This position is in the Office of the General Counsel of the United States Department of Education (ED), which is located in Washington, DC. Students selected for this position can choose to work in the Washington, D.C. Headquarters location or full-time remotely.
Actual salary will depend on location of selection. Location is negotiable after selection per the agency policy.
We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.
Summary
This position is in the Office of the General Counsel of the United States Department of Education (ED), which is located in Washington, DC. Students selected for this position can choose to work in the Washington, D.C. Headquarters location or full-time remotely.
Actual salary will depend on location of selection. Location is negotiable after selection per the agency policy.
We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.
U.S. Citizens (who are currently enrolled in school and meet the requirements of the Pathways Internship Program). This is an Excepted Service Appointment for a period not to exceed 10 weeks.
The Office of the General Counsel’s (OGC) Legal Internship Program provides law students with an opportunity to build valuable legal and professional skills in research, writing, and advocacy, while learning about different areas of OGC’s work, such as education law and policy (e.g., early learning, K-12 education, career and technical education, other higher education, civil rights, special education), litigation, regulatory matters, employment and privacy law, contracts, and more.
Interns are typically assigned to two or more of OGC’s seven Legal Divisions and/or OGC’s Front Office. They assist with research and writing to support attorneys providing legal advice and counseling to clients or in drafting briefs or motions in litigation in support of the Department’s education mission and its operations. Interns also may be involved in matters related to proposed guidance, regulations, or legislation. For more information about OGC and its seven Legal Divisions, please visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ogc/org.html.
We also provide our interns with opportunities to meet other interns and participate in activities across the Department and within OGC.
APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 200 applications received and will close at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on the day that we receive the 200th application, or at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first.
Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.
Must be a US Citizen
Must be and remain in good academic standing.
Must sign a Pathways Internship Program Participant Agreement.
Must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an accredited institution.
In order to meet basic eligibility requirements for this Expected Service, Pathways Internship appointment, applicants must meet the definition of a “Student” by the closing date of this announcement, and throughout the duration of their appointment.
Applicants must be enrolled or formally accepted for enrollment as a full-time or half-time (Half-time basis is defined by the academic institution that the student is enrolled or accepted into) student into an accredited college or university in a qualifying degree-seeking program, or enrolled or formally accepted for enrollment in a qualifying certificate program;
Student means an individual who has been 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 academic/vocational or technical course-load immediately prior to graduating is still considered a student for purposes of this program. For the definition of a qualifying educational institution, please visit: Qualifying Educational Institutions
Qualifications
Completion of 1 full academic year of graduate level education or eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement Provision and completion of a bachelor's degree.
Law Student Status Preferred. : An eligible student is an individual who is enrolled in law school pursuing a Juris Doctor Degree or a LL.B Legum Baccalaureus Degree and is taking at least half-time academic course load in an American Bar Association accredited university. Successful candidates must have outstanding academic records, superior writing skills, and be in good academic standing at his/her university or supporting documentation for Superior Academic Achievement (undergraduate transcript and any graduate level transcripts)
Superior Academic Achievement: Students must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as defined by OPM. Transcripts must be provided to support claim.
Completion of 1 full academic year of graduate level education or eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement Provision and completion of a bachelor's degree.
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.
Additional information
Veterans’ Career Counseling: If you are a veteran interested in receiving tips on preparing a Federal resume and/or how to prepare for an interview, you may email sro_recruiting@ed.gov to schedule a session with a career counselor (“Veterans Counseling Session” should be placed in the subject line of the email).
Student Loan Default: If selected for this position, we will verify that you have not defaulted on any loan funded or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are found to be in default, we will contact you to make arrangements for repayment prior to making an official offer of employment.
Suitability and Investigation: If selected for this position, you will be required to complete the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and successfully complete a pre-appointment investigation/background check.
Essential/Non-Essential: This position is considered non-essential for purposes of reporting to work during federal government closures.
Financial Disclosure: This position does not require financial disclosure.
Bargaining Unit: This position is not included in the bargaining unit.
Selections: We may make additional selections from this vacancy announcement within 90 days from the date the selection certificates are issued, should vacancies occur. We may also share selection certificates amongst program offices across the agency.
This position may be non-competitively converted to a permanent position; however, conversions are not mandatory or guaranteed.
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.
We will review your application and documentation submitted to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will refer the best qualified candidates to the Selecting Official of the job for further review and consideration. You will be evaluated to determine if you meet qualifications required, and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills and abilities associated with this position as defined below. Please be sure to give examples in your resume and explain how often you used these skills, the complexity of the knowledge you possessed, the level of people you interacted with, and the complexity and sensitivity of the issues you handled.
CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above), based on an evaluation of their applications; possessing the knowledge, skills, and abilities which clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position.
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.
Responses to the vacancy assessment questionnaire AND
1. Cover letter. Indicate why you would like to serve as an intern at OGC. The cover letter must be submitted as a separate attachment to your application email and not as text in the email. The cover letter should also include your current telephone number and e-mail address. The cover letter should provide more detailed information on your interest in the program (list the OGC sub-offices you would prefer). There is no guarantee you will be placed in a particular office within OGC.
2. Resume. Be sure to include relevant experience such as prior experience with any Federal agency, or legal work experience. Also, include relevant volunteer experience and extracurricular activities.
3. Writing Sample. A legal memorandum or a legal brief is preferred. Submission of the entire memorandum or brief, as opposed to a shortened version is preferred.
4. Transcripts. An unofficial transcript may be submitted as part of the initial application, but an official transcript or equivalent document will be required before a final offer is made.
5. Letter of Proof of Current Law School Enrollment. Statement from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating that you are a current law student.
6. Law School Transcripts. An unofficial transcript may be submitted as part of the initial application, but an official transcript or equivalent document will be required before a final offer is made. In addition, if the transcript does not contain grade point average (GPA) or class rank, you must also provide a separate statement of law school class rank, GPA or an equivalent measure of academic placement, from the law school, or a statement from the law school that no such measures are in place.
Applicants claiming Veterans Preference must submit, if applicable:
Separated members must submit a copy of your DD214, member copy 4.
Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty honorable conditions dated within the last 120 days.
Veterans claiming 10-Point Preference must also submit an SF-15 AND ALL documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference.
Veterans claiming eligibility based on a service-connected disability must submit and indicating the percentage of disability.
Certain Military Spouses Eligible under E.O. 13473: Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders, issued within the last 2 years, that lists you as authorized to accompany the Military member to the new duty permanent station; OR verification of the member’s 100% disability (VA Letter); and/or verification of the member’s death while on active duty (DD-1300 and Death Certificate) AND verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e. a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage).
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.
Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov.
Step 2: Create a resume using the USAJOBS resume builder or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Ensure that your resume demonstrates your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiates your responses to the occupational questionnaire.
Step 3: Upload any required documents into your USAJOBS account (must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX)).
Step 4: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire and attach any required documents. Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the agency's hiring system. You will have the opportunity to upload any additional required documents in the agency's hiring system. Click “Finish” to submit your application.
NOTE: You may update your application or required documents at any time while the announcement is open by logging into your USAJOBS account, clicking on "Application Status," clicking on the position title, clicking "Update Application,” and following the prompts.
In order to receive consideration for this position, you must submit your complete application, including all required documents, by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. If the vacancy announcement has an application limit, we recommend that you submit your complete application at the time of initial application. We will not accept any required documentation after the closing date of the vacancy announcement.
If you have any questions regarding submitting your application, please contact the HR Specialist listed under the Agency Contact Information.
EDUCATION-OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL
400 Maryland Ave. S.W.
Attn: Human Resources Services
Washington, District of Columbia 20202
United States
Next steps
As an applicant, you may check your application status through your USAJOBS account at any time. We will also notify you via email of your application status at three key stages in the recruitment process. 1. Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will inform you that your application has been received. 2. After we review your submitted resume and supporting documentation, we will inform you if you are eligible and qualified, if your application was referred to a subject matter expert or panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation, and if you were amongst the most highly qualified candidates referred to the selecting official. 3. Finally, we will inform you of your final disposition for this announcement (e.g., if/when a selection is made, if/when the announcement is cancelled).
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Responses to the vacancy assessment questionnaire AND
1. Cover letter. Indicate why you would like to serve as an intern at OGC. The cover letter must be submitted as a separate attachment to your application email and not as text in the email. The cover letter should also include your current telephone number and e-mail address. The cover letter should provide more detailed information on your interest in the program (list the OGC sub-offices you would prefer). There is no guarantee you will be placed in a particular office within OGC.
2. Resume. Be sure to include relevant experience such as prior experience with any Federal agency, or legal work experience. Also, include relevant volunteer experience and extracurricular activities.
3. Writing Sample. A legal memorandum or a legal brief is preferred. Submission of the entire memorandum or brief, as opposed to a shortened version is preferred.
4. Transcripts. An unofficial transcript may be submitted as part of the initial application, but an official transcript or equivalent document will be required before a final offer is made.
5. Letter of Proof of Current Law School Enrollment. Statement from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating that you are a current law student.
6. Law School Transcripts. An unofficial transcript may be submitted as part of the initial application, but an official transcript or equivalent document will be required before a final offer is made. In addition, if the transcript does not contain grade point average (GPA) or class rank, you must also provide a separate statement of law school class rank, GPA or an equivalent measure of academic placement, from the law school, or a statement from the law school that no such measures are in place.
Applicants claiming Veterans Preference must submit, if applicable:
Separated members must submit a copy of your DD214, member copy 4.
Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty honorable conditions dated within the last 120 days.
Veterans claiming 10-Point Preference must also submit an SF-15 AND ALL documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference.
Veterans claiming eligibility based on a service-connected disability must submit and indicating the percentage of disability.
Certain Military Spouses Eligible under E.O. 13473: Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders, issued within the last 2 years, that lists you as authorized to accompany the Military member to the new duty permanent station; OR verification of the member’s 100% disability (VA Letter); and/or verification of the member’s death while on active duty (DD-1300 and Death Certificate) AND verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e. a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage).
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.
Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov.
Step 2: Create a resume using the USAJOBS resume builder or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Ensure that your resume demonstrates your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiates your responses to the occupational questionnaire.
Step 3: Upload any required documents into your USAJOBS account (must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX)).
Step 4: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire and attach any required documents. Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the agency's hiring system. You will have the opportunity to upload any additional required documents in the agency's hiring system. Click “Finish” to submit your application.
NOTE: You may update your application or required documents at any time while the announcement is open by logging into your USAJOBS account, clicking on "Application Status," clicking on the position title, clicking "Update Application,” and following the prompts.
In order to receive consideration for this position, you must submit your complete application, including all required documents, by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. If the vacancy announcement has an application limit, we recommend that you submit your complete application at the time of initial application. We will not accept any required documentation after the closing date of the vacancy announcement.
If you have any questions regarding submitting your application, please contact the HR Specialist listed under the Agency Contact Information.
EDUCATION-OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL
400 Maryland Ave. S.W.
Attn: Human Resources Services
Washington, District of Columbia 20202
United States
Next steps
As an applicant, you may check your application status through your USAJOBS account at any time. We will also notify you via email of your application status at three key stages in the recruitment process. 1. Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will inform you that your application has been received. 2. After we review your submitted resume and supporting documentation, we will inform you if you are eligible and qualified, if your application was referred to a subject matter expert or panel of subject matter experts for further evaluation, and if you were amongst the most highly qualified candidates referred to the selecting official. 3. Finally, we will inform you of your final disposition for this announcement (e.g., if/when a selection is made, if/when the announcement is cancelled).
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
