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Requirements Conditions of Employment
- You must be a US Citizen or US National.
- Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
- Must be in good academic standing as defined by your academic institution.
- Complete at least 640 hrs. of work experience prior to completion of degree.
- Enrolled at least half-time at a qualifying educational institution.
- A signed participant agreement is required for employment under Pathways.
- Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. If selected you will be sent instruction on obtaining fingerprints. Please note we are not able to reimburse any fees incurred for fingerprints.
- Successful completion of two-year trial period.
- Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
- Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
- Duty Location may change during internship based upon training needs or upon conversion.
- This position requires the incumbent to possess a valid state driver's license.
Qualifications
Position Qualifications: Applicants must meet position qualifications requirements as shown below at the time of appointment. The agency must be able to verify that the education was completed successfully before the applicant can be appointed.
- Applicants must be currently enrolled (or accepted for enrollment) as a certificate or degree-seeking student at a qualifying accredited educational institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
- Applicants must be enrolled at least half-time as defined by your educational institution.
- Be planning for or pursuing a certificate or degree in, or related to, the internship opportunity being advertised. Examples of relevant educational fields for this position include but are not limited to: finance, business administration, economics, accounting, insurance, engineering, mathematics, banking and credit, law, real estate operations, statistics, or other fields related to the position, such as agriculture, agricultural economics, farm, livestock or ranch management, or rural sociology which will allow applicants to qualify for the conversion requirements listed within the vacancy announcement upon graduation.
- The duties of the position must be related to the student's academic field of study or career interests.
Below is the education requirement to be qualified for this position:
- GS-2 Completion of high school or possession of a GED diploma.
- GS-3 Completion of 1 full academic year of post-high school study.
- GS-4 Completion of 2 full academic years of post-high school study or an associate degree.
One full academic year of undergraduate education is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent as defined by the accredited college or university.
One full academic year of graduate education is defined as 18 semester hours, or the equivalent as defined by the accredited college or university.
Conversion Information: Candidates selected from this announcement may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a permanent position in the competitive service, provided that all terms of the Internship Program are met and there is an available position. Conversion is not mandatory or guaranteed and is at agency discretion.
To be eligible for conversion, you must satisfactorily complete all Pathways Program requirements:
- Complete at least 640 hours of work experience prior to graduation.
- Complete all mandatory training requirements.
- Meet performance expectations and be recommended for conversion.
- Meet suitability requirements, and
- Meet the position's Qualification Requirements of the associated occupational series as outlined in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, General Schedule Qualifications Standards. See the link below:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-PIP
Education
College Transcripts: You must submit a copy of your college transcript or high school diploma/GED certificate as proof that you meet the educational requirements for the grade to which you are applying.
You may submit unofficial copies of transcripts at the initial phase of the application process; however, if selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entrance-on-duty. See "Required Documents" section for more details.
MUST PROVIDE all transcripts/proof of enrollment/acceptance, and/or current class schedule.
All academic degrees or course work must be completed in an educational institution that has obtained accreditation from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see http://www.ed.gov/
Additional Information
Student Interns must continue to meet the Pathways Program requirements throughout the duration of the appointment. Incumbents will be required to provide proof of continued enrollment and good standing (cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale) each semester or grading period throughout the internship program. Failure to do so will result in termination of the appointment.
Upon completion of all program requirements, Pathways Interns may be converted to a term, career-conditional or career appointment within 120 days following successful completion of all their education; however, conversion is not guaranteed.
- Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary, although there may be some nominal walking or standing for short periods of time or carrying of light loads of papers, books or reports that do not require special physical demands.
- Work Schedules: Selected Interns will be expected to work full-time (40 hours per week) during school summer breaks and may be allowed to work part-time during the school year, depending on location/state selected.
- Promotion to the next higher grade may occur without further competition once all legal and regulatory requirements are met to include management's certification of the continuing need for performance of duties at the higher grade level.
- Recruitment and Relocation Incentives may be offered.
- Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) may be authorized upon meeting Pathways conversion eligibility requirements, if SLRP policy requirements are met and as Agency funding allows.
- This position is eligible for telework within the local commuting area of the position and other flexible work arrangements. Current USDA policy includes telework for an 8-hour work day, 4 days per week; other flexibilities are possible dependent upon availability and/or the position and its associated duties. Employee participation is at the discretion of the supervisor.
The salary for each location may vary depending on locality. Salary reflects the Rest of U.S. scale and will be adjusted to meet the locality pay of the duty location upon selection. Locality tables may be found at https:// www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/
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- Help Help 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 window Learn 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.