Minneapolis Internships

Student Volunteer Internship Opportunities

The Minneapolis Office of the U.S. Commercial Service will open 2025 internship opportunities in January 2025.  Time commitment is 4 – 6 months, 12 -16 hours per week, 50 - 100% virtual.  Limited spots are available. 

Please review information and criteria below and send resume and brief cover letter to Mathew.Woodlee@trade.gov. 

Interning with the U.S. Commercial Service

The U.S. Commercial Service is the trade promotion arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. Our global network connects American exporters with foreign business opportunities. We assist U.S. companies through one-on-one consultation and provide market intelligence, business matchmaking and commercial diplomacy. 

The Minneapolis office is a very active and engaged office, both locally and throughout our agency projects and global teams. We work with local companies by providing counseling, research and trade promotion programs that support their business growth efforts. 

Intern Activities

Interns may support the office staff with client development research, local and international market research, event planning, counseling U.S. companies, website management, marketing and database management. They also learn how to use the U.S. Commercial Service’s information databases to access economic and market trends and data to support the office’s client activities. 

Internship Eligibility

• Intern candidates must be a U.S. citizen. 
• Must be enrolled in an accredited higher education institution.
• Must be able to communicate in a professional environment and be enthusiastic and willing to learn. 
• Time commitment is 12 to 16 hours per week for 4 to 6 months, generally following semester schedules with some overlap. 
• Internship is a volunteer, unpaid position.

Major Areas of Study

International Business, Economics, Political Science, Public Administration, Law, International Relations, Marketing, Communications, Sociology, Geography, Anthropology, and History majors are encouraged to apply. Any major is appropriate if students want to learn how to market and sell U.S. products abroad.

Virtual with In-Person Opportunities

Most of the work is project-based and will be done virtually, with video meetings with office staff through Teams. Interns may be in-person (downtown Minneapolis) approximately one day per week and/or attending events or meetings with CS staff.

Interns typically will utilize their own IT hardware for virtual work. ITA provides Office 365 and other ITA resources that are accessible virtually.
 

To apply, send a brief cover letter and resume to Mathew.Woodlee@trade.gov.