Purposeful Occupation: Legislative Page Programs

Teens can apply to work as special assistants in the U.S. Senate and state legislatures.

U.S. Capitol building (Gagan Cambow via Pexels)

Children don’t need to wait around to grow up or until they graduate from high school to begin training for their future. With Purposeful Occupation, I will periodically share about programs and camps I hear about that could be beneficial to children and teens as they grow into the future leaders of our country.

You may not know it, but the U.S. Senate and state legislatures run page programs each semester where high school students work as special assistants to legislators.

If your teenager is interested in the U.S. Senate Page Program, he/she will need to apply through your U.S. senator’s office. The program is open to juniors who are 16 or 17 (for the summer programs, students must have completed their sophomore year). Only 30 pages are chosen for each program session, so it’s quite competitive.

Application deadlines apply, and the process can vary from office to office. Students selected for Fall or Spring semesters will live at the Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence on Capitol Hill and also attend the United States Senate Page School to take classes typical for high school juniors before their workday begins. Pages also receive a salary.

If your teen would like a program that’s shorter and closer to home, he/she should see if your state legislature offers a program. Here is a helpful list from the National Conference of State Legislatures that lists programs and contact information by state.

If this sparks an interest in your teen and he/she eventually secures a position as a page, I’d love to hear about it!