Monday, February 11, 2013

Pathways Internship Recruitment – Coming Soon!

The Bureau of Human Resources, Office of Shared Services (HR/SS) is pleased to announce that we will continue our Pathways Internship recruiting.

The U.S. Department of State will be able to post a new round of vacancy announcements on USAJOBS sometime in the near future! Once a vacancy has been posted on USAJOBS, all interested students are encouraged to apply.


Given the high demand for these internship positions, HR will only accept a certain number of applications due to the limited number of intern positions available in the Department. HR will only review the applications received prior to the limit being reached (this will be clearly stated in each vacancy announcement). Typically, vacancies will be posted at 12:00 am (EST). We highly suggest those students who are interested in these positions prepare their application packages in advance of the job announcement by uploading their resumes, transcripts, and proof of enrollment on USAJOBS. All interested and eligible applicants should create accounts and Saved Searches on USAJOBS. The Saved Searches functionality can be used to request alerts when these positions are posted. In addition, students are encouraged to visit the Careers Website (
www.careers.state.gov) and click on the “Keep me Informed” link in order to receive notices directly from DOS when Pathways positions are posted.

As a reminder, The Department’s Pathways Internship Program has two components to allow for flexible recruitment: the Internship Experience Program (IEP) and the Internship Temporary Experience Program (ITEP). These two programs replace all former paid internships (Student Temporary Employment Program, Student Career Experience Program, Cooperative Education Program, Stay-in-School Program, and the Summer Clerical Program). Both programs allow for noncompetitive conversion into the Competitive Service after successful completion of the internship.


The Internship Experience Program (IEP) allows for non-temporary appointments that are expected to last the length of the academic program for which the intern is enrolled. IEP participants, while in the program, are eligible for noncompetitive promotions.

The Internship Temporary Experience Program (ITEP) places interns on temporary appointments not to exceed one year with the possibility of extensions in one-year increments. The temporary nature of ITEP allows for interns to work during seasonal and holiday breaks in academic programs. ITEP participants are ineligible for noncompetitive promotions. If an ITEP participant is qualified at a higher grade level, he/she must compete for the position via a USAJobs vacancy announcement.

The upcoming vacancy announcements under the Pathways Internship Temporary Experience Program (ITEP) and the Pathways Internship Experience Program (IEP) will be for interns who would like to work throughout the year as well as those who can only work seasonally (i.e. during the summer and holiday breaks). This round of recruitment will be used to fill positions in areas such as Human Resources, Foreign Affairs, Information Technology, Passport Services, and Program Analysis. Depending on the Department’s need for more interns, HR/SS may post another round of vacancies in the coming months.