Department: Department of Justice
Location(s): San Diego, California
Salary Range: $17.75 - $23.08 Per Hour
Job Summary: The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California's mission is to investigate, prosecute and deter violations of federal statutes, enforce and represent the interests of the United States in civil litigation, uphold civil, constitutional and victims' rights, and foster partnerships with other federal, state and local government agencies and community groups.
Major Duties:
Qualifications: Pathways for students & recent graduates to Federal careers: This is an excepted service appointment under the Pathways Intern Program. This appointment may be extended until the selectee's educational program requirements have been completed. After successful completion of the program requirements, the individual may at agency discretion be converted to a TERM or permanent appointment. For more information on the Pathways Program, please visit: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/ and Pathways FAQs https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/?page=1#url=Pathways-FAQ. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement. To be eligible for this internship ALL of the following requirements must be met: Student Status: Definition of a student - applicant must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an accredited high school, technical or vocational school, two-year or four-year college or university, graduate/professional school, or certificate program equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study (go to http://www.ed.gov/accreditation to verify accreditation status) pursuant to 5 CFR 362. You must be considered in good academic standings by the school. Individuals must be taking at least a half-time academic, vocational, or technical course load leading to a degree, diploma, or certificate. "Half-time" is defined by the school in which the student is enrolled. Grade Point Average: You must have at least a 2.5 GPA. Citizenship: Student Interns must be United States citizens or owe permanent allegiance to the United States. (Currently, natives of American Samoa, Swains Island and certain inhabitants of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are the only groups that owe permanent allegiance to the United States.) Background Investigation: You must successfully complete a background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment. Pathways Participant Agreement: All interns are required to sign the Participant Agreement. Qualification requirements as outlined below. To qualify at the GS-03 level, you must possess: At least 6 months of general experience; OR one (1) year of education above the high school level; OR a combination of both general experience and education as explained below. One (1) year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. General experience is defined as progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates the ability to perform the duties of a student trainee (clerical). Examples of general experience include: Performing routine office support tasks Handling correspondence or communications Maintaining records or files Operating standard office equipment Organizing or processing documents OR Education: Successfully completed one (1) year of education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or equivalent is the normal pre-requisite. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. If you are qualifying based on education, you must submit a copy of your transcript(s). OR Combining Education and General Experience: Successfully completed education above the high school level and some general experience may be combined to meet the qualification requirements at the GS-03 level. To determine if you qualify based on a combination of education and experience, first determine your education as a percentage (e.g., 15 semester hours divided by 30 equals 50%); then determine your experience as a percentage (e.g., 3 months general experience divided by 6 equals 50%); finally, add the two percentages and if the total equals 100% or more, you qualify (e.g., 50% + 50% = 100%). IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here.
How to Apply: Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.
Application Deadline: 2026-04-07