The Internship Program is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with opportunities to work in agencies and explore Federal careers while still in school and while getting paid for the work performed. These Student Trainee positions will be filled as Intern not-to-exceed appointments.
Please see the Requirements - Education section to receive contact information for questions.
Summary
The Internship Program is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with opportunities to work in agencies and explore Federal careers while still in school and while getting paid for the work performed. These Student Trainee positions will be filled as Intern not-to-exceed appointments.
Please see the Requirements - Education section to receive contact information for questions.
Students who have been accepted for enrollment, or who are enrolled at least half-time, in an accredited high school, accredited home school, Dept. of Labor Job Corps Center, Forest Service Job Corps Center, Community College, professional, technical, vocational, or trade school pursuing a qualifying degree or certificate.
Receives training in the principles, concepts, work processes, and regulations of one or more functional areas of the Forest Service.
Work assignments are usually clear-cut and designed to provide experience in a variety of activities.
On a scheduled basis, following the Pathways Participant Agreement, receives assignments in various Forest Service functions to gain an understanding of the various program concepts and operations.
Develops an understanding of the total mission as well as organizational/functional interrelationships and develop a foundation for more specialized application of knowledge gained from on-the-job training assignments.
Receives formal and on-the-job training in OPM, Department of Agriculture and Forest Service policies, rules, regulations, and procedures.
Is instructed on use of personal computers, and file and data management.
Must be at least 16 years of age and meet education requirements.
Must be suitable for Federal employment as determined by a background investigation.
Must be a U.S. Citizen or National at the time of non-competitive conversion to a term or permanent position in the competitive service.
Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.
The incumbents of Internship positions may be reassigned/relocated to any geographical location where the employee's services are needed as determined by management. Mobility agreement may be required.
Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
A signed participant agreement is required for employment under Pathways.
Complete at least 640 hours of work experience prior to graduation
Maintain Pathways program eligibility for the duration of the appointment.
Must be in good academic standing as defined by the educational institution.
Must be enrolled at least half-time in a qualifying educational institution seeking a degree or certificate.
May be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period.
Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE.
The candidate's academic and career goals must be related to the position that they are appointed to.
Qualifications
You are required to meet the eligibility requirements of the Internship program, as described below in order to be considered for this position. You must meet all the eligibility and qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, go to: General Student Trainee Series 0099 (opm.gov)
INTERNSHIP PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY: Applicants must meet Pathways Intern Program Eligibility Requirements as shown below by the closing date of the announcement. *Spring 2023 graduates will be required to provide proof of continued enrollment in the form of transcripts, acceptance letter or other appropriate documentation for Summer 2023 or Fall 2023 at the time of tentative selection. If no proof of continued enrollment is provided at that time, you will no longer be eligible for this internship.
You must meet the definition of a student that is, be currently enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a high school, accredited home school, Job Corps Center, an accredited technical or vocational school, two-year or four-year college or university, graduate, or professional school. You must be taking at least a half-time academic course load leading to a degree or certificate. A certificate program is defined as a post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum.
Applicants must be seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) and be in good academic standing (GPA of 2.0 or equivalent) to qualify for the intern program and to stay throughout the duration of their intern program. *If your school uses an alternate grading system, you must submit proof and explanation of the grading system with your application or you will not be considered for this position.
Position Qualifications: Applicants must meet position qualifications requirements as shown below at the time of appointment. Entrance on duty dates for appointment may be made as early as Spring of 2023. The agency must be able to verify that the education was completed successfully before the applicant can be appointed.
Basic Requirement for Eligibility: The minimum qualification requirements for each grade level of this vacancy announcement are described below. Note: One full academic year of undergraduate; graduate; vocational; trades; technical or high school is the number of credit hours by the college, university, or school to represent one year of full-time study.
GS-02: Enrollment in a high school, accredited home school, or Job Corps center, or completion of high school or possession of a GED diploma and acceptance into an accredited technical or vocational school, two-year or four-year college or university, graduate, or professional school.
Optional Generalized experience for qualification:
Applicants who are current high school, accredited home school, or Job Corps center students may qualify based on 3 months of generalized experience performing duties in a business, volunteer, or home setting such as sorting mail, answering phones, weeding a garden, retail food preparation, gardening, or manual labor.
Education
Education completed in foreign colleges and universities may be used if it has been accredited or evaluated by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. All academic degrees or course work must be completed in an educational institution that has obtained accreditation from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meets this criteria, see http://www.ed.gov/.
Transcripts: You must submit a copy of your transcripts or high school diploma/GED certificate as proof that you meet the educational requirements for the grade to which you are applying. You may submit unofficial copies of transcripts at the initial phase of the application process; however, if selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entrance-on-duty. See "Required Documents" section for more details.
Selecting the "Location Negotiable after Selection" option in addition to selecting your preferred specific duty locations, implies your willingness to accept positions to alternative duty locations that may or may not have been indicated in this announcement. Selecting this duty location option may increase your chances of receiving an offer.
The applicant should expect that these are all primarily field going positions, with a significant amount of physically challenging field work in natural resource settings. This could involve use of Forest Service vehicles, tools, and Personal Protective Equipment; hiking, exposure to weather extremes and wildlife, and in some cases, working extended hours or shifts, evening work and/or spending some nights at remote locations. These are developmental positions. Some require the appointee to sign a mobility agreement, requiring relocation after the initial developmental period.
Government Housing: May be available.
Daycare Availability: Forest Service daycare facilities are not available.
This is an Excepted Service appointment. This announcement will be used to fill full-time or part-time temporary summer student internship positions for work that is short-term, of a project-oriented nature, or of similarly limited duration. An extension of the appointment may be possible without further competition when the student intern remains eligible for the program. The appointment may also end early due to lack of work or funds.
Training/IDP: This position requires 40 hours of formal, interactive training. An Individual Development Plan (IDP) must be completed and approved by the supervisor within 45 days of appointment.
Student Interns must continue to meet the Pathways Program requirements throughout the duration of the appointment. Incumbents will be required to provide proof of continued enrollment and good standing (cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale) each semester or grading period throughout the internship program. Failure to do so may result in termination of the appointment.
Program Requirements: Pathways Interns NTE may be converted to a term, career-conditional or career appointment before expiration of the original NTE appointment if that date is within 120 days of the completion of post-secondary degree requirements provided all other requirements for conversion have been met; however, conversion is not guaranteed. To be eligible for conversion, the Intern must meet the following:
Must be a U.S. Citizen at the time of non-competitive conversion to a term or permanent position.
Complete at least 640 hours of work experience acquired through the Internship program prior to graduation.
Complete a degree or certificate program from a qualifying post-secondary educational institution.
Receive a favorable recommendation by supervisor.
Meet the OPM Qualification Standards for the position to which the Intern may be converted. Conversion is not guaranteed and is based on the needs of the agency.
Meet any agency specific requirements as outlined in the Participant Agreement.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
For GS-02: Please note, these positions are targeted toward students finishing education in a high school, home school, Job Corps center, or in the beginning of their undergraduate/certificate education in an accredited community college, university, college, or technical or vocational school.
Entrance on duty dates for appointment may be made as early as Spring of 2023.
Spring 2023 graduates will be required to provide proof of continued enrollment for Fall 2023. If no proof of continued enrollment is provided, you will be deemed ineligible for an internship.
Before you submit an application for any of our vacancies, you should completely review the announcement and requirements. You should only apply for positions if you meet the required minimum qualifications AND program requirements described in the announcement. Do not apply to a duty location if you are not willing to accept or travel to that location.
If you have reviewed the announcement and believe that you meet both the minimum qualifications and the program requirements, you should document your experience and education in your resume. Since traditional resumes do not provide all the information needed to determine your status, you should create a more detailed resume to use when applying to Federal positions.
If you meet the eligibility requirements of the Internship program and the basic minimum requirements established for the position, you may be referred to the selecting official for consideration. Qualified individuals with veteran's preference are listed ahead of applicants who do not have veteran's preference.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
The following documents must be submitted for your application package to be considered complete. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents are received within the required timeframes. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, system failure or downtime, etc. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
1. Cover letter - optional (one page maximum)
2. Resume that includes the following information: 1) job information for which you are applying; 2) contact information; 3) education; 4) work experience including the work schedule and hours worked per week as well as dates of employment; and title, series and grade, if applicable; 5) supervisors phone number and e-mail address for each work period listed and whether or not we may contact them for reference checks; 6) References; 7) other qualifications; and 8) graduation date (actual or anticipated).
3. Transcripts - An unofficial copy is sufficient; however, if selected, an official transcript will be required prior to entering on duty. Transcripts, both unofficial and official, MUST include the student's full name, name of the school, current GPA/academic standing, past and current coursework, and degree program. If your school does not provide transcripts or the transcript does not provide all the necessary information listed above, you should include additional academic documentation from the school that meets the requirements above. This additional documentation may include a letter from the school's registrar's office or official enrollment verification. Education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university. Foreign education must be evaluated by an approved organization. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at http://www.ed.gov. All transcripts must be in English or include English translation.
4. Acceptance letter - If you have recently graduated or are expected to graduate in the current or next term you must also include an official acceptance letter along with your transcripts to verify you are continuing your education.
5. If claiming veteran's preference, you must submit a DD-214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty, you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
If claiming 10-point veteran's preference you must provide a Certificate of Release or Discharge of Active Duty (DD-214), which shows the dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions or certification requirements (see information above), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on veterans' preference see http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/
NOTE: You may update your application package for an open announcement. Log in to your USAJOBS account. Follow the USAJOBS prompts to navigate to your application package. If you have added or replaced a document(s), you must click on the Documents link at the top of the page then choose the document(s) from the Available Documents drop-down list.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Please view Tips for Applicants - a guide to the Forest Service application process.
Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be returned to Human Resources no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, in USAJOBS click "Apply Online" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.
Note: You must indicate by your responses to the questionnaire, all categories of eligibilities for which you would like to be considered. You will only be considered for the eligibilities that you select.
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US
Next steps
Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account at https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login to check your application status.
You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g., If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching, and your application is in an incomplete status).
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
The following documents must be submitted for your application package to be considered complete. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents are received within the required timeframes. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, system failure or downtime, etc. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
1. Cover letter - optional (one page maximum)
2. Resume that includes the following information: 1) job information for which you are applying; 2) contact information; 3) education; 4) work experience including the work schedule and hours worked per week as well as dates of employment; and title, series and grade, if applicable; 5) supervisors phone number and e-mail address for each work period listed and whether or not we may contact them for reference checks; 6) References; 7) other qualifications; and 8) graduation date (actual or anticipated).
3. Transcripts - An unofficial copy is sufficient; however, if selected, an official transcript will be required prior to entering on duty. Transcripts, both unofficial and official, MUST include the student's full name, name of the school, current GPA/academic standing, past and current coursework, and degree program. If your school does not provide transcripts or the transcript does not provide all the necessary information listed above, you should include additional academic documentation from the school that meets the requirements above. This additional documentation may include a letter from the school's registrar's office or official enrollment verification. Education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university. Foreign education must be evaluated by an approved organization. For additional information, refer to the U.S. Department of Education web site at http://www.ed.gov. All transcripts must be in English or include English translation.
4. Acceptance letter - If you have recently graduated or are expected to graduate in the current or next term you must also include an official acceptance letter along with your transcripts to verify you are continuing your education.
5. If claiming veteran's preference, you must submit a DD-214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty, you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
If claiming 10-point veteran's preference you must provide a Certificate of Release or Discharge of Active Duty (DD-214), which shows the dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions or certification requirements (see information above), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on veterans' preference see http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/
NOTE: You may update your application package for an open announcement. Log in to your USAJOBS account. Follow the USAJOBS prompts to navigate to your application package. If you have added or replaced a document(s), you must click on the Documents link at the top of the page then choose the document(s) from the Available Documents drop-down list.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Please view Tips for Applicants - a guide to the Forest Service application process.
Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be returned to Human Resources no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, in USAJOBS click "Apply Online" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.
Note: You must indicate by your responses to the questionnaire, all categories of eligibilities for which you would like to be considered. You will only be considered for the eligibilities that you select.
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US
Next steps
Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account at https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login to check your application status.
You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g., If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching, and your application is in an incomplete status).
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
