Employers

The La Follette School of Public Affairs strives to work closely with employers seeking interns, project assistants, and job candidates


Welcome employers – and a special welcome to our alums who are now in a capacity to help hire fellow La Follette students – we are so glad you are here!

Post a job or internship

If you have an internship or job posting you would like to share with our students you can do any of the following:

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Request to post a job/internship specifically for La Follette students

Please fill out this Google form to have your opportunity posted to our internal job and internship boards just for La Follette graduate and undergraduate students

Email the Director of Career and Employer Services

If you need more guidance or are unable to fill out the form, please email the Director of Career and Employer Services for assistance

Post directly to Handshake

If you’d like your opportunity to be available to all students at UW – Madison (including La Follette), you can post the opportunity to Handshake 

NOTE: If you choose to post to Handshake rather than filling out our form, please let the Director of Career and Employer Services know by sharing the link to your posting so that we can be sure to highlight your opportunity to our students.

Employer visits or chats


Every semester, the Director of Career and Employer Services arranges on-site visits to local organizations (or invites employers to campus).

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Why visit + best practices

These visits and/or chats give you the opportunity to meet with our students and give students the opportunity to learn more about your organization.

We can also host remote chats to connect you with La Follette Undergraduate and Graduate students.

Whenever possible we request that La Follette alums working at your organization be involved in this outreach as we find the connections to be invaluable to current students.

Interviews


We can also arrange interviews either on site at the La Follette School or remotely with our students.

Please email the Director of Career and Employer Services to discuss your interests and to learn more.

Internships and Project Assistantships

Internships: How to recruit to your organization


Internships provide an opportunity for you – the employer – to benefit from the skills of a highly trained La Follette School student, while the student gets the opportunity to apply skills and insights gained in academic coursework.

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Typical Internship length and time committment:

  • Internships can be either semester-long, or shorter “project internships” meant to last only a few weeks to a month
  • The hours a student can work per week will vary based on your needs and students’ availability.  Most students are available to work full-time (30-40 hours/wk) in the summer and part-time (10-20 hours/wk) during the academic year

Credit for Internships

Undergraduate Students:
Students pursuing our Certificates in Public Policy or Health Policy are required to complete one formal internship with a coresponding 3 credit academic course. These courses are not free to the student and should not be used in lieu of pay if pay is possible for your organization

Graduate Students:
Our MPA and MIPA students are not required to complete a credit-bearing internship, but, with school approval, may earn up to three graduate credits for their internship, using these minimum work hour guidelines

    • 3 credits: minimum of 320 hours over at least 8 weeks
    • 2 credits: minimum of 240 hours over at least 6 weeks
    • 1 credit: minimum of 160 hours over at least 4 weeks

What can I expect from a La Follette School Intern?

  • La Follette students can hit the ground running. Through a rigorous curriculum spanning several disciplines and a professional development program that hones job readiness skills, students:
    • Acquire academic knowledge and practical skills in statistical analysis, microeconomic policy analysis, public management, policy analysis, and performance management
    • Gain contextual knowledge in the American policy process or international governance
    • Build the writing and presentation skills that are critical to their careers; and
    • Choose from La Follette School courses that include budgeting, advanced statistical methods, benefit-cost analysis, program evaluation, macroeconomic policy, and personnel
  • La Follette students have interned throughout Wisconsin, the United States, and overseas at all levels of government, in non‐profit agencies, and in the private sector.
  • Internships provide an opportunity for you – the employer – to benefit from the skills of a highly trained La Follette School student, while the student gets the opportunity to apply skills and insights gained in academic coursework

I've never done this before, how do I set up an internship?

If you have never hosted interns before, or haven’t done so in a long time, this guidance from Indeed will help walk you through the things you need to think about.

How to set up a La Follette School Internship?

Fill out our Google Form

Here are some things to think about: You will need a position/project description The description should contain:

    1. A description of the duties and skills required with a link to the full description on your website (if possible)
    2. Is the position suitable for an undergrad, grad student or both?
    3. Whether or not the position is paid and at what rate of payment
    4. Information about the desired weekly work schedule; and a description of your hiring process:
    5. Which materials should be sent as part of the application? (resume and cover letter, unofficial transcripts, etc.)
    6. To whom should materials be sent? (name and email address or link to an online form)?
    7. When are they due for best consideration?
  1. The position will be posted to our La Follette job and internship boards.
  2. If a student wishes to (or must) receive credit for the internship, they are responsible for acquiring school approval and completing the necessary paperwork (there is one brief form describing the position that must be signed by a supervisor)
  3. You – the employer select your candidates!

Examples of successful internships

View profiles of recent La Follette School interns and where they worked.

Next steps

If you are interested in offering an internship or in getting more information, please contact Director of Career and Employer Services, Marie Koko at marie.koko@wisc.edu or at 608-262-3908.

Project Assistants: How to hire them and why


A Project Assistantship (PAship) is a paid position that provides a stipend, benefits, and tuition remission to a La Follette School student for a contracted period of work. Its also a cost‐effective means to accomplish special projects and increase productivity.

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What is a La Follette School Project Assistantship?

  • Employing a La Follette School Project Assistant (PA) is a cost‐effective means to accomplish special projects and increase productivity
  • The La Follette School partners with agencies and organizations in all sectors, linking them with highly qualified students eager to supplement knowledge learned in the classroom with practical experience
  • A Project Assistantship (PAship) is a paid position that provides a stipend, benefits, and tuition remission to a La Follette School student for a contracted period of work. Rates of pay and other budget matters are set by university policy
  • Employers run the hiring process, but the La Follette School handles administration of a contract between the School and employer, and it pays the student through the University
  • Selection of candidates is a highly competitive process. PAships are typically viewed as among the most valuable opportunities offered through the La Follette School

What can I expect from La Follette School Project Assistants?

La Follette students are graduate students who can hit the ground running. Through a rigorous curriculum spanning several disciplines and a professional development program that hones job readiness skills, students:

  • Acquire academic knowledge and practical skills in statistical analysis, microeconomic policy analysis, public management, policy analysis, and performance management
  • Gain contextual knowledge in the U.S. policy process or international governance
  • Build the writing and presentation skills that are critical to their careers; and
  • Choose from La Follette School courses that include budgeting, advanced statistical methods, benefit‐cost analysis, program evaluation, macroeconomic policy, and personnel administration.

How do I set up a La Follette School Project Assistantship?

The La Follette School Career Services Coordinator will assist you in setting up a PAship

  • The PAship requires a contract between the employer and UW‐Madison; the contract will be drafted by the La Follette School Financial Specialist
  • PAships must be for at least 33.4% time (approximately 13 hours per week), but can be up to 75% time, depending on a student’s situation
  • PAships can be arranged for one semester, for one academic year, or on an annual basis
  • Hiring process: the employer drafts a job/project description, which is circulated to students, who apply based on their skills, interests, and availability. You run the interview process and hire the candidate of your choice
  • Contracts (including hiring) should be completed by August 1 for work beginning in the fall semester (late August) or December 1 for work beginning in the spring semester (mid‐January)

Examples of successful PAships

Agencies, nonprofit organizations, and businesses including the WPS Health Solutions, Wisconsin Legislative Council, and Education Analytics have employed La Follette School PAs to assist in statistical analysis, research, and cost‐benefit studies.

Next steps

For more information, contact Associate Director Steve Kulig at skulig@lafollette.wisc.edu or 608-262-8631.

Contact

  • Project Assistantships: If you are a government, private, and nonprofit agency looking to establish a student project assistantship (PAship), please contact our Associate Director. A La Follette School PAship is a cost-effective means for agencies, organizations, and businesses to accomplish special projects and increase productivity.
  • Jobs/Interships: If you are a government, private, and nonprofit organization looking to share internships and jobs at all levels from entry to experienced with our current students and alums, please email our Career Services Coordinator.
  • Handshake: You may also post job/internship opportunities to our campus-wide job board known as Handshake. Handshake provides access to over 30,000 UW students from every major on campus and every degree level from Bachelors to Post-Doc.