Central California Consortium

Learn more about the California Consortium Employment Program

Frequently asked questions

1. What is a Forest Service Internship?
2. What are the STEP and SCEP programs?
3. What are the benefits of an Internship?
4. What does an Intern do?
5. If positions are not local, where will I live?
6. When can I apply?
7. How are interns selected?
8. When will I be contacted?
9. Do I get paid? How much?

1. What is a Forest Service Internship?

An internship is a supervised, learning experience during which an intern, with guidance and supervision, completes a series of planned activities, with established learning objectives, or project(s) designed to give a broad understanding of an occupational area.

A Forest Service internship experience with the California Consortium (CA Consortium) consists of an agreement between the intern, the supervisor, and the CA Consortium to determine learning goals, activities, and experience. CA Consortium positions with the Forest Service are temporary paid internships. Most are summer full time (40 hours per week) internships although there are a few exceptions where positions are part time during the year. The CA Consortium offers internships throughout California and sometimes Washington and Oregon. Government housing is available for many internship positions. Students will be hired under the Student Temporary Experience Program (STEP) hiring authority. A selected few will have the opportunity to be hired under the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP).

For more details regarding FS Internships, view question 2: What are the STEP and SCEP programs.

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2. What are the STEP and SCEP programs?

STEP (Student Temporary Experience Program)

• Purpose
• The Primary reason for employing students through this hiring authority is to accomplish project work while providing an opportunity for students to explore careers in the Forest Service.
• Eligibility Criteria
• Must be eligible to work in the United States.
• Must be at least 16 years old (able to obtain a work permit).
• Must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment to obtain a diploma, certificate, degree, etc.
• Must be taking at least a half time (typically 6 units) course load at an accredited high school, technical or vocational school, 2 or 4 year college or university, graduate or professional school.
• Employee Benefits
• Not eligible for retirement benefits, health benefits, and life insurance, but is eligible for health benefits after 1 year of continuous service. Employee must pay 100% of the premium.
• Eligible to accrue sick leave.
• Eligible to accrue annual leave (vacation), if appointment is for more than 90 days.
• Grade Level (View question 8 for more details regarding GS levels)
• Most students begin at the GS-2, 3, or 4 levels. Students with Bachelor Degrees qualify for a GS-5.
• Conversion to Career-Conditional
• No conversion opportunity.
• Note: May be converted to a Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) position if one is available and the student meets the criteria for the SCEP. Service hours as STEP may count toward service requirements for SCEP.
• Types of Positions
• The majority of the STEP positions are technical and field going. However, students are hired from a wide variety of academic disciplines into a variety of positions.

SCEP (Student Career Experience Program)

• Purpose
• To provide students a planned and progressive career related employment program which gives students a mix of academic study and on-the job experience.
• Eligibility Criteria
• Must be a U.S. Citizen. Non citizens may qualify in the absence of interested, qualified U.S. citizens if they are permitted by the agency’s appropriations act and are eligible to work under U.S. immigration laws.
• U.S. Citizenship is required for conversion to permanent employment.
• Must be at least 16 years old .
• Must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment to obtain a diploma, certificate, degree, etc.
• Must be taking at least a half time (typically 6 units) course load at an accredited high school, technical or vocational school, 2 or 4 year college or university, graduate or professional school.
• Must be pursuing an academic field related to the position being filled.
• Must be actually attending a qualifying school vs. taking corresponding courses.
• Must complete at least 640-hours work prior to or concurrently with the completion of course requirements for degree.
• Grade Level (View question 9 for more details regarding GS levels)
• May be appointed up to the GS-9 level, or wage grade equivalent, based on qualifications.
• Persons in doctoral or professional, masters, and bachelors programs are eligible for up to GS-11, based on qualifications.
• Conversion to Career-Conditional
• Eligible for noncompetitive conversion to the competitive service within 120 calendar days after completing their academic course and work requirements.
• Employee Benefits
• PERMANENT CAREER/PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Eligible for retirement, health benefits, and life insurance. Also accrue annual (vacation) and sick leave.
• Types of Positions
• The majority of the SCEP positions are in the natural resources fields. However, students are hired from a wide variety of academic disciplines.

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3. What are the benefits of an Internship?

Benefits offered to a student through an internship experience are the following:

• An opportunity to explore career fields of interest first hand.
• Application of academic knowledge in a practical work environment.
• A chance to gain “hands on” experiences.
• Making contacts useful for future employment.
• A setting, which broadens experiences and encourages self-confidence, maturity and accomplishment.
• A source of recommendations for graduate study for post-graduate employment.

In addition, students enjoy flexible work hours and paid vacation and sick leave.

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4. What does an Intern do?

Each intern has a different assignment, which varies according to the department and supervisor. Work may include laboratory experiments, conducting research, developing administrative study projects, fieldwork, and other opportunities.

While representing your school and the CA Consortium, you are expected to follow these guidelines:

• Maintain a good work ethic.
• Arrive to work on time every day.
• Dress appropriately for your work environment.
• Exhibit an enthusiastic attitude for your assignment and your co-workers.
• Maintain a professional image.
• Attend all mandatory meetings.
• Complete all required paper work (i.e. time sheets, employment paper work, evaluations, etc.) in a timely fashion.

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5. If positions are not local, where will I live?

Government housing is available for most students that are offered internship positions out of town. Housing is usually in barrack spaces that look like dorms or reconstructed homes. Students share living quarters with other student interns and Forest Service employees. The average cost is roughly $6-8 a day which adds up to roughly $200 a month. The amount is taken directly out of each paycheck, so students will not need to worry about a monthly payment. Considering most internships available are full time and starting at $12 per hour, housing is very affordable.

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6. When can I apply?

Students can apply year round. However, because selections are made during the Spring, it is recommended that students apply between the months of December through May, preferably sooner rather than later.

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7. How are interns selected?

Every application is entered into a database. Each time a new position is available, the CA Consortium will conduct a search of student: interests, location preference, major, etc. relevant to the new position available. Every student whose application is a match is further evaluated through interviews, reference checks, and a detail assessmented of application before a selection is made.

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8. When will I be contacted?

The CA Consortium will focus on recruitment during the months of December through May. You may be contacted at this time if your application is not complete or needs to be revised. However, the screening process (interviews and reference checks) and most position selections will be made from March through May. Each position will have a separate selection period and will occur during this time. If you would like more information about a particular position selection period or the status of your application, feel free to contact an Internship Coordinator in your area (contact information available in main Internship Program Webpage).

* WE ARE CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS!!
It is strongly encouraged that you complete your application as soon as possible. You will be considered for more internship positions if you apply sooner.

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9. Do I get paid? How much?

Every CA Consortium Forest Service Internship is a paid internship. Entry level students begin at a GS-2 or GS-3 level depending on education. More experienced students start at GS-3 or 4. The GS level is determined using transcripts and work experience from your resume.

View link for GS table: Hourly Pay and Annual Pay

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US Forest Service - Central California Consortium
Last Modified: Friday, 28 October 2011 at 18:11:03 EDT