Mayoral Fellowships - City of Chicago

Who: City of Chicago Mayor's Office

What: The Chicago Mayor’s Office Fellowship Program offers a unique opportunity for students to engage in policymaking from inception to implementation. The Fellowship Program is highly-regarded as a leader in municipal fellowship programs. Over the last 15 years, the City of Chicago’s Mayor’s Office Fellowship Program has attracted highly qualified graduate level students from universities across the country. Fellows gain hands-on experience working directly with the Mayor’s Office staff in budgetary, legislative and programmatic areas of city government. Fellows gain a broad understanding of city-level policymaking and have an opportunity to connect what they are learning in the classroom to real world challenges.

The 2019 Mayor’s Office Fellows completed over 100 long-term and short-term projects over the course of the 11- week program. These projects were instrumental in driving the City’s policy agenda forward. Projects included but were not limited to, work on the following policy areas:

Work done by 2019 Fellows:

• Helped establish the strategic plan for the new Office of Equity and Racial Justice 
• Analyzed data and created safety video for the E-Scooter Pilot Program 
• Wrote speeches for Mayor Lightfoot 
• Assisted senior staff with the 2020 Census 
• Designed and published a feasibility survey for Chicago’s first casino 
• Created streetscapes for the Department of Transportation 
• Supported implementation of language access programs across City departments

Eligibility Criteria:

The Mayor’s Office encourages graduate students from all disciplines to apply. Ideal Candidates:

• Are enthusiastic to learn about city government 
• Have demonstrated a substantial commitment to excellence as evidenced by academic honors, leadership ability, extracurricular activities, and involvement in community or public service 
• Embody strong personal character and conviction 
• Candidates are selected from both public and private colleges and universities. 

Candidates must:

• Be current graduate level students 
• Have a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale 
• Be a currently enrolled student at the time of employment to be eligible 
• Live in Chicago during the fellowship period 

Program dates: June 8 - August 21, 2020 Compensation: $20/hour, 35 hours/week. Fellows are not classified as full-time employees. Relocation is at the applicant’s expense.

International Students must have an F1 Student Visa and must be a full time student in order to qualify. International students are required to have a social security number and card which states “Valid for work only with DHS (Department of Homeland Security) authorization”. Your college or university can be of assistance in obtaining authorization.

Students who are Deferred Action Recipients are eligible to apply. You must provide your Employment Authorization Document at the time of hire. In addition, you must also have a social security card. If you do not have a social security card, you can obtain one by following the instructions at: www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/deferred_action.pdf.

Fellows are not classified as full-time employees of the City of Chicago. Residency in the city of Chicago is required to be established at the beginning of the Fellowship and last for the duration of the Fellowship Program. Relocation is at the applicant’s expense. Fellows are paid at a rate of $20 per hour.

Selection process:

Prospective Fellows must complete a two-step application process in order to be considered for the 2020 Mayor’s Office Summer Fellowship Program.

• Monday, September 16, 2019 Online application opens for Summer 2020. Application can be started at cityofchicago.org/fellowship (Applicants should be prepared to provide a cover letter, resume, letter of enrollment, transcript or letter of acceptance and a class schedule.) 
• Monday, November 11, 2019 Online application will close at 11:59:59 p.m. Applications will be screened for eligibility and qualifications. Applicants who have been selected for interviews will move on to the second step of the process. 
• Monday, December 2, 2019 Second round applicants will be required to submit a policy problem and a personal statement directly to the Mayor’s Office. These documents are due to be postmarked no later than close of business on this date. Please visit cityofchicago.org/fellowship for further details on submitting supplemental documents. 
• Monday, December 9, 2019 Phone and in-person interviews begin. A final selection of Fellows will be made based on the results of the interview process. 
• February and March 2020 Offers extended to the 2020 Mayor’s Office Fellowship Program.