FAQ
As TFAS offers thorough and comprehensive programs, the start and end dates for interns are set in advance. You are welcome to work directly with your student intern once confirmed if an earlier start date or later end date is desired. With that said, TFAS cannot guarantee housing to students outside of the program dates.
Weekly hours for the interns are generally about 28-32 hours a week. We do require that internship sites provide a minimum of 28 hours per week in order to host a TFAS intern. Because students have program commitments most evenings, we ask that sites allow their students to work during the hours associated with their program. In general, weekly internship hours are as follows:
Monday: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Tuesday: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Wednesday: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Thursday: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Friday: No Intern Hours
There is no cost associated with hosting a TFAS intern. Students applying for our programs understand that these internship opportunities are unpaid. There is also no fee associated with the placement process for the internship sites. Should you choose to, sites are welcome to provide compensation or a travel stipend to their TFAS intern.
TFAS interns can receive up to 3 credits from George Mason University for their internship experience. Students also may choose to work with their home university to earn credit. Earning internship credit is optional through our program so please be sure to indicate on your Intern Request Form if this is a requirement for your organization to host a student.
We ask that the following paperwork be completed by TFAS internship sites:
- Intern Request Form – this form indicates to our staff your interest in hosting a student intern.
- Internship Experience Contract – should you choose to host a student, we ask that supervisors sit down with their intern and complete an Internship Experience Contract. This is not a contract in the legal sense, but more of a “memorandum of understanding” between you and your intern. We find this document helps to open lines of communication between interns and supervisors as well as set expectations for your intern’s experience.
- Written Internship Evaluation – at the end of the program, we ask supervisors to evaluate the student’s performance as a tool for professional development. If your intern is enrolled in the Internship Seminar course at George Mason, your evaluation will count toward 20% of their final grade.
The short answer is no – if you submit an Intern Request Form, you are not obligated to host a student. The Intern Request Form is used as a tool to gauge the interest level of sites in the D.C. area. While we certainly hope you will choose to hold a spot for an intern from our programs, we do not require that you do so.
We ask that organizations hosting TFAS interns provide the following:
- A direct supervisor and work space for each intern.
- Completed written evaluation of the student at the end of the program.
- In additional to general administrative work, we ask that internships provide a substantive professional experience where students can learn for themselves what it is like to work in your office.
- Office is accessible via public transportation.
Our programs are not open to graduate students as only undergraduate credit can be earned through the classes that all participants take at George Mason University.
Yes. During the summer our students live in an apartment-style dormitory on the campus of George Washington University. During the fall and spring semester programs, our students are housed in intern housing on Capitol Hill.