Washington, DC – The Hungarian American Coalition invites qualified undergraduate students to apply for the Congressional Internship Program (CIP) for the spring, summer and fall sessions of 2014.

The continuity and expansion of CIP was made possible by a generous grant of The Hungary Initiatives Foundation, a US-based organization, whose mission is to build lasting value by reviving and strengthening the cultural, educational, and emotional bonds between the United States and Hungary, as well as the Hungarian-American community and its mother nation.

The CIP was established in 2005 to allow young Hungarian-Americans and well-qualified English-speaking Hungarians from Hungary and neighboring countries to get acquainted with the workings of the U.S. Congress and government institutions.  The program aims to motivate students for civil service in their countries of origin, and to provide them the opportunity to build contacts in the US in their areas of expertise.  The expanded program will allow for a larger number of host institutions and more opportunity for the applicants to gain experience in their particular area of interest.

The Coalition’s Internship grant will cover living expenses and local transportation expenses in the United States for the duration of internship.  The internship’s duration will depend on the requirements of the host office but shall not be longer than four months. Depending on the host institution requirements, internship participants are expected to complete a Coalition project of mutual interest during their stay in the United States.

Eligibility criteria:

• must be a citizen of the United States or Hungary, or member of an ethnic Hungarian community in Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Croatia or Slovenia;
• must be enrolled as students in their respective countries of origin or in the US, and must have completed at least one full year of their studies;
• must have proof of excellent written and oral communications skills in English;
• record of outstanding academic standing;
• letter of intent and CV in English;
• two letters of recommendation regarding the applicant’s personal and academic achievements.

Applications are accepted and evaluated on a rolling basis and should be sent to: internship@hacusa.org