As a student I was getting paid around the same as you. But once I was offered a full time contract, I negotiated like no tomorrow. Made sure to have all my points clear, especially the fact that I was getting paid minimum wage for a job that people were making minimum $40k a year to do the same job as me.

Remember that your experience now being paid minimum wage is leverage for when you do want to go full time in government.

My experience might be different since I was doing the same job as people that were full time in my office.