The federal government offers many opportunities for internships, fellowships, and work experiences. However, there is no single centralized source for finding information on every opportunity. This report describes prominent and popular internet resources for such opportunities and gives applicants a place to begin their search. The internet resources provided are not exhaustive. Applying for an internship or fellowship is similar to applying for admission to a college or university. The application process takes time and effort, often requiring essays and interviews. In pursuit of success, applicants typically begin their search early and explore what best suits their interests and career goals. Application deadlines and program durations vary from agency to agency. Applicants often apply to more than one program because competition is stiff, with the number of applicants often far exceeding the number of positions available. Opportunities are generally available in the spring, summer, and fall, with summer positions being the most popular and competitive. The terms fellowship and internship are sometimes used interchangeably in the names of specific programs. Fellowships are generally intended for persons with advanced degrees or substantial professional experience and are usually salaried positions lasting nine months to a year or more. Internships, which are either salaried or volunteer short-term arrangements, usually require relatively little experience and are often filled by students. Although they are sometimes confused with interns, congressional pages are high school students who serve Congress as messengers. The House page program ceased operations in August 2011, while the Senate still employs pages. For more information on the Senate page program, see its website at https://www.senate.gov/reference/reference_index_subjects/Pages/vrd.htm . The duties, responsibilities, and salaries (if any) of interns and fellows vary from program to program. Most program responsibilities are substantive in nature and often involve challenging projects. They may range from conducting legislative research for a congressional office to biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health. Some programs or universities that offer academic credit may require the intern or fellow to produce a report on the work experience and obtain evaluations from program supervisors. In addition, some programs lead to federal job placement. Recruitment programs like Presidential Management Fellows and the Congressional Research Service Graduate Recruit Program may offer permanent employment after the successful completion of program requirements. Because program details vary from agency to agency, it is best to consult the appropriate website or to contact the program office directly. The federal government's official web portal provides an A-Z list of all federal agencies and departments. https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/a USA.gov also offers a "Federal Government Jobs" website. http://www.usa.gov/government-jobs The Go Government website, an initiative of a nonprofit organization, the Partnership for Public Service, promotes careers in the federal government. The Student and Entry Level Talent portion of the website includes information on more than 200 federal internship programs and provides tips on creating a federal resume and on navigating the federal hiring process. http://gogovernment.org/government_careers/students_entry-level_talent.php The students and graduates section of the official U.S. federal government employment website provides students with information on various educational opportunities available within the federal government, including internships, fellowships, apprenticeships, and cooperative programs, as well as a list of federal occupations by college major. https://www.usajobs.gov/studentsandgrads OPM administers the government-wide Pathways Programs, which are composed of two fairly new programs—the Internship Program and the Recent Graduates Program—and the existing Presidential Management Fellows Program. The website includes program fact sheets and a FAQs section. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/ Federal agencies that participate in the Pathways Programs include the Department of Housing and Urban Development, General Service Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services. The Pathways Programs at agencies have specific information on their employee websites, such as the Department of State at http://careers.state.gov/work/pathways and NASA at http://nasajobs.nasa.gov/studentopps/Pathways.htm . The Internship Program is for students attending high schools, community colleges, four-year universities, trade schools, career and technical education programs, and other qualifying educational institutions. The program provides paid opportunities to explore federal careers while still in school. Participants must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a qualifying educational program. The Internship Program replaces the Student Career Experience Program and the Student Temporary Employment Program. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/#url=intern The Recent Graduates Program offers paid one-year developmental assignments for individuals who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions or programs with developmental experiences in the federal government. Participants must have obtained a qualifying degree or completed a qualifying career or technical education program within the preceding two years. Veterans applying to the program who are unable to qualify within the two-year period due to military service may apply within six years of obtaining a qualifying degree or completing a qualifying program. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/#url=graduates The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program was created to attract outstanding persons from many academic disciplines to the federal government who are interested in, and committed to careers in, the analysis and management of public policies and programs. Applicants must have received, within the preceding two years, a qualifying advanced degree as determined by OPM. Fellows serve a two-year appointment. https://www.pmf.gov Intended for young professionals who have demonstrated academic excellence, this program places recipients in Cabinet-level agencies, the Executive Office of the President, the Vice President's office, or in smaller federal agencies. This is a one-year program. Fellows make domestic and foreign trips to study U.S. policy and take part in roundtable discussions with leaders from the private and public sectors. Applicants must have finished their undergraduate degrees and be working in their chosen fields. A related program, Presidential Innovation Fellows, deploys "Innovation Fellows" to work on technical innovation projects in various federal agencies for one year. https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/fellows/ https://presidentialinnovationfellows.gov/ This program provides unpaid opportunities to learn more about the daily processes of the White House. The competitive program selects about 100 interns every spring, summer, and fall. Each applicant must be a U.S. citizen, 18 years old on or by the first day of the internship, and enrolled in (or recently graduated from) a college or university. Also eligible are recently discharged military veterans with a high school diploma or equivalent. https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/internships/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/internships/selection-process/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/internships/presidential-departments/ The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a part of the Pathway Programs. Students and recent graduates are offered opportunities to work as interns in fields such as agriculture, science, technology, math, environmental studies, management, and business. Students work as assistants to scientific, professional, administrative, and technical employees. USDA also participates in the Vets to Feds Intern Program (V2F) for student veterans. https://www.dm.usda.gov/employ/student/seo-pathways-programs.htm http://www.dm.usda.gov/employ/student/index.htm The Department of Commerce, also part of the Pathways Programs, offers a variety of paid and unpaid programs, including Census Postsecondary Internships and a Workforce Recruitment Program for college students with disabilities. Commerce bureaus and offices with internship programs include the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Census Bureau, and the Patent and Trademark Office. https://hr.commerce.gov/Careers/StudentCareerOpportunities/index.htm http://www.hr.commerce.gov/careers/studentcareeropportunities In addition to participating in the Pathways Programs, the Department of Defense's (DOD's) "Student Opportunities" website provides details on opportunities such as the Financial Management Trainee Program and internships with the Human Resources Directorate and the Washington Headquarters Services. Programs can range from 10 weeks to full-time employment. http://godefense.cpms.osd.mil/student_opportunities.aspx DOD's STEM Internship program allows high school and college students the opportunity to engage in hands-on research and gain experience at DOD laboratories and facilities. The website provides details on various internship opportunities with the Air Force, the NSA, the Navy, and the Army in the fields of cybersecurity, computer science, business, science, engineering, and mathematics. https://dodstem.us/stem-programs/internships The Department of Education offers internships in several departmental offices, such as Elementary and Secondary Education, Civil Rights, and Leadership and Teacher Development. These unpaid internships are available year-round. To qualify, students must be enrolled in a high school, trade school, technical or vocational institute, junior college, college, university, or other accredited educational institution. http://www.ed.gov/students/prep/job/intern/index.html The Department of Energy (DOE) recruits interns to research positions at DOE labs.