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U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education

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Intern Quotes

The Department of Education (ED) offers internships for students and recent graduates interested in seeking valuable work experience in government and federal education, policy, and administration. Program participants have the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to the Department’s mission to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.

ED offers internships in the fall/winter, spring, and summer. The length of time that an intern is with the Department is based on the internship program that they are participating in and/or circumstances. Please read the programs information below.

### Types of Internship Programs

#### Student Volunteer Trainee Program:

An eight to ten week program that offers volunteer opportunities to students enrolled in accredited educational institutions. Students who participate in the program will gain educational experience in their field of study or career interest and will develop personal and professional skills.

ED offers internships in the fall, winter/spring, and summer. Depending on circumstances, program opportunities may be reduced or extended.

#### Pathways Programs:

**Internship Program** – provides students who are enrolled in or accepted for enrollment in a wide variety of qualifying educational institutions with paid opportunities to work either part- or full-time in agencies and explore career paths related to their academic fields of study or career interests.

**Recent Graduates Program** – a one-year developmental program that promotes careers in the Federal Government to recent graduates.

**Presidential Management Fellows (PMFs) Program** – a two-year leadership development program for advanced degree (i.e. Masters, PH.D., etc.) candidates who demonstrate academic excellence, possess management and leadership potential, and have a clear interest in and commitment to public service.

Please note that availability of internships within given offices varies throughout the year. Some offices require specialized subject knowledge to qualify, and some programs have a positive education requirement.

In addition, **Pathways Programs** positions *may* be non-competitively converted to a permanent position; however, conversions are not mandatory or guaranteed.

For additional information on the Pathways Programs, please click  here.

### Types of Internship Opportunities

 The Department works to tailor each intern’s experience to the interests and skills of the student against the needs of the Department Program Offices. ED offers internship opportunities in the following areas:
                - Human Resources Management;
                - Education Policies;
                - Data Analytics;
                - Project Management;
                - Training and Development;
                - Grants Management;
                - Communications;
                - Information Technology; and
                - A host of other areas.

ED offers internship opportunities in the fall, winter, spring, and summer. The duration of ED’s internship opportunities can vary depending on the program that the student or recent graduate is participating in. See below for typical program durations:
                - Student Volunteer Trainees  – eight to ten weeks (the length of the program can be reduced or extended depending on circumstances.)
                - Pathways Interns not-to-exceed (NTE) (temporary appointment)  – a current student who has been appointed to the internship program for an initial period that is not expected to last more than one year. However, appointment can be extended in 1-year increments if the student continues to meet the program requirements.
                - Pathways Interns (indefinite appointment)  – a current student who has been appointed to the internship program for an initial period that is expected to last more than one year.
                - Pathways Recent Graduates  – 1-year program
                - Pathways PMF  – 2-year program 

#### Activities for ED Student and Recent Graduates 

In addition to the opportunities within their offices, students and recent graduates are encouraged to participate in ED-sponsored intern events, such as but not limited to:
                - Brownbag lunch series with senior ED officials.
                - Tours of D.C. landmarks.
                - Professional development and resume-writing workshops.
                - Social activities.

Interning at ED makes it easy to take advantage of the Department's location in the heart of the nation's capital.

### The Application Process

Please note that, for all programs, the dates listed below are approximate. Based on a student's or recent graduate’s availability, internships can begin or end before or after the dates indicated below. Some programs can last up to 1-year or more or less.

Also, please be aware that you may not receive correspondence from our office until after the submission deadline has expired. You will be contacted via e-mail in regard to the status of your application.

In order to apply for an internship opportunity at ED, applicants must:

#### Student Trainee Volunteers

##### Eligibility

                - Be at least 16 years of age;
                - Attend an accredited educational institution, including but not limited to; high school, trade school, technical or vocational institute, junior college, college, university, or graduate school;
                A recent graduate is ineligible to apply unless he/she can provide confirmed proof of future enrollment.

                - Have permission from the institution at which he/she is currently enrolled to participate in internship program; and
                - Be enrolled not less than half time in a course of study related to the work to be performed.
                - International Applicants:  Individuals who are not U.S. citizens, but who reside in the U.S., may volunteer (1) if they are lawful permanent residents; or (2) if they are non-immigrant aliens with F-1 or J-1 visa status, who are bona fide students residing in the U.S. solely to pursue a course of study at a recognized, approved institution of education, or (3) have deferred action (DACA) status. All foreign national intern applicants will be required to meet the following criteria for consideration:
                Must have resided in the United States for three (3) out of the last five (5) years. This ensures an adequate background investigation can be completed.
Must either be a Lawful Legal Resident of the United States or hold a valid F1 Visa.
Must be a citizen from a country that is allied with the United States. A current list of allied nations can be located at:
 http://www.state.gov/s/l/treaty/collectivedefense/
.
A requisite investigation must be conducted on all non-U.S. citizen interns. All investigation materials must be submitted and approval granted by the Office of Finance and Operations (OFO) Personnel Security Office prior to commencing the internship.
The following forms will be needed for a complete package: SF-85P, OF-306, Fingerprinting (Digital or Ink), and Fair Credit Release, Resume (if applicable)
Additionally, the Cyber Security and Privacy Awareness Training module must be completed, and certificate received, before approval to start will be granted.
Meet Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Federal Information Processing Standard 201 (FIPS 201-2) pre-employment requirements for PIV ID issuance.
Interns must present two (original) forms of identification, prior to badge issuance, for identity proofing. Acceptable documents are listed on Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification (pg.9). At least one submitted document must be a valid State or Federal government-issued picture ID. Identity proofing may be completed at any time, prior to the commencement of work.

##### How to Apply

**All available internship opportunities that are currently being offered at ED will be announced via the www.usajobs.gov website. All interested applicants should search for ED internship opportunities and apply there.**

##### Student Volunteer Timeline

                - Fall
                Dates of program: September through December
Application open and close: May 1st - July 31st

                - Winter/Spring
                Dates of program: January through May
Application open and close: September 1st - November 30th

                - Summer
                Dates of program: May/June through July/August
Application open and close: January 1st - March 31st

Note: Applicants who are interested in internships with the Office of General Counsel (OGC) please click here. For candidates interested in internships with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) please click here. If you are also interested in internships outside of OGC or OCR, you will need to submit a separate application following the instructions listed above. All interns, including those selected by OGC and OCR will be included in the internship programming.

Interns usually work 20 to 40 hours per week during the spring and fall terms and full-time during the summer session. While these timeframes work best for most students, all scheduling, including start/end dates and hours per week, is flexible and can be negotiated between the candidate and his or her office during the interview stage of the selection process.

If you have any questions, please email StudentVolunteers@ed.gov

#### Pathways Internship

##### Eligibility

                - Be at least 16 years of age;
                - Be accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a degree or certificate in a qualifying educational institution on a half- to full-time basis (as determined by the educational institution);
                - Meet the definition of a student throughout the duration of your appointment;
                - Meet ED’s requirements as specified in the Pathways Internship Participant Agreement; and
                - Meet the qualification standards (e.g., series and grade) of the internship position in which he/she is applying.

##### How to Apply

**All available internship opportunities that are currently being offered at ED will be announced via the www.usajobs.gov website. All interested applicants should search for ED internship opportunities and apply there.**

##### Pathways Internship Timeline

                - Summer
                Start dates of program: May/June; can last up to 1-year or longer
Application open and close: February 15th and will be open for five days with an application limit of 200.

                - Fall
                Start dates of program: September/ October; can last up to 1-year or longer
Application open and close: June 15th and will be open for five days with application limit of 200.

If you have any questions, please email Pathways@ed.gov.

#### Pathways Recent Graduate

##### Eligibility

                - Be at least 16 years of age;
                - Have obtained a qualifying Associates, Bachelor’s, Master’s, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution, within the previous two years or other applicable period.
                - Meet the qualification requirements for the position and must submit all required documentation as specified in the vacancy announcement.

Veterans (as defined in 5 USC 2108) who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation begin their two-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for a veteran in this case cannot exceed six years from the date on which the veteran completed his or her degree or certification.

##### How to Apply

**All available internship opportunities that are currently being offered at ED will be announced via the www.usajobs.gov website. All interested applicants should search for ED internship opportunities and apply there.**

##### Pathways Recent Graduates Timeline

                - Summer
                Start dates of program: June/July; 1-year program
Application open and close: April 15th and will be open for five days with an application limit of 200.

                - Fall
                Start dates of program: September/ October; 1-year program
Application open and close: June 15th and will be open for five days with an application limit of 200.

If you have any questions, please email Pathways@ed.gov.

#### Pathways Presidential Management Fellows (PMFs)

##### Eligibility

                - Be at least 16 years of age;
                - An individual is eligible to apply for the PMF Program if he/she obtained an advanced degree within the two-year period preceding OPM’s PMF Program announcement or the individual is still a student attending a qualifying educational institution and is scheduled to complete a qualifying advanced degree by August 31 of the academic year in which the competition is held.
                - An individual may apply for the PMF Program more than once as long as he/she meets the eligibility criteria.
                - If an individual becomes a finalist and subsequently applies for the Program during the next open announcement, the individual will forfeit his/her status as a finalist.
                - OPM will select Fellow finalists based on an OPM evaluation of each candidate's experience and accomplishments according to his/her application and the results of a rigorous structured assessment process.
                - OPM will publish and provide ED the Fellow finalists list for appointment consideration.

##### How to Apply

All available PMF appointment, rotational, and training opportunities that are currently being offered at ED will be announced via the **PMF Talent Management System (TMS)**. Such opportunities are exclusively for current Finalists and Fellows only. Finalists will use the PMF TMS to search for available PMF appointment opportunities and Fellows will use it to search for rotational opportunities.

All interested applicants should search for ED PMF opportunities and apply there.

For information on how to become a PMF, please visit the PMF website for information on the "Application Process".

OPM announces the opportunity to apply for the PMF Program.

For more information regarding the PMF Program, please visit: https://pmf.gov/.

If you have any additional questions, please email Pathways@ed.gov.

Student and Recent Graduates Internship ProgramU.S. Department of EducationWashington, DC 20202

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