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The U.S. Department of State is the lead U.S. foreign affairs agency responsible for advancing freedom for the benefit of the American people and the international community. The Department’s employees, Foreign Service Officers and Specialists, Civil Service professionals and Foreign Service Nationals work at more than 270 embassies, consulates, and missions. Together, they help to build and sustain a more democratic, secure, and prosperous world composed of well-governed states that respond to the needs of their people, reduce widespread poverty, and act responsibly within the international system.
The U.S. Department of State Student Internship is an unpaid, intensive internship offering U.S. citizen undergraduate and graduate students a chance to participate in the formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy, working closely with representatives of the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign and Civil Services. The program is both professionally and academically beneficial, providing participants with hands-on experience and insight into the substance and daily operations of U.S. foreign policy.
About half of U.S. Department of State Student Internship participants serve in Washington, D.C., with a limited number of opportunities available at Department field offices and facilities in other cities in the United States. Approximately half of these opportunities are offered in many of the over 270 U.S. embassies, consulates and missions to international organizations around the world. The U.S. Department of State Student Internship is also the only program within the agency that offers U.S. citizen undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to work at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate overseas.
Applicants are allowed to select two bureaus or overseas posts in which they would like to work. U.S. Department of State Student Internships generally last 10 weeks. Participants must be able to work a full time schedule (minimum of 32 hours per week).
The U.S. Department of State Student Internship is NOT part of the Pathways Program. Unpaid internships in the U.S. Department of State Student Internship program cannot be non-competitively converted to Pathways Internship appointments, nor can they be non-competitively converted to career positions in the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign or Civil Services.
09/01/2017 to 10/05/2017
$0 - $0 bi-weekly
NA NA
Temporary - Interns serve for a period of 10 consecutive weeks during the Summer 2018.
Full-time - This announcement is for full time, unpaid, internships for Summer 2018.
NA
No
INT-2017-0011
478314100
The Department of State tries to provide Student Interns with opportunities both educationally and professionally substantive in nature. The purpose of the program is to provide students with insight into the work of U.S. foreign policy and the administration of the U.S. Department of State and its diplomatic facilities around the world. Specific duties and responsibilities vary according to the domestic office or overseas post of assignment. Former Department of State Student Interns have written reports on human rights issues, participated in trade negotiations, assisted with U.S. citizens services or visa work, helped Americans in distress abroad, supported and helped to coordinate international conferences and visits of high-level officials, researched economic or environmental issues, monitored and evaluated media reporting, supported educational and cultural exchange activities and identified U.S. experts to speak overseas, and worked on web pages and electronic journals.
Other examples include interns with scientific and technical backgrounds working on issues such as arms control, genetically modified organisms (GMO's), infectious diseases, and remote sensing.
Also, students interested in management and administration may use their expertise working on projects involving budgets, human resources, information systems, or general logistical support to posts abroad.
Student Experience Interns should also expect to do some routine administrative work.
To qualify you must:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON SECURITY CLEARANCES:
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) advises that routine SECRET level clearances normally require 120 to 150 days to complete. Investigations may take substantially longer if you have a history of extensive overseas travel, education, residence and/or employment; or if you have dual citizenship, foreign contacts, immediate family, relatives, and/or a spouse or partner who is a citizen of a foreign country. In addition, if DS identifies a security, suitability, or medical issue, your investigation may require additional time to process and review. These issues could include, but are not limited to, a current or past history of drug or alcohol abuse, indications of a mental or emotional health condition, or indications of financial problems. You should consult the Adjudicative Guidelines for Determining Access to Classified Information (http://www.state.gov/m/ds/clearances/60321.htm ) to review how these considerations could affect your application. Such issues may not necessarily preclude DS from granting you a security clearance, but they will likely lengthen the time required to complete the clearance process.
We cannot guarantee that every potential intern will be able to obtain a security clearance before the start of an internship, if at all. Because the timeframe between conditional selection for an internship and entry on duty is relatively short (six to eight months), DS may not be able to adjudicate a non-routine case in time for the student to participate in the scheduled internship. In addition, where the applicant has strong foreign ties to a particular country, approval for an internship in that country may be problematic. We therefore encourage students to seek internship assignments in countries where they do not have substantial foreign ties.
Transportation: Transportation to and from Washington or overseas posts is the responsibility of the intern.
Housing: Housing is not provided for domestic internships. Arrangements and associated costs are the responsibility of the interns.
As noted above, participants in the Student Internship Program are considered “student volunteers” and are not considered to be Federal employees for any purposes other than injury compensation or laws related to the Tort Claims Act.
It is the policy of the Federal Government to treat all of its employees with dignity and respect and to provide a workplace that is free from discrimination whether that discrimination is based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity or pregnancy), national origin, disability, political affiliation, marital status, membership in an employee organization, age, sexual orientation, or other non-merit factors.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION - The U.S. Department of State provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Office of Employee Relations, Disability/Reasonable Accommodations Division, at (202) 261-8163 or reasonableaccommodations@state.gov. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
The complete applications of qualified applicants are forwarded for consideration to the bureaus to which they have applied. Representatives in these bureaus determine the extent to which an applicant's education, experience, training, and background indicates that he/she possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for the internship.
Representatives from the Bureaus and overseas posts may contact candidates directly for interviews. Others may make selections based solely on the quality of a candidate’s written application.
Selected interns will be officially notified by the Student Programs Branch by e-mail and in writing, per the timeline provided in the Internship Brochure.
To preview questions please click here.
The third part of the application process is the submission of required documents. These documents MUST be included in your online application for it to be considered complete. Incomplete applications (applications submitted before the deadline, but without required documents attached) will not be considered.
Transcripts: Your current or most recent transcript must be included in your online application per the instructions below. Both official AND unofficial transcripts are acceptable as part of the application process. However, if you are selected for an internship, you will be required to provide official transcripts before starting your internship. Once your official transcript is officially received, should it indicate that you are not an eligible student, your internship offer will be rescinded.
Once you have completed the online questionnaire and Statement of Interest, you will be prompted to attach your required documents to your application. This can be accomplished by one of two methods:
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.
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.
Applications must be submitted electronically through the "Gateway to State" system. To begin the application process, please click on the "Apply Online" button to the right.
You have until 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement to complete the application process. This includes submitting your online application as well as any required documents as defined in the Required Documents section. Candidates are encouraged to complete their applications well before the application deadline to be assured of consideration.
Please read all instructions carefully.
There are three parts to the application process:
Application Status
Applicants may view the status of their application on the Gateway to State site. CLICK HERE and enter your login information. Click "Applications," under the "Application Status" heading select "More Information." On the following screen, you will be able to verify your application status.
Application Timeline
Application Deadline (including all supporting documents): October 5, 2017
Selectees notified of selection by Student Programs Office via e-mail: December 2017
Non-selects notified by e-mail by Student Programs Office: December 2017
Selectees complete and submit security clearance paperwork, and submit official transcripts: December 2017
Interns Enter on Duty: May to August (last date for students to enter on duty is July 16, 2018 with a requirement to receive a security clearance no later than July 13, 2018).
Internship Ends: Late August
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/478314100. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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