Internships that are LEFT

GAO was rated one of “The Best Places to Work in the Federal
Government 2005.”

WHO MAY APPLY: This vacancy is open to all qualified applicants.

WHAT IS GAO: The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) exists
to support the Congress in meeting its constitutional
responsibilities and to help improve the performance and ensure the
accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the
American people. GAO, commonly referred to as the investigative arm
of Congress or the congressional watchdog, is independent and
nonpartisan. GAO helps Congress make informed decisions by providing
information on policy and program issues and recommendations to make
government more effective and responsive. GAO senior executives
testify before the Congress several hundred times a year and are
cited regularly in the national news media. GAO’s work also leads to
billions of dollars in savings to U.S. taxpayers each year.

The GAO headquarters building is located at 441 G Street, NW,
Washington, D.C. and is convenient to public transportation. About
one-third of GAO’s mission-related workforce is in 11 U.S. field
office locations, listed before the qualifications section.

GAO conducts its work through several Mission Teams and under four
common goals:

- to provide timely, quality service to Congress and the federal
government to address current and emerging challenges to the well-
being and financial security of the American people;

- to provide timely, quality service to Congress and the federal
government to respond to changing security threats and the challenges
of global interdependence;

- to help transform the federal government’s role and how it does
business to meet 21st century challenges; and

- to maximize the value of GAO in assisting Congress by being a model
federal agency and a world class professional services organization.

The Mission Teams for which interns will be hired under this
announcement are:

Applied Research and Methods (ARM) provides analytical, programming,
and methodological assistance to GAO’s mission teams through five
technical centers: Center for Communications and Visual Analysis,
Center for Economics, Center for Design, Methods, and Analysis,
Center for Evaluation Methods and Issues, and Center for Technology
and Engineering.

Acquisition and Sourcing Management (ASM) examines weapon system
acquisitions, contracting and competitive sourcing, NASA management
and systems, and Defense industry globalization.

Defense Capabilities and Management (DCM) assists in congressional
oversight of the Department of Defense and its efforts to provide
modern equipment and well trained people who are ready to accomplish
the nation’s 21st century security objectives.

Education, Workforce and Income Security (EWIS) team aims to improve
the everyday lives for children, students, workers, retired men and
women, and people with disabilities by analyzing programs that
educate and protect the nation’s children, promote work opportunities
and protect workers, and ensure a secure retirement for older Americans.

Financial Markets and Community Investment (FMCI) examines financial
institutions, markets and regulation (banks; securities, futures, and
insurance firms; government-sponsored enterprises); financial crises;
small and minority-owned business; low and moderate-income housing;
community and economic development.

Health Care’s (HC) work involves the analysis of a wide range of
diverse federal health-related programs whose expenditures represent
approximately one-quarter of all federal spending, including
Medicare, Medicaid, private health insurance, public health, and
veterans’ and military health care systems.

Homeland Security and Justice (HSJ) analyzes issues such as
strengthening and improving the justice system, including election
systems; securing our nation against crime and terrorism;
facilitating information-sharing and intelligence analysis;
increasing emergency preparedness.

International Affairs and Trade (IAT) analyzes U.S. programs and
efforts concerning development assistance, security, trade policy,
foreign affairs management, international finance, and multilateral
development organizations.

Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) analyzes issues related to
energy; environmental protection; federal land stewardship; Native
American programs; food safety and agriculture; nuclear
nonproliferation; nuclear technology, security, and environmental
cleanup; water resources; defense cleanup; and science and technology.

Physical Infrastructure (PI) deals with issues that impact our
everyday lives: surface and aviation transportation mobility, safety,
and regulation; telecommunications access, competition, and
regulation; federal facilities construction, maintenance, and
security; and postal services modernization and security.

Strategic Issues (SI) analyzes issues in the areas of organizational
transformation/change management/human capital; federal budget and
long-term fiscal issues; tax policy/administration; strategic
planning, performance measurement and national indicators;
intergovernmental issues; regulation analysis/reform; federal
statistical policy/census.

DESCRIPTION OF WORK AND WORK ENVIRONMENT Typically student interns
work as part of a project team conducting in-depth analysis and
evaluation of executive and legislative branch programs, policies,
offices, and processes. GAO’s work is generally requested by the
Chairman or Ranking Minority Member of a congressional committee or
subcommittee, or has been mandated by legislation. This work is
demanding, important, and typically bound by fixed deadlines.
Student interns generally work in a specific mission team, as
described above, and interns are closely supervised by senior staff
members during their internships. Most interns serve as Analysts.

Student interns adhere to GAO policies, regulations and generally
accepted government auditing standards. Student intern assignments
generally involve the following typical job skills, duties and
activities:

*Research design: supporting the development of appropriate research
questions, and the engagement’s scope and methodology, in
collaboration with GAO experts in research methods;

*Data gathering: reviewing documents and conducting interviews of
agency officials, focus groups, surveys, and expert panel discussions;

*Data analysis: summarizing facts in writing, interpreting data,
understanding data limitations, and utilizing data to determine
patterns, trends, or irregularities in program activities, policies,
and procedures;

*Organizational analysis: understanding and describing government
agencies’ structures, missions, goals, and processes;

*Writing: recording information from interviews with agency officials
and drafting segments of reports or testimony statements;

*Collaboration: working well in a team-based environment through
effective communication and information sharing; and

*Presenting information: contributing to the effective delivery of
information to internal and external interested parties, through oral
briefing, the use of visuals and graphics, and other appropriate means.

Students may be selected from a variety of academic disciplines such
as public policy/administration, business administration, human
resources, economics, mathematics, statistics, and social sciences.

Most internships are during the summer, but there are intern
experiences available during the Spring and Fall semesters.
Internships are limited to 16 weeks (640 hours); typically in the
summer they are 10 to 12 weeks long, and are available on a paid or
unpaid (volunteer) basis.

Internships are available in our headquarters in Washington, DC and
in field offices, which are located in 11 cities throughout the
United States. All of the Mission teams listed above have
headquarters’ locations, but only certain Mission teams are
represented at each Field Office. The Field offices, for which we
are hiring interns under this announcement, and their mission teams
are listed below:

Atlanta Defense Capabilities Management Financial Markets and
Community Investment Health Care Homeland Security and Justice
Natural Resources and Environment Strategic Issues

Boston Acquisition and Sourcing Management Education, Workforce and
Income Security Financial Markets and Community Investment Natural
Resources and Environment Strategic Issues

Chicago Education, Workforce and Income Security Financial Markets
and Community Investment Health Care Physical Infrastructure

Dallas Defense Capabilities Management Homeland Security and Justice
Natural Resources and Environment Physical Infrastructure

Dayton Acquisition and Sourcing Management

Denver Acquisition and Sourcing Management Natural Resources and
Environment

Huntsville Acquisition and Sourcing Management

Los Angeles Defense Capabilities Management Homeland Security and
Justice International Affairs and Trade Physical Infrastructure

Norfolk Defense Capabilities Management

San Francisco Education, Workforce and Income Security Financial
Markets and Community Investment International Affairs and Trade
Natural Resources and Environment Strategic Issues

Seattle Defense Capabilities Management Education, Workforce and
Income Security Health Care Homeland Security and Justice Natural
Resources and Environment Physical Infrastructure

QUALIFICATIONS: To be eligible for a GAO internship, students must: *
have completed at least 60 semester hours or quarter hour equivalents
of college level work (equivalent to completing the sophomore year of
your undergraduate study), * be enrolled in an accredited graduate or
undergraduate program in good standing, and * be able to show proof
of intent to return to school following the internship, unless
completing degree requirements and internship concurrently.

ELIGIBILITY FOR PERMANENT EMPLOYMENT

Upon completion of the required 400 hours, interns are eligible to be
considered for a permanent position, subject to performance and
budgetary considerations.

COMPENSATION and BENEFITS: Interns are appointed at varying salary
levels depending on the number of semester hours or quarter hours
completed when selected. Salaries range from about $13.83 to about
$31.52 per hour.

EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS: Interns selected will be eligible for annual and
sick leave. Other benefits include training programs, seminars,
career counseling, flexible work hours, and transportation subsidy.
GAO locations may have fitness and child care centers and operate
under a business casual dress policy. GAO also offers a smoke free
environment.

TRANSCRIPTS: As part of the qualification process, GAO requires that
an academic record, unofficial transcript(s) or official transcript
(s) be provided by the closing date of this announcement. Please note
that if you are selected for an internship at GAO, you MUST deliver
an official transcript(s) prior to the first work day.

HOW TO APPLY FOR THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT: Please follow these steps
to apply: Step 1: Register and submit your resume online: Your
online resume must include the following:

- Personal Information - Full name, mailing address (with zip code),
e-mail address, day and evening phone numbers (with area code),
country(ies) of citizenship. - Education - High School name, city and
state, colleges or universities, name, city and state, majors and
type and year of any degrees received (if no degree, show total
credits earned and indicate whether semester or quarter hours and
anticipated date of graduation, as applicable). - Work Experience -
Job title; duties and accomplishments; employer’s name and address;
supervisor’s name and phone number; starting and ending dates (month
and year) of employment; hours per week; salary; and indicate whether
or not your current supervisor may be contacted. Prepare a separate
description for each job, starting with the current or most recent
job and work back. - Other Qualifications - Job related training
courses (title and year), job related skills, job related
certificates and licenses, job related honors, awards, and special
accomplishments.

Step 2: Submit on-line application: answer all of the application
questions. If you provided a resume when you registered to receive
GAO job postings, please make sure you update your resume.

Step 3: Claim veterans’ preference: If you are a veteran, you may be
eligible for hiring preference. To claim 5 and 10-point veterans’
preference, please submit your DD-214 (Member 4 copy, which indicates
Character of Service), SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veterans
Preference), letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs signed
and dated on or after January 1, 1991 for 10 point claims, and
additional proof as required by the SF-15 form, if applicable. Step
4: Submit required documentation: A copy of college or
universitytranscript(s) that is relevant to this vacancy, and (if
applicable)proof of veterans’ preference eligibility.Note: Because of
increased security measures and our ongoing review ofapplications,
documents sent through the mail may not arrive in a timelymanner.
Therefore, we encourage you to submit all required documentationby
one of the following means:1) FAX: 202-512-2539. Please include your
name, daytime phone number andthe vacancy announcement number on all
required documentation.2) E-mail: PowellAY@GAO.GOV. Please reference
the announcement number inthe subject line.

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. You must complete
youron-line application and we must receive all required
documentation by11:59 P.M. EASTERN time on the closing date of this
announcement. If youexperience technical problems you must notify us
before 5:00 P.M.EASTERN time on the closing date of this announcement
in order for us toassist you.

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT: After the closing date we will conduct
anevaluation of your qualifications and eligibility, including
applyingveterans’ preference. If further evaluation or interviews
are required you willbe contacted. Selected candidates will be
referred to the hiringofficial for selection. We anticipate
notifying applicants of theoutcome within 90 days of the closing date
of this announcement.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED: If you meet the qualification
requirementsstated above, you will then be evaluated on your resume,
transcript(s)and responses to the vacancy announcement. Follow all
instructionscarefully as errors or omissions may affect your
candidacy for theintern program.

IMPORTANT! All the information you provide may be verified by a
reviewof the work experience and/or education as shown on your
applicationforms, by checking references and through other means,
such as theinterview process.Any exaggeration of your experience,
false statements, or attempts toconceal information may be grounds
for not hiring you, or for firing youafter you begin work.

Please make sure that you have included your resume. You will
beDISQUALIFIED from consideration if your resume has not been
submittedbefore this vacancy closes.

Remember to send all supporting documentation for proper consideration.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:United States citizenship is required. Dual
citizens (citizens of theUnited States and another country) are
eligible for GAO employment. However, GAO conducts some projects
that involve classified or otherwiserestricted information and a
security clearance is required to conductthis work. GAO does not
currently grant security clearances to staffthat hold dual citizenship.

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