Municipal/County Application & Information
Apply
Step 1: Fill out the online intern request form. The deadline is March 1st.
Step 2: Fill out the 2023 Municipal Signature form.
The Policy Center places talented Maine undergraduate and graduate students in temporary paid positions in Maine municipal and county governments. An important benefit to town/city governments is that the Policy Center performs the recruitment and selection processes and has access to an extensive applicant pool, last year receiving 150 student applications for summer internships.
Policy Center staff will work with municipal officials in developing the position descriptions to help ensure appropriate intern placements. To get qualified applicants for your location, we need to inform students that a position is being offered in your area before they apply. The earlier you can contact us, the better chance we have of recruiting a student for your location.
Read the 2022 Maine Government Internship Report (pdf)
Program Dates
The 2024 Maine Government Summer Internship Program runs May 28 through August 16 for a total of 12 weeks. The program begins with an opening day meeting for all and includes a mid-summer educational component for students which may be remote or in-person. The program concludes with a reception during which interns and supervisors are recognized by the Governor or her designee.
Compensation
Municipal governments will be responsible for employing interns, including wages (2023 wages will be at least $15.00/hr. for 480 paid hours for the 12 weeks), and all locally appropriate federal and state withholdings. Interns are considered temporary, unclassified employees and are typically not paid for holidays or other non-work time. In addition to wages and benefits, participating agencies pay a fee of $250 per intern to the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center to defray a portion of the Center’s administrative costs.
Detail on the Summer Intern Grant Award from Maine Municipal Association (pdf)
For Municipal Supervisors:
- 2023 Municipal Signature form (to be completed after the application form above)
- FAQs from supervisors
- See a sample internship job description (pdf)
- UMaine Internship Guide (pdf) for students and employers
- NACE Internship Best Practices
Articles:
- Read “Summer Internship Programs” in the Nov. 2022 Maine Town & City.
- Read the Maine Townsman article: “‘Have enough lined up’: Municipal interns can fill critical needs“
- Read the Maine Townsman article: “Summer interns can fill important roles, now and into the future” (pdf)
- Read article on Town of Union cemeteries intern (pdf)
- Read Sun-Journal article on Rumford municipal intern (pdf)
Contact:
Peggy McKee, Internship Director
207.581.1644
margaret.mckee@maine.edu
NON-DISCRIMINATION NOTICE
The University of Maine does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, including transgender status and gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director, Office of Equal Opportunity, 101 North Stevens Hall, 581.1226.
