U.S. Department of Education Student Job Opening

Job Description

•         The employee will assist with general casework, including tracking and checking on the status of Congressional requests and faxing responses to Congressional offices. The incumbent works with the lead caseworker to resolve constituent requests pertaining to Federal Student Aid.

•         The employee will carefully read all incoming letters for subject matters and assigned to the appropriate program office.

•         The employee will attend meetings both within and outside the Department on matters of Congressional interest alongside full-time Legislative Analysts. 

•         The employee will assist legislative staff with preparation for hearings, attend Congressional hearings and mark-ups, and write reports on those events.  Reports will be distributed across Department offices. 

•         The employee will assist with grant notifications and also assist Congressional Liaisons with inquiries from Members and their staff. 

•         The employee will assist staff with ongoing Congressional outreach and will manage master calendars of events of Department and Congressional interest.

•         The employee will maintain and update our databases of Congressional biographies and education liaisons.

•         The employee will be expected to perform various administrative tasks and other duties as assigned, including Hill runs and helping with phones when necessary.

•         This position is intended to fall under the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) or Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP). The intention is to combine on the job experience with studies. Applicants should be currently enrolled in school or have completed their degrees in the past year.  Both programs are designed to serve as a partnership between the student or recent graduate, the school and the Department of Education to increase confidence, interpersonal and professional skills in young students/recent graduates, gain professional experience and increase motivation to learn.

Competitive Pay and Benefits

As a SCEP student, your rate of pay will depend on your education and work experience.

As your responsibilities increase, your pay reflects your experience, talents and contributions. Pay-for-performance systems are in place to provide increases and awards for motivated SCEP students.

There are many ways to work in the SCEP. Schedules may alternate full-time work experiences with full semesters or quarters of study in school, or there may be part-time positions with parallel periods of study. You will work with your school and employer to design a schedule that works best for you.

Eligibility Requirements

In addition to U.S. citizenship, you must meet the following requirements:

•        Pursue a professional, graduate, Baccalaureate, or Associate degree, undergraduate certificate or diploma, or high school diploma;

•        Be enrolled in your school's Cooperative Education program

•        Maintain a good academic standing in your school;

•        Recommended for a Co-op assignment by your school;

•        Have met security requirements.

Program Background

Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP)

STEP provides part-time federal jobs to students that can last as little as one summer or as long as the duration of your college career. STEP positions are paid. The work does not have to be related to your field of study, allowing you to gain experience in other fields.

To be eligible you must be in high school, college, vocational school, or graduate school. In addition, you must be a U.S. citizen or national in most cases. However, if the hiring agency’s appropriation act permits non-citizen employees, and you are eligible to work under U.S. immigration laws, you can participate in the program. Also, make sure to check with an agency about whether they participate in the STEP program because they don't have to list these positions on usajobs.gov.

For more information visit: www.opm.gov/employ/students/intro.asp.

Student Career Experience Program (SCEP)

SCEP allows you to gain experience working for the government in a job related to your field of study. Most positions are paid and some also provide academic credit towards your degree.

To participate in SCEP, the hiring agency must have a formal agreement with your educational institution. SCEP positions are available to undergraduate and graduate students. You must be a U.S. citizen or national in most cases. However, if the hiring agency’s appropriation act permits non-citizen employees, and you are eligible to work under U.S. immigration laws, you can participate in the program.

If you successfully complete 640 hours of work within the SCEP program, you are eligible to be hired to a permanent position without going through the traditional hiring process. Recent additions to the program allow agencies to waive up to half of the required 640 hours for students with certain job-related experience acquired in a structured work-study program, active duty military service or if you have exceptional job performance and academic excellence (3.5 GPA out of a 4.0 scale, standing in the top 10% of the graduating class and/or induction into a nationally recognized scholastic honors society) while enrolled in the program.

For more information, visit www.opm.gov/employ/students/intro.asp.