KEY REQUIREMENTS

The Department of State tries to provide Student Interns with opportunities both educationally and professional substantive in nature.  The purpose of the program is to provide students with insight into work of U.S. foreign policy and the administration of the U.S. Department of State and our 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 Experience Interns have written reports on human rights issues, participated with trade negotiations, assisted with U.S. citizen's 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: 

1. Be a United States citizen
2. Be at least 16 years old
3. Have at least a 2.5 GPA
4. Be pursuing a baccalaureate or graduate degree.
5. Be a college junior, senior, or graduate student.—You are considered a college junior if you will be starting your junior year immediately following the completion of your internship. 
6. Must be enrolled in an accredited college or university on at least a half-time basis.
7. Must be a continuing student—This means that you will be returning to your course of study the semester/quarter, immediately following the completion of your internship.
8. Be able to receive and maintain a security clearance.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Qualified applicants who successfully submit a complete application package 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.

Participants in the Student Experience Program are considered “student volunteers”.  As such, they are not considered to be Federal employees for any purposes other than injury compensation or laws related to the Tort Claims Act.  Service is not creditable for leave accrual or any other employee benefits.

OTHER INFORMATION:

Any applicant tentatively selected for this position will be required to undergo a pre-employment background investigation for the necessary security clearance.

Transportation:  Unless otherwise stipulated, 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.

For students selected for overseas internships, many embassies and consulates make efforts to provide housing at no cost to the intern.  However, circumstances vary at different posts, and housing cannot be guaranteed for all overseas internships.  Before accepting an overseas internship, students should confirm with the selecting bureau or overseas post whether housing will be provided.

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

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:

• Applicant Profile (For applicants new to USAJOBS)
• Internship Application, including Statement of Interest
• Required Documents—Official Transcripts

Part I-Applicant Profile

Applicants new to USAJOBS must create an applicant profile by providing biographic and prior Federal government employment information.  You must answer all "required" fields in order to proceed through the application process.  (If you are not new to USAJOBS, you can proceed directly to the intern application.)  All applicants must also "build" a USAJOBS resume.  You must complete these two steps in order to be able to move forward to the application in the Gateway to State.

Note: Attaching a personal resume to your USAJobs profile is not sufficient.  You must build a USAJOBS resume. 

Part II-Internship Application

The second part of the online application process is specific to the internship program.  In this section, you will be required to: 

• Identify up to two bureaus for which you wish to be considered for an internship assignment. 

Note:  Applicants interested in interning in overseas posts or branch offices outside of Washington D.C. must first indicate the bureau with responsibility over that location.  For example:  An applicant interested in interning at the U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia will select WHA or the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.  Later in the application, they will be given a chance to identify the specific country in which the embassy or consulate is located.

• Answer questions regarding your personal, academic and employment credentials to be used by bureau representatives in making their selections.
• Submit a one-page (maximum 2500 characters-spaces included) Statement of Interest that describes your objectives and motivation in seeking an internship. 

Note: Bureau representatives rely heavily on statements of interest in making their selections. Therefore, your statement of interest should be concise, well written, and it should tell your story.  Explain how your academic courses and other personal experiences relate to the bureau(s), office(s), or overseas post(s) to which you are applying.  You may discuss what you will bring to the work of the office or post, and what you hope to take away from the internship experience.  You might highlight any disadvantages you may have overcome or relevant unique experiences.  Also, you can expand on any of your answers to questions asked in the application, such as language ability or other special skills.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

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, if it is discovered 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:

1. By uploading them (preferred method); or
2. By using the application generated fax coversheet (it will include a barcode and system generated phone number).

If attaching your required documents by fax, it is extremely important that only the system-generated cover sheets, and the phone number included on them, be used.  The cover sheets are coded to insure that your documents are automatically

attached to your online application. Please ensure that each document is faxed separately with the appropriate cover sheet.

If a document is faxed successfully, you will receive a system-generated e-mail confirming receipt.

Please note the following:

• Applications received without the required documents included are automatically disqualified for consideration, and will not be reconsidered.
• Documents mailed or fax directly to the U.S. Department of State, or any Department of State office either before or after the vacancy announcement has closed, will not be accepted.
• Due to the volume of applications, fax lines can become jammed and documents may not successfully attach to your application on the final days/hours of the application announcement.  IT IS THE RESPONISBLITY OF THE STUDENT TO VERIFY THAT REQUIRED DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY ATTACHED TO THE APPLICATION PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE.  Applicants can do so by going back into your application and verifying that documents have been attached.

Applications received without required documents will be deemed ineligible.  You are encouraged to submit your application early, and to go back into your application to confirm that your documents have been attached.

Technical questions about attaching required documents to your application, either via upload or fax using the system-generated coversheet and phone number, should be addressed to the Help Desk at 1-866-656-6830 or mgshelp@monster.com.

AGENCY CONTACT INFO:

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

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):  March 1

Selectees notified of selection by Student Programs Office via e-mail and in writing: April - May

Non-selects notified by e-mail by Student Programs Office:  April

Selectees complete and submit security clearance paperwork, and submit official transcripts:  May - June

Interns Enter on Duty:   Early September - late December 

Internship Ends:  December