Applications Open for Remote US Government Internships (VSFS)

Summary: This post aims to boost US policy internships for people students motivated by EA principles – I think they’re not widely known but have anecdotally helped a few EAs land impressive positions that they might not have otherwise gotten.

. . .

The US Government offers remote internships for college students that can serve as a great stepping stone into US policy careers.

Some example positions^[1] (see all 526 internships here!) include:

Research on Foreign Malign Influence efforts with Office of the Director of National Intelligence (Due July 31)
Counter Disinformation and Advance Global Security with the U.S. Delegation to the OPCW with the Department of State (Due July 31)
Biostatistics internship: Help build and refine a forecasting challenge for dengue outbreaks with the Department of State (Due July 31)
Subnational Connectivity (U.S.- OECD) with the Department of State (Due July 31)
Political—Economic Analyst with the Department of State (Due July 31)
Tracking Global Emerging Technology with the Department of State (Due July 31)
Advancing Graphic Design: Exploring Generative AI Integration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (Due July 31)
Web Security Intern with the Department of Veterans Affairs (Due July 31)
Wildlife Data Analytics and Assistance with Forest Service (Due July 31)
Tech & Diplomacy: State Department’s IT Product Catalog with the Department of State (Due July 31)
OpenAI for Intelligence Production with the Department of Defense (Due July 31)
US Geological Survey: Wildlife Surveying Using Advanced Technology with the Geological Survey (Due July 31)

Applications for nearly all positions close around the end of July!

Visit this post for more information

You can learn more about VSFS (Virtual Student Federal Services) Opportunities in this post on last years VSFS openings. I’ll paste in some of the most relevant parts:

What is VSFS? The Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS) program enables university students to intern for a wide variety of federal agencies – from the CDC and the NIH to the military and the intelligence community. In addition to testing your fit for US policy work, internships can be an excellent way to build initial public sector career capital while connecting with potential employers.

Eligibility: Internship applicants must be US citizens, have graduated from high school, and be enrolled in higher education both at the time of application and during participation in the program. While enrollment in higher education is mandatory, both half-time and full-time enrollment is permitted, and the opportunity is open to undergraduate, graduate as well as post-graduate students.

No previous government experience is required: Unlike other – at times highly competitive – entry-level government positions, VSFS does not require or expect previous public sector experience

If you are interested in applying and want to talk to program alums or receive other kinds of support related to working in US policy, you can fill out this brief survey.

Depending on the position, I can imagine some applicants would be eligible for funding (eg. funding so you can drop another job to work on this). Here’s a list of EA funding opportunities that could get someone started.

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This isn’t necessarily an endorsement of these positions; they just appeared pretty good based on the title and hosting organisation alone.