The Internship Program provides current students
with paid opportunities to explore a Federal career. Students who successfully
complete the program may be eligible for conversion to a permanent job with the
Federal government.
Eligibility
- Current students in
professional school; advanced degree programs.
Program Administration
- The Internship Program
is primarily administered by each hiring agency.
- Agencies may hire
Interns on a temporary basis for up to one year for an initial period, or for
an indefinite period, to complete the educational requirement.
- Interns may work either
part- or full-time.
- Each agency must sign a
Participant Agreement with the Intern that sets forth the expectations for the
internship.
- Intern's job will be
related to the Intern's academic career goals or field of study.
- This program is
currently in transition. Currently many
of the individual agencies provide information regarding their internship
programs, see individual agency websites for more information. However, the Office of Personnel Management
expects that all agencies will post their internship information with www.usajobs.gov by the fall. See more
information at www.usajobs.gov/studentsandgrads/.
Program Completion and
Conversion
- Interns may be converted to a
permanent position (or, in some limited circumstances, to a term position
lasting 1-4 years) within 120 days of successful completion of the
program.
- To be eligible for conversion,
Interns must:
- Complete
at least 640 hours of work experience acquired through the Internship
Program
- Complete
their degree or certificate requirements
- Meet the qualification standards for the position to which
the Intern will be converted
- Meet
agency-specific requirements as specified in the Participant's Agreement,
and
- Perform
their job successfully.
- Agencies may waive up to 320 of
the required 640 hours of work for Interns who demonstrate high potential
as evidenced by outstanding academic achievement and exceptional job
performance.
- In addition, students working
in agencies through third-party intern providers may count up to 320 of
the hours they work toward the 640 hour requirement.
- Time spent under previous
Internship Program appointments may count towards required work experience
hours.
The Recent Graduates Program is for people who have
graduated from professional schools within the previous two years. To be eligible, applicants must apply within
the previous two years after degree completion except for veterans precluded
from doing so due to their military service obligation, who will have up to six
years after degree completion to apply.
Eligibility
- Recent graduates who have completed,
within the previous two years, a qualifying associates, bachelors, masters,
professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a
qualifying educational institution.
- Veterans unable to apply within two
years of receiving their degree, due to military service obligation, have as
much as six years after degree completion to apply.
Program Administration
- The Recent Graduates Program is
administered primarily by each hiring agency.
- Each agency must sign a Participant
Agreement with the Recent Graduate that sets forth the expectations for the
Program.
- When the final Pathways rule takes
effect this July, agencies will have to provide OPM with information regarding
their opportunities and post information publicly on www.usajobs.gov/studentsandgrads/
about how to apply for specific positions.
Training and Development
- Orientation program for Recent
Graduates hired for the program.
- Mentorship throughout the program.
- Individual Development Plan to
create and track Recent Graduates' career planning, professional development,
and training activities.
- At least 40 hours of formal,
interactive training each year of the program.
- Positions offer opportunity for
career advancement.
After Program Completion
- Positions Recent Graduates may be
converted to a permanent position (or, in some limited circumstances a term
appointment lasting 1-4 years).
- To be eligible for conversion,
Recent Graduates must have:
Presidential Management Fellows Program (PMF)
- Description
- The government's most prestigious fellowship program
- Two-year program designed to prepare the candidate for upper-level management positions in the federal government
- Eligibility
- Student who has just completed an advanced degree
- Applicants have up to two years after they graduate to apply for the program
- Applicants may now self-nominate
- PMFs can be appointed to the GS-9, 10, or 12 levels. Depending on agency policies, PMFs may be eligible for rapid annual or accelerated promotions up to GS-13 during the program. After two years, PMFs are eligible for conversion to permanent positions.
- In the previous years, the agencies that have employed the most PMF finalists have been the Department of Justice, Department of State, Department of Health and Human Services, US Agency for International Development, Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security (for more information see www.pmf.gov).
- The PMF Assessment
Preparation Guide is the official source on
how to best prepare for the PMF assessment process.
In the previous years, the agencies that have employed
the most PMF finalists have been the Department of Justice, Department of
State, Department of Health and Human Services, US Agency for International
Development, Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, Department of
Homeland Security (for more information see www.pmf.gov and
http://www.opm.gov/HiringReform/Pathways/program/fellows/).
