American intern's notebook.

• Author: Bruser, Josh

The United States has a long tradition in both the public and private sector of creating internship programmes to allow students to experience what it is like to work in a particular business or profession. These unpaid positions are usually in great demand as participants recognize the incredible experience they gain by spending a few weeks or months as an intern. Senators and Members of the House of Representatives may engage one or more interns. This article outlines the experience of one Senate intern during the summer of 2002.

My interest in politics developed quite early and by the time I started high school I began thinking of a possible career in public service. During the winter of 2001 Joseph Biden the Democratic Senator from Delaware was on a speaking tour in California. I went to some of the events and like many others had my photograph taken with him. I decided to write him a letter indicating that I agreed wholeheartedly with the views he had expressed.

I received a very warm letter in response and he invited me to come and see him if I was ever in Washington. He also mentioned the existence of intern opportunities with Senators and Congressmen. I decided to take up his suggestion and sent another letter with a resume and asked to be considered for an intern position in his office. To my amazement, partly because I was not yet 18 years old and partly because I was from California and not Delaware, I was offered a six week internship.

My family was even more surprised, particularly at the thought of a 17 year old spending six weeks alone in Washington. After many family discussions it was decided this was an opportunity not to be missed so I accepted the offer and during the spring break we took a trip to Washington to look into possible living accommodations. It was decided the best solution would be for the entire family to rent an apartment in Washington for the six weeks of my internship.

We arrived in Washington on June 20. The temperature was over 100 degrees and incredibly humid. The heat continued virtually unabated throughout my six weeks and it can certainly cause a great shock to the system. My father, having put up with about a month of the hottest weather decided to head back to San Diego but my mother, who is originally from Canada, and I slowly began to adapt and by the end we hardly noticed it anymore.

Senator Biden was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Chairman of the Subcommittee of Crime and Drugs, and Chairman of the International Narcotics Control Committee. He also has a seat on the powerful Judiciary Committee, which he chaired in the 1980s when the Democrats had a comfortable majority in the Senate. The Senator has more than 70 offices in Washington and Delaware with over a hundred people working for him in Washington alone.

When I entered the main office for the first time I was met by the Senator's assistant chief of staff, Paul Rosen. Phyllis Martell, who was my intern coordinator was sick for my first day. Paul took me to the large back room where the interns worked. He introduced me to Trevor, an intern from Georgetown...