DOJ Pathways Internship Program - Bureau of Prisons Student Trainee (Social Sciences)

PATHWAY PROGRAM OVERVIEW: The Pathways Internship Program is designed to provide students enrolled in a variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with paid work opportunities in agencies to explore Federal careers while still in school. Provides students with work experience related to the career goals while offering eligibility to permanent employment upon completion. To learn more, visit: Students & Recent Graduates.

Duties

This position is part of the Pathways Internship Program and
will be assigned to the Bureau of Prisons' (BOP) Central Office.

Performs a variety of administrative support duties for the Correctional Programs Division or the Information Technology and Data Division.

Performs and/or assists with a variety of assignments which may include: reviewing incoming and outgoing correspondence; conducting research involving reentry and recidivism; coding pre-sentence investigations and in-depth criminal history data (RAP sheets) and entering the data into a database for analysis; gathering statistical information; preparing reports to track key indicator data; analyzing and interpreting results to prepare reports; creating a coding manual and data entry system for both the pre-sentence investigations and the criminal history; conducting surveys of institution and community-based services; researching and preparing responses to inquiries; and planning and coordinating training conferences and workshops.

Salary

• $46,610 - $60,593/year

Conditions of Employment

EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.

Key Requirements:

1. U.S. Citizenship is Required.
2. Must sign a Pathways Internship Program Participant Agreement
3. Be at least 16 years of age
4. Maintain a GPA of 2.5 and above with no grade below a "C"
5. Maintain at least a half-time course load at the collegiate level.

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following:

Applicants must be current students pursuing a degree or certificate in a qualifying educational institution with an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher AND maintain at least a half time or full-time course load.

AND

Completion of four (4) academic years of post-high school leading to a bachelor's degree or equivalent degree.

This position has a basic educational requirement. Individuals applying for this position must be enrolled in a degree program directly related to the position. In order to be eligible for conversion into the competitive service, the incumbent must meet the degree requirements, as governed by the Office of Personnel Management, for this position.

Applicants must also provide documentation from the educational institution verifying current enrollment with at least a half time or full-time course load. This documentation may be a Current Enrollment Verification Certificate or a statement of current enrollment or acceptance letter (which verifies all of the required information).

If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities.

**Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.**

The Fair Chance Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other information, to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged non-compliance by contacting the EEO Office in the Central Office at BOP-PRD-EEOOffice-S@bop.gov.

After a conditional offer is received, all applicants must satisfactorily pass all screening requirements related to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit check.

Education ONLY if education is a requirement/substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here. Foreign Education: For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. Other Information PATHWAY PROGRAM OVERVIEW: Allows students to be exposed to the work of the Government through Federal internships while pursuing their degree. This position is being filled under the Pathways Internship Program which is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with paid work opportunities in agencies to explore Federal careers while still in school. The Internship provides managers a ready source of student employees and potential permanent employees upon completion of the program requirements. It also provides the student with work experience directly related to the curriculum studies or career goals. To learn more, please visit: Student & Recent Graduates SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT SECTION: Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a pre-employment and panel interview, urinalysis, physical and background investigation. CONVERSION TO THE COMPETITIVE SERVICE: Interns may be converted to a permanent position (or, in some limited circumstances, to a term position lasting 1-4 years) within 120 days of successful completion of the program. To be eligible for conversion, Interns must: Complete at least 480 hours of work experience acquired through the Internship Program; Complete their degree or certificate requirements; Meet the qualification standards for the position to which the Intern will be converted; Meet agency-specific requirements as specified in the Participant's Agreement, and perform their job successfully. Agencies may waive up to 320 of the required 480 hours of work for Interns who demonstrate high potential as evidenced by outstanding academic achievement and exceptional job performance. In addition, students working in agencies through third-party intern providers may count up to 320 of the hours they work toward the 480 hour requirement. Time spent under previous Internship Program appointments may count towards required work experience hours. Applicants will be required to provide supporting documentation to support participation in previous programs. Required Documents

Failure to provide legible required documents and/or follow the prescribed format often results in removal from consideration. If uploading documentation, do not identify/save your documents utilizing a special character such as %, #, @, etc. Documentation should be identified/saved as VA Letter, DD-214, or Transcripts.

Veterans' Preference Documentation:
Failure to submit all required documents at the time of application will result in the loss of claimed preference eligibility.

• DD-214: Veterans MUST provide a DD-214 demonstrating that they have been discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions (i.e., the individual must have received either an honorable or general discharge).
• SF-15: If you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, widow/widower of a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit:
  • A completed Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference" AND all required documentation identified on the SF-15. NOTE: A Department of Veterans Affairs letter must contain the Veteran's Name and Combined Service-Connected Evaluation. For a copy of the most current SF-15, Click Here.
  • If you are on active duty and expect to be discharged or released from active duty service within 120 days, you may submit a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty from the appropriate Branch Personnel Office containing the following information:
    1. The military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and
    2. The character of service (must be an honorable or general discharge); and
    3. Any qualifying service/campaign/expeditionary medals.
• Resume (limited to 2 pages) must include your name, contact information, and relevant experience (cover letter optional). Experience that would not normally be part of the Federal employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence of qualifying experience (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, Human Resource Manager, SF- 52, MOU, etc.). If providing a memorandum, it must follow the format below AND clearly cite the duties performed.
  • To receive credit for experience, your resume and/or any satisfactory evidence must
    include:
    • Start date and end date in month/year format (MM/YYYY) AND
    • Number of hours worked per week.
• College transcript: includes the School Name, Student Name, Degree, and Date Awarded (if applicable). NOTE: If you are selected, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day.
• SF-50: for proof of prior LEO coverage, if applicable.

For more help, visit USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?

We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software, delays in mail service, applicant application errors, etc.

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 submit all 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:

1. Click the Apply Online button.
2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
4. 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.
5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
6. 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.
7. Set aside about two (2) 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.
8. 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 at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us.

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: Visit https://help.usajobs.gov/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.

USAJOBS Help Center - How to Add a Resume to Your Profile

All required supporting documentation MUST be received by the Consolidated Staffing Unit by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time on08/25/2026.

If applicable see Notice for Preference Eligible Veterans Applicants

Benefits Health and life insurance coverage for Federal employees depends on the type of appointment. Students hired under the Pathways Internship Program may be entitled to these benefits. If eligible, employees serving on temporary appointments will receive the same government contribution as full-time permanent employees. Temporary employees are not eligible for coverage under the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Program. Students hired under the Pathways Internship Program are generally ineligible for retirement coverage. Applicants hired under the Pathways Internship Program on appointments for 90 days or more are eligible to earn annual and sick leave. As provided in 5 U.S.C. 6303(b), employees whose appointments are limited to less than 90 days may be eligible for annual leave if they have previously served for a continuous period of 90 days under successive appointments. Telework in accordance with agency policy.