What Do Interns Do?

Want to learn more about what EPA interns actually do? Read these blog entries from recent interns:

• On this Campus, the Rain Works
• Terps Leave Tinier Water Footprints
• An Internship that Wasn’t a Waste
• We Can All Benefit from Learning More About Our Environment
• (A Student’s) Green Shopping Guide
• Green Your Dorm (or Home!) with Our Back to School Pinterest Board
• EP…Yay
• The Intern Experience

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Paid Internships

How to get a Paid Internship at EPA

• Paid internships
  • EPA internships paid by EPA
  • EPA internships paid by other organizations

**Generally, EPA internships, whether paid or unpaid, are limited to U.S. citizens only. Pathways Programs participant must be a U.S. citizen or national, or be lawfully permitted to the U.S. as a permanent resident or otherwise authorized to be employed.**

Paid Internships: Paid by EPA

EPA hires high school and college interns for administrative/clerical positions as well as technical positions in areas such as life sciences, program or policy analysis, and engineering. Most positions have salaries ranging from the GS-2 to GS-7 level. All internships paid by EPA appear in the government-wide USAJobs.gov portal. Most internship opportunities for the summer are advertised in March, April and May but some may be advertised earlier.

• You can start your search on the USAJobs.gov Pathways for Students page.

• You can also view all student jobs, at any agency, across the nation and narrow your search results using the search criteria on the right side of the page.
  • Note that positions are typically open for 1-2 weeks only, so act fast!
  • Locations are all over the nation; check specific listings for location(s).
  • Check specific listings before you apply to ensure that you can meet all requirements.
     

• Paid summer internships:  Some positions are designated as “student trainee” or "summer student hire" so try searching for those phrases if you are looking for a summer job. You might also see internships listed under the position descriptions "program support specialist" or "management support clerk." Many positions are only open for a three-day-long application period, so BEFORE you spot a position in which you're interested,

  • create an account in USAJobs.gov,
  • upload your resume, and
  • upload report cards, transcripts, verification of enrollment and/or a letter of good academic standing. That way you will be ready to complete the application quickly when you see a position in which you're interested. Review more information about how to apply for EPA jobs.

Paid Internships: Paid by Organizations Other than EPA

Certain academic institutions and non-profits sponsor and pay for internships, where each intern is assigned to an office in federal government and/or industry. In some instances, the cost is covered by the tuition you have already paid to your college or university. EPA has agreements with the organizations listed below. Note that not all of these organizations place interns with EPA every year:

• Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU): Home page | Internships home page
• National Congress of American Indians (NCAI): Home page | Internships home page
• Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) internships: see information on the EPA Fellowships page
• The Washington Center (TWC): Home page | Internships home page
• Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities (WRP): Home page

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Unpaid Internships

How to Get an Unpaid Internship

Unpaid (Volunteer) Internships: General information

2011 intern Jennifer Woods heads down one of the longest escalators in the Western Hemisphere to her job in EPA's Office of Sustainable Communities. Learn more about her experience.

Unpaid (volunteer) internships are offered by individual EPA offices in Washington and around the nation. A few offices sponsor well-developed volunteer programs. More commonly, offices do not have centralized volunteer internship coordination; particular managers looking for volunteer help may advertise only through job fairs, college guidance or career planning offices, and/or EPA information sessions at colleges.

If you are interested in an unpaid internship, contact:

• your college guidance or career planning office, since they may have a partnership with a specific EPA office to provide interns, and
• EPA offices in which you are particularly interested in working. Use the phone numbers shown on the EPA Organization Chart page. Ask to speak with the volunteer internship coordinator for that office.

Volunteer Intern Opportunities at EPA

• Volunteer (Unpaid) Internship Opportunities Currently Open at EPA

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