<p>I think it's called the 2009 State Department Summer Clerical Program.</p>
<p>It's mainly for people interested in International/Foreign Relations kinds of stuff. </p>
<p>Just curious because I saw an ad for it and I applied (lowest pay is like $9.80/hr...not bad)</p>
<p>So did anyone?</p>
<p>Haha so should I take that as a no from everyone?</p>
<p>Would have if I knew about it.</p>
<p>Same with me last year. I found out like 3 months after the app deadline. </p>
<p>Here's the link for it. U.S</a>. Department of State Careers - Student Programs</p>
<p>You can sign up for email updates and they let you know when you can apply.</p>
<p>Huh. I would think some CC'ers would have....they said they get about 3,000 apps each year and about half gets jobs.</p>
<p>Apologies for the delayed response - but two years ago I completed that exact program and have nothing but the best to say about it.</p>
<p>I believe it is an exceptional program for any student interested in international relations, which is such an integral part of today's global landscape. If you have any questions at all, please let me know and I will do my best to answer them. Good luck in your application process - I'm sure you'll love State once you arrive.</p>
<p>Is this program only in the D.C. area? </p>
<p>I live in the Bay Area, California. Are there any similar programs or other programs any of you would recommend for a student interested in public policy/foreign relations/international work/legal sector?</p>
<p>RickVA - Yes! I was hoping someone on here had done it before and could answer some quick questions. If you don't know it's cool but any answers are greatly appreciated!
-How old were you when you got the job?
-What kind of work did they have you do?
-What was the work schedule like? Was it like June-August, 40 hour weeks?
-Did you start at the GS-1 level?
-Assuming you applied thru usajobs.gov (not sure if that's a new thing or not) how long did it take for the application status thing to switch? aka - at what point did you find out you got the job?
-Were you working w/ other program people?
Sorry for all the questions but State is kind of vague when it comes to details about this thing. I'm so glad to hear that it was a great experience! It's really hard to find jobs like that, especially paid, right now. Any other info or things you think i should know about it are welcome.
Thanks!</p>
<p>EKS - I don't remember reading anywhere that you had to live around here, but it would make sense. The only things I remember reading about that says they will cover somewhere to stay while working was like internship/scholarship type things for college students.
Here's the page about the State Dept.'s student programs - U.S</a>. Department of State Careers - Student Programs</p>
<p>Here's a link to the US Intelligence Community site, check out those sites and search around for careers and then something like "student opportunities" and they might have some stuff you would be interested in. UNITED</a> STATES INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY - WHO WE ARE</p>
<p>Hope that helps.</p>
<p>Ok, no prob.</p>
<p>I was 18 when I got the job. The main work that I did consisted of reviewing and proofreading memorandums, checking for both accuracy in content and grammar. I worked in the front office for one of the Bureaus, which included the Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary. Documents were drafted in the lower offices and sent up to my office. These documents included such things as briefing checklists for the Assistant Secretary's meetings or memorandums that required his signature. It was my job to go over the documents and pass it along to the Assistant Secretary.</p>
<p>When I worked there, they gave you different start dates to choose from. I chose the earliest one, which started May 14 I believe. The program is designed to run for 10 weeks. (I remember that I loved it so much and the staff still needed help, so they asked me to stay for an extra week!)</p>
<p>I started at the GS-2 level, which payed a little over $10/hr if I remember correctly.</p>
<p>Exactly like you said, I did apply through usajobs.com. Unfortunately, I don't remember when I found out that I got the acceptance offer - only that it was before April. haha, sorry about that.</p>
<p>In my office, I worked with three other interns. All of them were part of the other internship program (i.e. not the clerical one). In reality though, we all did pretty much the same work, except that I got paid the $10/hr while they could receive college creditsif they chose to (I don't know if any of them actually received credits). The main differences besides getting paid, was that as a clerical intern, I put together the phone list directory and took care of some of the more menial tasks, like taking confidential paper to the burn room (which was totally awesome!).</p>
<p>One big piece of advice I have is to choose to start the internship as early as possible. I chose to start on the first day available and it really put me in a leadership role when the other interns came in. The actual staff in my office did not want to repeat orientation material to the new interns, so they asked me to do it.</p>
<p>All in all, it was a terrific experience and I learned so much along the way. They really take care of the interns, with excursions to the Kennedy Center, White House, and Pentagon among others, and provide many opportunities to learn from Ambassadors and experts.</p>
<p>EKS: those links that buzzardsbay provided have great info. Definitely check out usajobs.com and sort by your intended locality.</p>
<p>Hopefully this all helps a little bit. Any other questions I would be happy to answer. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for the info man.</p>
<p>Hmm. I'm 17 now so I guess I'll prolly start at the gs-1 level. Still relatively good pay though. </p>
<p>Also I won't be able to start until the first week of June at the earliest....that's when I get outa school. </p>
<p>That thing about going to the pentagon, etc. sounds awesome! Glad to hear that they actually try to teach you stuff during this thing. </p>
<p>Another quick q - Was the background check rigorous? Do you know whether they let you keep the security clearance after the program to use for other jobs? (like keep renewing it when it expires) Also, did you take the metro to get there? Thanks!</p>
<p>I really hope I get this job. It sounds like such a great experience.</p>
<p>Concerning the background check, it took around 3 months for them to complete and as far as I know, no one I know was contacted with questions about me.</p>
<p>I'm not exactly sure about the security clearance in relation to other jobs, but I remember my ID was valid for 4 years. In essence, having been cleared once by the State Dept for a secret security clearance can only help you when looking for a job after the internship, in my opinion.</p>
<p>I did take the metro to get there, which was completely subsidized by the government! The program is called MetroCheks and it paid for all of my metro travel, both train and bus. I really did love this perk, as commuting to and from work can add up.</p>
<p>Feel free to ask any other questions. Good luck!</p>
<p>im in the process of applying for the unpaid state department internship for this fall..My GPA is not that great around a 3.0 at a jesuit university. but I do have fluency in Cantonese, Mandarin, and a little bit of Japanese. I'm applying for the East Asian Affairs Bureau in Hong Kong. I feel that I am pretty specific about my objectives in my statement of interest. what are my chances of getting in? </p>
<p>I really don't have high expectations on getting in..but if anyone has insights that would be of interest that would be great! </p>
<p>My thinking is that this year with the economy the way that it is....less people will take unpaid internships>(maybe) lol.</p>
<p>RickVA - what was the application deadline for this program?</p>
<p>scrabbler - it was Jan. 5.</p>
<p>I applied.
Does anyone know how we'll hear back (by email, phone, etc)?
Do we hear back even if we didn't get it?</p>
<p>does neone know if they offer interns housing over the summer, i applied also and havent heard nething as of yet</p>
<p>Has anyone applied to the South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau in Nepal? That's where I applied for this fall... </p>
<p>I hope that it doesn't work against my favor that I studied abroad there since many of the people I met are my contacts abroad and I know it's not favorable for you to have that :/</p>
<p>If anyone has ever interned with the SCA it would be great to hear some of your experiences.</p>
<p>thanks in advance!</p>
<p>p.s. to RickVA -- how did they do your security clearance if no one you knew was contacted?</p>
<p>My son heard from them last Thursday. He didn't get accepted. Did anyone get this internship?</p>
<p>your son heard for the fall internship, or for summer?</p>
<p>I applied for the summer state dept internship and didn't get it. I imagine they are highly selective.</p>
<p>kinetikat151: He applied for the summer.</p>