Freshman Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, and her staff are still getting the new office up and running. This means, of course, working within a budget.

Hence, someone in the office posted an ad for an unpaid legislative fellowship.

“Freshman Democratic Member seeks an organized, energetic and savvy Legislative Fellow to start immediately,” the ad states. “The Fellow will have a range of duties including monitoring legislative developments within Committees and on the House floor; developing and advancing legislation and other policy priorities of the Member, contributing to floor speeches and other external communications, researching and advising the Member on bills and other issues, and drafting constituent correspondence.”

We know what you’re thinking: That fellowship sounds like a job, and that job has the title “legislative assistant.”

HOH called Beatty’s office and spoke with Chief of Staff Kimberly Ross. After a befuddling exchange in which Ross thought HOH was applying for the fellowship and jumping the queue of other job seekers by contacting her directly, she said she hadn’t seen the ad in question. She did confirm the office is seeking a fellow.

After reviewing the matter, Ross said a junior staffer placed the listing and created the Gmail account, spicing it up to make it sound appealing. It has since been taken down.

Beatty also said the office doesn’t have an official fellowship program but hopes to hire a fellow from the many around the Washington area.

“There are so many fellowship programs,” she said. “[The fellows] want the experience of having to work on the Hill,” she said.

The office currently has five paid staffers and interns. It does not have a communications director.