The City Hall Fellows program is designed primarily for recent college graduates who have not yet attended graduate school. For the Class of 2009-2010, City Hall Fellows is accepting applications from persons who earned a bachelor’s degree in 2007 or after. Applicants need not have earned their bachelor’s degree before applying, but must earn a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution prior to their fellowship start date.

Applicants from all majors and academic disciplines will be considered and are encouraged to apply. Fellows are expected to possess the following characteristics: (i) academic achievement, (ii) written and oral communication skills, (iii) leadership potential and ability, (iv) dedication to contributing to society; and (v) an entrepreneurial spirit appropriate for participating in the very first year of an exciting new program. While there is no GPA cut-off, the fellowship is competitive. Additionally, preference is given to applicants who have a demonstrated connection to the city for which they are applying.

In 2008-2009, the City of Houston and the City and County of San Francisco hosted City Hall Fellows programs. City Hall Fellows expects to run programs in those two cities in 2009-2010, and to add more host cities in future years.

In 2008-2009, 21 Fellows were selected -- 10 were placed in Houston and 11 in San Francisco. We anticipate that comparable numbers of Fellows will be selected for 2009-2010.

Applicants must designate on their application form which city they are applying for.

Yes. In order to be considered for both cities, submit five copies each of two complete application packages, including all attachments. While the bulk of the two different applications will be the same, applicants will be required to explain why each city is important to you, and what contribution you hope to make to each city. Interview invitations not be extended to the same applicant for both cities, and it will not be possible to switch cities at that point. Do not apply for both cities unless you want to work in each.

No. But you will be asked on the application to explain why you have chosen the city you are applying for. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate a strong connection to the city they apply for.

No. You can only apply to be a Fellow in a City Hall Fellows host city. In 2009-2010, the City of Houston and the City and County of San Francisco are expected to be the only cities hosting City Hall Fellows programs. City Hall Fellows expects to add more host cities in future years.

Persons who have earned or are in the process of earning graduate degrees may apply for the fellowship so long as they earned their bachelor’s degree within 2 years of their fellowship start date. However, applicants who are in the middle of a graduate degree program must be prepared to take a year sabbatical from their graduate studies to participate in City Hall Fellows. Fellows may not attend graduate school during the fellowship. The compensation package is the same for all Fellows in a city, regardless of whether or not they earn a graduate degree before beginning their fellowship term.

City Hall Fellows has a two-stage application process: a written application followed by finalist interviews. Select applicants are invited to participate in ½-day in-person interviews in their potential host cities. The application cycle for the 2009-2010 class will open January 1. The application will be posted at the end of December. To be notified when the application is posted, please enter your contact information into the form on the “Become a Fellow” page.

Current Fellows will participate in a limited amount of recruiting activities, including some local events in each city and webinars. Those events will be posted on our recruiting calendar page as they are scheduled. However, the fellowship is too demanding to allow them time to speak one-on-one with applicants.

No. Fellows will be selected for cities, not for specific city agencies. You may only apply to a specific city. During the fellowship orientation, Fellows will learn about the specific work placements available and will be matched to those positions based upon their interest, skills and rapport with the position supervisor. However, there is no guarantee that, even if selected for a fellowship, you will be matched to your first-choice city agency. Therefore, if you strongly desire to work for a particular city agency, we encourage you to apply for a regular position within that agency.

Please see the "About the Fellows" page for the list of agencies currently hosting fellows. Different agencies may be involved next year.

The deadline for the 2009-2010 program year will be February 27. To be notified of when the application is posted, sign up for our mailing list (on our home page).

The complete application will be posted on or before January 1, 2009 on City Hall Fellows’ website. Applicants must submit 5 complete hard copies of the application package (including the cover page, short essays, an unofficial transcript, and one recommendation) so that it arrives at the City Hall Fellows office on or before February 27, 2009. Please collate and staple each copy of the application package – e.g. your submission should include 5 separate complete, stapled, collated applications. We encourage, but do not require, double-sided printing for the application form and essays.

We will not accept electronic applications via e-mail. Five paper copies of your complete application package must arrive by the deadline in order for your application to be considered.

Invitations for interviews are expected to be extended in early spring – likely by mid-late March, with interviews taking place in early April. The exact interview dates for the 2009-2010 class will be posted later this year.

The interview is an extremely important part of the Fellow selection process. Consequently, applicants are expected to make every effort to attend the interview in person in the city for which they applied. In the rare case where personal attendance would constitute a severe personal or financial hardship, City Hall Fellows will consider requests for telephonic interviews. Instructions on the process for requesting alternative arrangements will be provided at the time interview invitations are extended.

CHF expects to notify all finalists of their status within 10-14 days after their interviews. In 2008-2009, persons offered fellowships were notified during the week of April 7, 2008. Persons invited to be Fellows must commit within twenty-one days of being notified of their selection or their invitation to be a Fellow may be rescinded. In addition, a limited number of finalists will be selected for a waitlist. We will notify waitlisted finalists as soon as we are able to offer a Fellowship or when the Fellowship Class is officially full.

The fellowship year starts at the beginning of August. The 2009-2010 fellowship year will start on Monday, August 3, 2009. All Fellows must be available to report to work in their host city that day.

The fellowship lasts twelve months - from August through July. The 2009-2010 City Hall Fellows program will run from August 3, 2009 through July 30, 2010. Fellows are required to be available for full-time employment in their host city during this entire period.

The City Hall Fellows fellowship is an intensive, full-time experience. It has two primary components:

Work Placement: Each Fellow will be placed in a single city office working directly for a senior-level city official during the course of their fellowship year. Fellows serve as full-time staffers and perform work that is critical to the mission of their host agencies. Fellows will be matched to their work placements during a 3-week fellowship Orientation and will begin working at their placements promptly after Orientation. Each placement will allow Fellows one afternoon off each week to participate in the Civic Leadership Development Program. See the 2008-2009 Fellows page for a list of the placements filled by the current class.

Civic Leadership Development Program: City Hall Fellows' proprietary Civic Leadership Development Program teaches Fellows how cities, local governments and metropolitan regions function, why they function as they do, and how citizens can change them for the better -- all in ways that are relevant to Fellows' own on-the-job experiences. The Program is divided into four phases: Orientation, Structure of Local Government Functions of Local Government and Creating Public Policy. As part of this Program, Fellows will visit their state capital and convene in Washington, D.C. with other City Hall Fellows from around the country. The Civic Leadership Development Program spans the entire fellowship year.

No. The City Hall Fellows experience is extremely intensive. Fellows will not have time for outside employment during their fellowship.

No. The City Hall Fellows experience is extremely intensive. Fellows will not have time to attend school during their fellowship.

Yes. But you may not begin studying in a graduate degree program until after your fellowship ends. The 2009-2010 fellowship year is expected to run through the end of July, 2010.

As part of the Civic Leadership Development Program, Fellows are required to travel to their state capital and to Washington, D.C. While most work placements are not expected to require substantial travel, Fellows will be expected to undertake travel appropriate to their jobs when and if requested by their work supervisors.

Fellows will be paid a reasonable entry-level salary, commensurate with the local cost of living in their host city. Compensation may vary by locale. Within each city, the compensation package is the same for all Fellows, regardless of their academic degrees, prior experience or city work placements.

Fellows will be provided basic health benefits.

Fellows will get a reasonable number of personal days similar to the number of days given to regular new employees of their host cities. However, Fellows are expected to attend all Civic Leadership Development Program sessions and to plan their vacations accordingly. Fellows may not take vacation during any part of Orientation or during the trips to the state capital and Washington, DC.

No. Fellows are expected to secure their own accommodations.

Please send an email to apply@cityhallfellows.org. Our staff will endeavor to respond to you within 3 business days.