Cato Institute Internship
*To be considered for an internship, you must apply directly through our online application here.*
Are you trying to begin a career in policy, communications, organizational operations, or law? Do you want a rich education in contemporary policy issues—and the philosophical, historic, and economic underpinnings of those issues? A Cato internship might be right for you.
Cato’s paid internships are for undergraduates, recent graduates, graduate students, law students, and early-career professionals who have a strong commitment to individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace—principles that, taken together, constitute libertarianism, known alternately as “classical liberalism,” “market liberalism,” or, to many of our international friends, just “liberalism.”
With more than 30 different departmental placement options, Cato interns from all backgrounds and areas of study can do substantive work. Cato interns work in a variety of areas. Some interns work as researchers for our policy scholars including placements with our defense and foreign policy team, health care policy team, constitutional studies team, and many others. Other interns work in operations-oriented roles, including media relations, social media, government affairs, and project management. Others work with our design teams on IT, web design, data analytics, and video production.
All Cato interns attend the same intensive seminar series, which covers a broad range of history, philosophy, policy, and professional development topics. Interns also aid with events and occasionally help Cato staff with other day-to-day needs.
Interns receive competitive compensation. Part-time positions are adjusted accordingly and carry a minimum of 25 hrs./wk. Fully remote participation is possible in extraordinary extenuating circumstances, evaluated on a case‐ by‐case basis. Remote participation also depends on the specific needs of each department. If you are selected as a finalist and are unavailable to be fully in‐ person, we are willing to discuss hybrid options.
For more information about the internship program and experience, we encourage you to explore our website.
If you have any questions, feel free to email Cortez Bartolome, Programs Coordinator, at studentprograms@cato.org