Every year Washington, DC, the American center of politics, sees a huge influx (about 40,000) of young interns. Summer Internships are big in DC not only in federal agencies and their affiliated companies but also in non-profit, business, marketing, public relations, and global development. The deadlines for summer internships for 2015 are always early for DC and now is the time to get your application submitted.
Networking is a major feature of the DC social and professional scene. It is estimated that about 80% of jobs in DC are found through networking. In any social setting, the main question that is asked is 'What do you do for a living?' The opportunity to grow your network, especially for young interns, is one of the main draws of the city. Almost everyone who has made their career in DC started as an intern as a college or university student.
DC isn’t just a mecca for work-a-holics it is also has one of the most desirable demographic stats for young professionals with around 40% of the population residing in central DC is under the age of 35, making the social scene extremely fun Much of the city caters to the young population, so there are cool, young events every weekend.
Change and innovation in the city has been mirrored by the influx of great chefs into DC, creating a food revolution in the area - restaurants, food trucks and new bars popping up every week leads to great (and affordable) happy hours! Summer in DC is all about being outside and making use of all the great outdoor space, outdoor concerts and activities are a great way for summer interns to save pennies.
Here is the Global Experiences insider’s guide for our DC Summer Interns.
Cool Neighborhoods:
- Bloomingdale is an older neighborhood in Northwest DC. In the past few years there has been a huge surge of great restaurants and it hosts a farmers market every weekend during the warmer months.
- Shaw is another great neighborhood. U Street, where there is a huge array of bars, live music, ethnic restaurants, and local landmarks, runs through the middle of Shaw.
- H Street (between 13th and 18th) is home to some really great pubs, mixology bars, farm-to-table restaurants, New American cuisine restaurants, and an assortment of boutiques making this area one of the new and upcoming hot spots of DC.
Fun (and delicious) restaurants and happy hours:
- Brunch in DC is the big thing. Every weekend, especially when it’s warm out and you can sit outside, you’ll find most people under the age of 30 brunching at one of the restaurants in town. DC offers great brunch deals – many places will do deals that include breakfast and unending drinks for the morning and afternoon.
- The number of great restaurants in DC is rising, and with that really good happy hours are becoming more prevalent. Check out Piola, Smoke and Barrel, and Granville Moore's for some local favorites!
Live music venues:
- Live music is all over DC. Some of the most widely recognized and revered include 930 Club, The Hamilton, Echostage, U Street Music Hall, and The Howard Theater. Each offers a totally different feeling, but the music is always great.
Outdoor Activities:
- Jazz in the Garden, a free outdoor jazz concert held at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, is always great fun. Interns and the younger population of DC migrate to this weekly even throughout the summer to picnic and catch up with friends.
- In the past year or two, paddle boarding has become the activity of choice for those hot weekend days. There are many rental companies up and down the waterfront, some boards even come with a radio and lights built in! Any day in the summer you can see hundreds of people paddling up and down the Potomac River.
There is almost no way to go wrong with interning DC. The whole town welcomes the influx of young interns during the summer!
Global Experiences Summer Internship experiences offers young professionals and college students the chance to intern and gain experience in their career field. Programs include housing at GW University right near the White House and social and networking events throughout the summer. Summer internships for 2015 are now enrolling.
