I have been offered an internship with a senator who is a member of a political party opposite from my own. This opportunity also comes with a generous stipend to cover my living expenses and travel which makes it very difficult to turn down. Would this look bad on my resume when applying to future positions with my own party even though I’m currently only a college freshman?
You’re 18 or 19 years old. I can’t imagine that anyone of power in a political power will consider your current party affiliations to be a binding committment.
I say you take the internship; it sounds like an amazing opportunity.
My kids would have been very unhappy in that type of internship situation (one did do political internships). Money and resume building aren’t everything. Think carefully about this. Review the senator’s website and positions, and think about whether you can honestly support most of their positions before taking the offer.
That said, it is fairly unusual for internships from Senators to be paid at all. How did you get this opportunity?
The opportunity was through an alumni of my college that now has a foundation
Won’t make you look bad, but I cannot say the same for the Senator.
If you are not morally opposed to the Senator’s policies and feel you could do the job wholeheartedly, I think it would be a wonderful learning opportunity. Consider if you should let the Senator know your party affiliation in advance and be sure he/she is OK with your working there.
IMO our political system works best when members of the opposing parties take the time to understand each other’s position and work together for the greater good. This internship could give you tremendous insight that you can learn from use moving forward.