of potential tasks include:
- Program planning
- Research and analysis
- Data compilation and entry
- Constituent services
- Field work
- Grant writing
- Correspondence
"Exploring Government"
Every week, the Mayor's Internship Program hosts “Exploring Government” activities each Friday during which interns attend a speaker presentation, visit a municipal operation or program, or participate in leadership and career development activities. Past speakers have included members of the Mayor’s cabinet, deputy mayors, department commissioners, and other high-level City staff and presentation topics have ranged from city planning and economic development to social services. Past site visits have included large-scale economic development initiatives as well as neighborhood-specific housing and community development programs.
Group Project
The group project simulates the process city managers undertake when working with an interdepartmental group to develop strategies to address a particular issue the City of Philadelphia government faces. The Mayor’s interns are divided into small groups and work with group project leader on a policy or operational question facing the City of Philadelphia. By the end of the internship term, each group produces a white paper outlining the issue and the proposed strategies and presents their findings to the City’s Executive Team (which includes members of the Mayor’s cabinet, department commissioners, and other senior members of municipal government). In 2011, the group projects included:
- IT Sourcing and Procurement (to view the Prezie for this group project, please click here)
- A/V Club
- Supervisor and Management Training Manual
- SERVE Philadelphia Summer VISTAS
How to Apply
Potential applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Be current undergraduate or graduate-level students (recently graduated seniors may be considered)
- Have completed their sophomore year prior to the start of the program
The Mayor’s Internship Program may cooperate with programs under which students may earn academic credit or qualify for work-study (when that work-study is fully subsidized by the college or university). Please contact us for more information as to whether your program qualifies. Please also read through our Funding Resources for Interns for suggestions on other financial resources available to unpaid interns.
Applicants must submit all parts of the application (as detailed below) by 5:00 PM (Philadelphia, PA time) on February 17, 2012. The Applicant Summary Form will be completed online (link provided below). The resume, letter of recommendation, and essay will be sent separately via email to mip@phila.gov by the deadline. The email subject should read: MIP Application [Enter Applicant Name]. All materials must be sent electronically (hard copy applications will not be considered).
The application consists of the following items:
- A completed Applicant Summary Form
- A Resume
- A Letter of Recommendation: Recommendations should be completed by individuals who can speak to the applicant’s academic or work/volunteer experience. Recommendations from a friend or a family member will not be accepted. All recommendations must be sent via email and may be sent separately from the rest of the application. If sent separately, please use the following subject line for the email: MIP Recommendation [Applicant Name]
- A 500-750 word essay that responds to the following questions:
- Why do you want to participate in the Mayor’s Internship Program?
- What areas of City government are you most interested in working in? If you know specific departments, please provide those in your response.
- What skills or qualities will you bring as a Mayor’s intern?
Interview/Selection Timeline
Upon receipt of your application materials, the Office of Leadership Investment will contact you to conduct an initial screening interview. Out-of-town applicants may request interviews via telephone. Selected applicants will then participate in a second round of interviews with a city department.
Applicants will be notified of their selection to the program in early April.
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