Paddlestar Galactica, the ping-pong tournament event supporting 826DC’s programs, returns on Saturday, April 27th, 1 PM to 4 PM at SPIN DC! Learn more and sign up here.
Intern with 826DC

Get hands-on, real-world experience

826DC offers paid arts education internships for students and young professionals ages 18+.

Why Intern?

Write the next chapter of your career

826DC internships offer experience in areas including youth development, arts education, program design and implementation, nonprofit development and fundraising, communications and marketing, and graphic design.

You’ll be given plenty of training—and you’ll also be trusted to take on real work that furthers the 826DC mission.

Supporting 826DC’s youth writing programs confirmed just how much I love working with students! Interning here also helped me engage thoughtfully with my professional strengths and areas of growth, and identify the kind of working environment I’d like in the future.

Genasee

826DC Educational Programming Intern

Your work, your words, and everything you do means something at 826DC! I have loved every second of my time here.

Zaira

826DC Communications and Development Intern

I believe that doing work that makes a difference is critical to who I am as a person and as a professional. I’m excited to build on what I learned here and apply it to future internships and jobs.

Nate

826DC Communications and Development Intern

The smiles on these students’ faces when they realize that they are official authors melts your heart every time.

Keith

826DC Educational Programming Intern

Details

The fine print  

Every intern receives a small stipend at the end of their time at 826DC, between $400 and $800, based on the number of hours they work with us each week. Interns also get free admission to 826DC events and a 25% discount on 826DC merchandise, including our awesome t-shirts, posters, and gift items!

Interns ages 18+, of all backgrounds, are encouraged to apply. 826DC is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, and strongly encourages persons of color, females, LGBTQIA persons, and persons with disabilities to apply for this position.

826DC accepts applications by email only. Applications are considered on a rolling basis. No phone calls, please.

Fall internships run from approximately the second week of September to the second week of January. We review applications for these internships on a rolling basis each August and early September.

Spring internships run from approximately the third week of January to the first week of May. We review applications for these internships on a rolling basis each December and January.

826DC provides interns with hands-on, real-world experience in an arts education nonprofit within an urban school district. Depending on their chosen internship tract, interns will gain skills in classroom and behavior management, program development, lesson planning, volunteer coordination, web and social media communication in a professional setting, graphic design skills, fundraising and grantwriting, editing and proofreading, and nonprofit marketing and communications.

Interns will also have the opportunity to interact with diverse community members and leaders while learning best practices for developing, integrating, and supporting creative and expository writing within various educational settings.

Additionally, 826DC interns will acquire job skills in a professional and dynamic setting, including professional etiquette when interacting with various constituencies; soft skills such as public speaking, youth development, and managing up; as well as hard skills such as Salesforce, Mailchimp, editing and proofreading, and social media for a small business.

At the start of each internship, interns are required to provide a goal sheet to their supervisor. 826DC staff provide regular and routine feedback to interns about their progress towards these goals.

We seek to build a community that connects interns to 826DC staff, their fellow interns, volunteers, and students, which allows for natural network-building.

All interns receive a mid-term evaluation and end of semester assessment.

Interns are encouraged to take leadership on projects and tasks, have ownership over their actions, and connect to our mission through a robust training program that includes student support, working in nonprofits, and sensitivity training around diversity and inclusion.

  • 826DC interns each receive small stipends, based on the number of hours they work with us each week, at the end of their internships!
  • Free admission to 826DC events. Past events include book talks with CNN journalist Jake Tapper, New York Times journalist Mark Leibovich, actor/writer/director/artist James Franco, and more!
  • 25% discount on 826DC merchandise, including our awesome t-shirts, posters, and gift items.
  • Opportunity to work with local writers.
  • The feelings of immeasurable joy from working with and supporting children.

The typical day for a Programming or Publishing Intern might include supporting students in our on-site or off-site programming, collaborating on a lesson plan with staff or another intern, supporting our publishing projects, attending a book release in a school, supporting program evaluation, responding to volunteer inquiries, following up with teachers, or proofreading student work.

The typical day for a Communications and Development Intern might include promoting an 826DC fundraiser, taking pictures at a writing program, thanking donors, drafting social media, writing a blog post, speaking with local businesses or journalists, or crafting compelling stories about our mission and work for different constituencies.

The typical day for a Graphic Design Intern might include designing a chapbook cover, creating flyers or posters, designing displays for 826DC’s storefront, illustrating a field trip book, and more.

Former interns have gone on to be teachers, graduate students in education, freelance graphic designers, editors, nonprofit leaders, and 826DC staff members.

826DC interns each receive small stipends, based on the number of hours they work with us each week, at the end of their internships!

  • Up to 8 hours per week: $400
  • Between 9 and 19 hours per week: $600
  • Between 20 and 30 hours per week: $800

Currently, 826DC does not provide a transportation stipend for staff or interns.