Legislative Assistant Positions

[Anonymous]

I frequently look at the Senate job board for positions for my home state senators. One opened up, though it is in my home state, not on the hill. I have a couple of questions about these type of positions. How much do they typically pay? Is it worth the decrease in salary from the private sector? Do they look good on a resume or are they a dime a dozen? How competitive is the application process. And does working in one of these positions in the home state rather than DC looked down upon by people who hire at future policy positions?

[Anonymous]

Pay is different in every office and will depend on you. Figure 20-50K range for an LA slot.

The other questions depend on your own career goals. There are basically no bad seats on this bus, though. You could try and lateral transfer to DC if you can get the job.

Yes, it's competitive, but I've known people who've responded to ads like this and got hired. Really helps if your uncle bankrolled the campaign, too.

[Anonymous]

Pay for a senate LA is going to be higher because they are typically more specialized than a House LA. If you are really curious look at Legistorm. That site lists all staff salaries. I would guess most start just shy of $50k. Since it's back in the district are you sure that the foundation of the job is policy? You would not gain beneficial committee experience by working out of the state. And let's be honest, congressional staff are a dime a dozen. Good congressional staff are much fewer and far between. If your goal is cash out at the end, sitting in a home state office probably won't land you a high paying D.C. job.

And yes, these jobs are super competitive. I have worked with Harvard law grads who took any job they could to get their foot in the door. There are incredibly smart people answering the phones and writing letters. And that's not because the donors' kids got the better jobs. With public disclosures everyone knows who is who and most offices don't want to deal with the tip toeing around these people in a daily setting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pay for a senate LA is going to be higher because they are typically more specialized than a House LA. If you are really curious look at Legistorm. That site lists all staff salaries. I would guess most start just shy of $50k. Since it's back in the district are you sure that the foundation of the job is policy? You would not gain beneficial committee experience by working out of the state. And let's be honest, congressional staff are a dime a dozen. Good congressional staff are much fewer and far between. If your goal is cash out at the end, sitting in a home state office probably won't land you a high paying D.C. job.

And yes, these jobs are super competitive. I have worked with Harvard law grads who took any job they could to get their foot in the door. There are incredibly smart people answering the phones and writing letters. And that's not because the donors' kids got the better jobs. With public disclosures everyone knows who is who and most offices don't want to deal with the tip toeing around these people in a daily setting.

+1 to all of this.

Ivy grads lining up for a job that entails answering phones and coordinating "boss's" schedule. Top-tier JDs working unpaid in hopes of an LA quitting or being promoted. You'll never even see a committee from a district office so the opportunities to gain experience that lobby shops look for will be hard to come by. Pay wise you're looking at 50-55k Senate/35-50k House.

[Anonymous]

You can see exact salaries on Legistorm. And, yes, they are competitive. If you don't have Hill experience, you would be expected to be an intern first.