Education
An individual who needs to complete less than the equivalent of half an academic/vocational or technical course-load immediately prior to graduating is still considered a student for the purposes of this Program.
The Pathways Internship Program targets students accepted for enrollment or currently enrolled in a qualifying educational program in an accredited institution, on a full or half-time basis with paid opportunities to work in agencies and explore Federal careers while still in school.
Applicants must meet the definition of "student" in order to be considered for this opportunity. Internship appointments under the Internship Experience Program (IEP) are non-temporary and can last the duration of the student's academic program. This will be determined at the time of selection.
At the successful conclusion of the program, interns may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a Federal career or career-conditional position in the competitive service.
Conversions to the competitive service are not guaranteed.
Pathways candidates must meet the DOS qualification standards applicable to the position being filled. All applicants must meet the qualifications by the closing date of this announcement.
Cumulative GPA of 2.0 at time of application and must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA throughout the entire Pathways Internship appointment;
Degree does not have to be related to the position/series; however to be eligible, candidate must meet the OPM qualification standards for the position to which the Intern may be converted.
Certificate Requirements:
Undergraduate certificates must contain a minimum of 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours.
Graduate certificates must contain a minimum of 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours.
For study at a business or technical school, 36 weeks of study (20+ classroom hours per week) is comparable to 1 academic year above high school.
The Department of State no longer accepts certificates that are credited with Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence at the time of application. Late submissions of proof of accreditation will not be accepted. Click on the link for a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials.
Student means an individual accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) in a qualifying educational institution, on a full or half-time basis (as defined by the institution in which the student is enrolled), including awardees of the Harry S. Truman Foundation Scholarship Program under Public Law 93-842. Students need not be in actual physical attendance, so long as all other requirements are met. An individual who needs to complete less than the equivalent of half an academic/vocational or technical course-load immediately prior to graduating is still considered a student for purposes of this Program.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Candidates will be evaluated based solely on basic eligibility requirements using agency-developed or OPM Qualification standards.
Your application will be evaluated and rated under the Category Rating and Selection procedures. Based on your responses to the self-assessment questions, eligible candidates are placed for selection consideration into one of three pre-defined quality categories as described below:
Highly-qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications for the position, candidates must fully demonstrate proficiency in all major aspects of the position.
Well Qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in some, but not all of the major aspects of the position.
Qualified Category - In addition to meeting minimum qualifications, applicants must demonstrate a basic level of knowledge, skill and ability of the position.
Application of Veterans Preference: The Category Rating Method does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three," but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each pre-defined quality category. Preference eligibles who meet minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent (i.e., CPS and CP) must be listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher.
Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements and submit any required supporting documentation by the closing date of this announcement. Applicants found to be among the top qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring official for further consideration and possible interview.
In accordance with the Office of Personnel Management policy, for undergraduate level education, successfully completed education is credited based on its relationship to 120 semester hours or 180 quarter hours. For example, 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours is comparable to 1 year of undergraduate education.
An academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 academic year of full-time study. This determination is made based on normal course loads for a full year of study in the graduate program. If that information is not provided by the applicant, 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours will be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. For applicants that have completed more than 1 year of education in a graduate program, advanced degree, or certificate program, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide documentation from the institution in order to establish the length of their academic program to be used to project their expected graduation date.
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