Consider Joining the Rural Vermont Team as a 2027 Legislative Intern!
For over 40 years, Rural Vermont has worked to create economic justice for Vermont farmers through education, grassroots organizing, and advocacy. We invite you to join our committed team and help to fulfill our vision for a community-based food system that sustains our farmers, our communities, and our lands.
We offer excellent training with our experienced staff and board members, and you will have a variety of professional networking opportunities. We are happy to work with you to meet any academic requirements, reporting, evaluations, etc.
We offer flexibility on the number of hours/week and the length of the internship. We will work with you to create a schedule that is mutually beneficial.
We will also work with you to develop a clear internship plan with concrete deliverables for your portfolio. We have many projects available and can tailor one so you learn the skills you want to develop while completing important work in service of our mission.
Our internships are unpaid, but we do reimburse for approved out-of-pocket expenses such as mileage to events.
On successful completion of an internship, Rural Vermont can be a reference for you and make recommendations tailored to your future educational or employment plans.
Our ideal candidates will be supportive of our mission, self-directed, motivated, and capable of working both independently and collaboratively, as well as have a strong attention to detail and good written and verbal communication skills.
STATEHOUSE ADVOCACY – Work with Rural Vermont’s Legislative Director and VLS alumnae Caroline Gordon, LL.M., and Rural Vermont’s Policy Director, Graham Unangst-Rufenacht, virtually and in person at the Vermont State House to advocate on our priority issues affecting family farmers and their communities.
Intern responsibilities will include:
Attending, monitoring, and taking accurate notes in key legislative committee meetings or floor proceedings;
Helping to organize Rural Vermont’s educational “Small Farm Advocacy Days” and schedule meetings for our farmer leaders and activists with legislators;
Helping Rural Vermont members and activists to prepare and present testimony;
Contributing to writing periodic State House email updates for our community; and
Assisting in tracking the progress of legislation and contributing to developing strategy on priority issues.
This is an excellent opportunity for anyone who wants to learn about public policy, issue advocacy, and the inner workings of the Vermont legislative process. Legal research and writing skills, as well as media savviness, aren’t required but can be beneficial.
Commitment: The 2027 session will likely convene in a hybrid format, allowing us to be at the State House in person and to join committee hearings virtually from home. We offer flexibility on the number of hours/week, and the length of the internship. We will work with you to create a mutually beneficial schedule. We hope to find an intern who will spend about three days working with us each week and welcomes the opportunity to work at the State House or Rural Vermont office, as arranged, to take advantage of networking opportunities and personal interaction with experienced legislators, lobbyists, and citizen advocates. The type and pace of activities will run the gamut from tedious to exhilarating – you must be able to work effectively at both ends of this spectrum.
Schedule: Weekly schedule will vary and requires some flexibility, but will average 15-20 hours/week, mostly Tuesday–Thursday mornings, 8–2 PM (schedule may vary later in the legislative session). This internship runs January–April, with the possibility of extending into mid-May depending on the legislative session schedule, outcomes of Rural Vermont’s legislative agenda, and intern availability.
Compensation: A stipend commensurate with weekly hours and internship length will be paid at the end of the internship.
This position will remain open until filled.
To Apply
Please send a cover letter, including a brief statement of why you are interested in working with Rural Vermont, your resume, a short writing sample and 3 references to: Rural Vermont, 46 East State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602 ATTN Legislative Internships 2025 OR email the above materials as PDF files to caroline@ruralvermont.org. Please put LEGISLATIVE INTERNSHIP in the subject line.