Who We Are

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is an agency of more than 200 committed professionals with decades of specialized experience in trade issues and regions of the world.

We negotiate directly with foreign governments to create trade agreements, to resolve disputes, and to participate in global trade policy organizations. We also meet with governments, with business groups, with legislators and with public interest groups to gather input on trade issues and to discuss the President's trade policy positions.

Synopsis of Intern Program

The student intern program at USTR is a year-round, volunteer program in which undergraduate, graduate students, and recent graduates gain knowledge and experience on U.S. trade policy and, in many cases, earn college credit at the same time. Assignments may include: 

• research
• analysis and statistics
• report preparation
• writing on a wide array of domestic and international topics
• preparing briefing memorandums and related materials
• attend meetings with industry stakeholders and law firms
• covering meetings, hearings, and/or legislative markups.

Requirements

All applicants must be U.S. Citizens, at least eighteen years of age at the time of applying, and enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a college or university (2-4 year institution), or have graduated in the past two years from undergraduate or graduate school.

To be considered for the 2020 Summer session, applicants must submit a resume and cover letter using the JAZZ system, as well as answer all of the required questions.  Complete applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. on March 15th.  To assist with identifying areas of interest within our agency, you can find a brief overview of the functional responsibilities for each office by selecting the “Organization” option under the “About Us” tab on our webpage www.ustr.gov.

Selected applicants will be required to submit to a background check.  USTR is a Drug Free Workplace.  Recent or current drug use is not acceptable.  USTR reserves the right to disapprove tentative selectees based on information obtained in the background check.  All internships are unpaid.

Due to the volunteer nature of our program, USTR does not provide stipends. No assistance with housing or other relocation expenses are available. However, we can provide a transportation subsidy to assist with local commuting costs to and from the DC work location.

For additional information, please review the full overview of our program on USTR’s website or contact our office of Human Capital & Services on (202) 395-7360.