TechCongress

What is the difference between the Senior Congressional Innovation Fellowship and the Congressional Innovation Fellowship?

The primary difference between the Senior Fellows and Fellows is their level of experience coming into the fellowship. The Senior Fellows are mid-career and have at least eight years of experience. Fellows are early-career and typically have between two to five years of experience, or recently graduated from a Masters or PhD program.

All our fellows receive the same training during orientation and go through the same placement process. Essentially, once both Fellows and Senior Fellows start with their host office, their roles are also the same: to serve as a tech policy advisor.

How does the placement process work? 

Typically, our placement process will begin at the end of orientation (late-January) and is around two and a half weeks. At the beginning of placement, TechCongress sends an outreach email to offices and committees in the House and Senate with the names, bios, and contact information for the fellowship cohort. If an office confirms that they are able to host a fellow, and they want to talk to specific people, then they can either email them directly to set up a time to talk or Grace, TechCongress’ Deputy Director, can connect them with the fellow(s) over email. We also encourage fellows to do their own outreach to offices that they are interested in talking with, and use the TechCongress network to help make introductions.

During the interviews, we encourage the fellows to not only let the office get to know them, but to learn more about the office to see if their legislative priorities, politics, and work style align. Offices typically have their own hiring process for fellows, and we encourage them to follow that.

My office cannot host a fellow this cycle. Can we host one next time?

Absolutely! Please let us know if you are unable to host a fellow this cycle but are interested in hosting one in the future.

My office just hosted a TechCongress fellow whose fellowship ended. Can I host another fellow?

Consistent with ethics rules, which state that fellows shouldn't be replacing the work of an FTE, we have a policy that our fellows not serve in consecutive placements in consecutive years. As such, if you just hosted a TechCongress fellow, your office likely wouldn't be eligible to have another TechCongress fellow in the cycle immediately after that fellowship finishes.

Is my office responsible for paying for a TechCongress fellow?

No. Fellows are fully paid for by TechCongress. Fellows are required to adhere to Congressional ethics rules and the rules of the office hosting them. Those rules in fact prohibit an office from contributing to a fellow’s stipend.

In the Senate, offices are required to submit an initial (within 30 days of starting) and quarterly form with the Ethics Committee registering a fellow, however. The ethics registration form is available here.

Is there a specific interview process that I should follow, or particular questions I should ask?

Offices should follow their hiring process for fellows. Per OPM guidance, however, we ask offices to refrain from asking questions about a fellow’s age, sex, race, national origin, religion, marital/family status, disability/health status, or any other job-irrelevant factor.

Can I interview multiple fellows?

We encourage you to have conversations with as many fellows as your office is interested in!

Does my office have to clear their decision with TechCongress or Congressional Institutional offices prior to extending an offer to a fellow?

No! We encourage offices to follow their own fellow hiring process. There is no need to reach out and let the TechCongress team know that you are ready to make an offer. You also do not need to clear your offer with House or Senate institutional offices. 

Can I make offers to multiple fellows?

Since each office can only host one fellow, you should make an offer to one fellow at a time. If that fellow rejects the offer, and you are eager to hire another fellow that you spoke with, you can make an offer to them.

Is there an office (like the Ethics Committee) that I need to talk to before we make an offer?

You’re free to make an offer to a fellow just as you would with an intern. You do not need to consult any House or Senate offices to bring on a fellow. The Ethics Committees in the House and the Senate are available to answer questions you may have about Congressional fellowships and typically have a staffer designated to answer questions about fellowships. We encourage offices that have not hosted a fellow in the past, or with questions about ethics rules, or to reach out to the Ethics Committee directly.

What is the process of registering a fellow with an office and getting them signed up to receive an ID?  

You should be able to put in the paperwork and follow the normal process (same as you would for staff and interns) with relevant offices in your chamber for getting a badge and email address for a fellow. 

Are supervisors required to check-in with the TechCongress team during the fellowship? 

If you are supervising a TechCongress fellow, we do not require you to check-in with the TechCongress team during their fellowship period. Once fellows start with their office or committee, the TechCongress team is there to provide support and networking opportunities. 

Is a TechCongress fellow limited to working on tech policy issues, or can I give them a portfolio that has issues other than tech?

TechCongress fellows have technical expertise and experience, so we strongly encourage them to work on tech policy issues. However, we understand that fellows have a wide variety of interests and that technology intersects a number of other issues, so you and the fellow can work together to determine a portfolio that works best for everyone.