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Hi all,

I am a 2L at a top 50 school, and recently got offered a summer internship with the Securities and Exchange Commission. I am thrilled, but extremely worried because the position is unpaid! I obviously am a poor law student and barely have enough money to get by, and I don't think I can work as a volunteer and survive without some type of income. I am wondering if anybody has any experience with seeking out and receiving funding of any type for public service, i.e. public service stipend from a state bar, etc. but specifically for the SEC?? Please let me know!!

I am also happy to answer any questions about the SEC internship, although that probably should occur on another page within TLS... Anyways, let me know!

how are you surviving during the year without income?

Do it as an externship for school credit and take out loans.

I'm guessing that your school does not provide a way to fund unpaid public interest internships since you're posting on here - but I'd at least check with your school first. If you are currently not taking out the max amount of loans, you can request up to your schools COA and "squirrel away" the extra amount to use over the summer. Other than that, I've had a few friends (whose schools didn't provide summer funding) take a part-time job on the side or drive for Uber/Lyft. I'm assuming that you're doing the SEC externship in DC? If so, you can look into shared intern housing to cut down on costs - you should be able to get by on less than $2k/month.

Anonymous User wrote:Hi all,

I am a 2L at a top 50 school, and recently got offered a summer internship with the Securities and Exchange Commission. I am thrilled, but extremely worried because the position is unpaid! I obviously am a poor law student and barely have enough money to get by, and I don't think I can work as a volunteer and survive without some type of income. I am wondering if anybody has any experience with seeking out and receiving funding of any type for public service, i.e. public service stipend from a state bar, etc. but specifically for the SEC?? Please let me know!!

I am also happy to answer any questions about the SEC internship, although that probably should occur on another page within TLS... Anyways, let me know!

If you can't get a stipend, you should try to get a paid position as a research assistant with a professor at your school and do that at night. I did that as a 1L to pay for working at a judge.

Which office are you in? I did the same thing in one of the southern offices and might have a few pointers.

OP here. These are great options!

My school does not offer anything unfortunately. I will be out of the Texas office.

question: don't have grades yet but the app asks "Do you have at least a grade-point average of 3.0 (or equivalent) or a B average?" does this mean we can't apply until after grades come out?

OP here. Are you a 1L? Because if so, there is a completely different job application that I am unfamiliar with that you would need to do. If you are a 2L, then you should already have grades, and you don't need to wait for this semester to end.

oops, just saw that you're a 2L, and yes, I'm a 1L. I figured it out though, thanks!

Take out some additional money from your school this semester (if you haven't maxed out already). Save some of it for this summer. Uber/Lyft/Jimmy Johns delivery in your free time to mitigate the damage. Or, alternatively, work as an RA over the summer for a prof (this will pay less, but is a nice resume line).