Department: Department of Agriculture
Location(s): Athens, Georgia, Normandy, Missouri
Salary Range: $37333 - $50056 Per Year
Job Summary: The Internship Program is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with opportunities to work in agencies and explore Federal careers while still in school and while getting paid for the work performed. Students who successfully complete the program may be eligible for conversion to a permanent job in the civil service.
Major Duties:
Qualifications: To qualify for this position, you must meet BOTH the Pathway Internship Eligibility requirements as well as the minimum Qualifications for the position: To Be Eligible For An Appointment Under The Internship Program You Must Meet The Following Requirement: Student applicants must be accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) in a qualifying educational institution, on a full or half-time basis as defined by the institution in which the student is enrolled. Student Trainees must be in good academic standing, as defined by the institution they are attending. Generally at least a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) for undergraduate programs (cumulative; no rounding) and a 3.0 GPA for advanced degree programs. Individuals must meet the definition of a student throughout the duration of their Internship appointment. (*NOTE: Certificate Program: This term is defined, in 5 CFR 362.102, and means postsecondary education in a qualifying educational institution equivalent to at least 1 academic year of full-time study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum.) To Qualify At The GS-04 Grade Level: Successful completion of 2 full academic years of post-high school study or an associate's degree. If you are a student veteran, complete the questionnaire and submit documentation: DD-214, VA Letter, SF-15 if claiming 10-point Veterans' preference or DD-214 if claiming 5-point preference or VEOA eligibility (separated under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of continuous service). PROGRAM COMPLETION: This is an indefinite appointment. Upon successful completion of the program and at the agency's discretion, the appointee may be non-competitively converted to a term or career or career-conditional appointment, upon conversion this position has a full performance level of GS-12 depending on available vacancies. The anticipated position may change based on the needs of the organization. Interns must qualify and meet the individual occupational requirements for the position. Service in the Pathways Program confers no right to further employment in either the competitive or excepted service. An agency wishing to convert a student must therefore execute the required action to do so within 180 days of successful completion of the degree and program requirements. CONVERSION FROM STUDENT TRAINEE: Prior to conversion to a term or career or career conditional appointment, Student Trainees must satisfactorily complete all training, program, and educational requirements. Be a U.S. citizen. Successfully complete academic course of study. Complete a minimum of 480 hours of work experience under the Internship Program. Complete 40 hours of mandatory AgLearn Training. Maintain acceptable performance under the agency's approved performance management system. Receive favorable recommendation for conversion from supervisor. Meet the OPM Qualification Standard for the anticipated position the Intern may be converted to. 1320 Chemist (target grade GS-12). A 1320 Chemist position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) that must be met in order to qualify for this series. Basic Requirements: Degree: physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics. OR Combination of education and experience -- course work equivalent to a major as shown in A above, including at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
How to Apply: Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically. We are available to assist you during normal business hours. Applying online is highly encouraged. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact our office for an alternate method. All electronic and hardship application packages with supporting documents must be complete to be considered. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process. To begin, click "Apply Online" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents. Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov. It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application. Step 2: In your USAJOBS account, you will have the opportunity to select your stored USAJOBS resume, create a new resume or upload a resume, and upload other relevant documents. All uploaded documents must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX). See "Required Documents" for details. Select the document you want to submit. Step 3: Click "Apply Online," answer all required questions, verify the documents you selected from USAJOBS transferred into the Agency's staffing system, and attach any additional documents that may not have transferred or be required. If qualifying based on education, you must submit a legible copy of your college transcript(s), with your application package, showing your conferred degree (if any) and/or applicable coursework as proof that you qualify based on education. If you have not yet graduated, submit your current transcript. NOTE: It is an applicant's responsibility to submit updated information. You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Simply log into your USAJOBS account and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select "Update Application" to continue. NOTE: Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable. If you do not have access to the Internet, you are strongly encouraged to visit your library, state employment office, or another establishment that provides internet service to complete the online application and the assessment questionnaire. If this is not an option, refer to the Alternative Methods for Applying section below for specific instructions. Alternative Methods for Applying: If you are unable to apply using the internet, please fax your request for an application package along with your name and mailing address to: HR (Branch 1) 1-833-840-9220. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact: USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).
Application Deadline: 2026-03-19