Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) - Summer 2025 Internship

FIRE offers a ten-week, paid summer internship as part of our efforts to educate students about their rights at colleges and universities. This internship gives current undergraduates the opportunity to assist FIRE in defending civil liberties across the country. 

FIRE interns do substantive work and participate in weekly seminars with FIRE staff and other experts on freedom of expression, due process, and much more.

Application Procedures

Applicants should submit a cover letter and résumé, and written responses to questions on the application form. Written responses are evaluated not only on answers given, but also on clarity, style, and quality. We encourage applicants to thoughtfully prepare their responses to the questions.

The Summer 2025 internship application will close on Monday, March 3, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. (ET). Applicants are considered and accepted on a rolling basis. Each year, FIRE receives hundreds of applications for the summer internship, and given the competitive nature of the position, we strongly recommend applicants submit their materials early.

Questions and inquiries about FIRE’s Summer Internship program can be submitted to internship@thefire.org.

Responsibilities

FIRE interns:

• Work closely with our outreach, defense, policy reform, legislation, development, and media teams to assist with research and administrative projects.
• Assist with the planning and execution of the FIRE Student Network Summer Conference, as well as lead an hour-long session for conference attendees.
• Assist with planning and coordinating the Free Speech Forum, FIRE's immersive week-long summer camp for high school students, and provide support in managing the event during its execution.
• Have the opportunity to contribute to FIRE’s Newsdesk. 
• Learn the foundational arguments for protecting core rights in our free society through reading and discussion in weekly seminars with FIRE’s staff and other experts on civil liberties.
• Develop activism plans for ensuring student rights  on campus.

What does an average day in the life of a FIRE intern look like? 

Interns typically start the day by catching up on and discussing recent newsworthy events. Throughout the day, interns collaborate with various FIRE staffers in helping to support FIRE’s multifaceted response to breaking news, and our ongoing defense of free speech on campus. Interns work both individually and in teams, and are involved in a plethora of functions. This includes everything from development and conference planning to education and outreach. Interns also take part in a number of educational sessions with FIRE’s staff and visiting free speech experts.