U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Asheville Ecological Services Field Office

The Asheville Field Offices is currnently not seeking interns

We have a paid internship program, however, as we like to provide deep and rich experiences for our interns, we prefer to hire our interns for long periods, generally at least a year, which means we recruit much less frequently than many places.

We currently anticipate advertising in the fall of 2013 for 1-2 interns to start in the winter of 2014. In order to qualify for our internship program, you must be at least a half-time student with at least two semesters remaining before graduation. If you meet those requirements and are interested, send your contact information to gary_peeples@fws.gov, and you will be notified when we begin advertising.

Our intership positions are primarily administrative. Secondary duties include helping biologists with non-outdoor components of projects. Field work will be sporadic and opportunistic, not a primary part of this position.

Desirable skills (we do not expect applicants to have all these skills)
Interpersonal - Ability to work with people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and personality types.
Personal – Reliable, ability to work independently, displays positive attitude and initiative, well-organized.
Software experience - MS Office suite, Arc GIS, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Premier Elements
Technical knowledge/experience - Environmental education and outreach techniques, written and oral communication, biology/botany/wildlife biology/stream ecology, social media strategy and implementation, grants management, property management.

Hours and location:  A successful job candidate must have the ability to work approximately 10-20 hours a week throughout the year (working during breaks/summer is negotiable).  Our office is located at 160 Zillicoa Street just off Broadway in Asheville. 

Pay rate:  Federal pay grade GS-2 to GS-4, depending on course work and qualifications.  Housing and other expenses are not provided. 

Eligibility requirements:  Applicants must be a U.S. citizen and be accepted for enrollment, or enrolled, as a degree-seeking student at an accredited technical or vocational school, 2 or 4 year college, or university and have at least a 2.0 GPA.  The student must be taking at least a half-time course load as defined by the school.  Applicants must be able to work for at least one year.  The successful candidate(s) will also have to pass a federal criminal background check. 

How to apply:  (Submit the following documents)

• Letter of interest.
• Resume describing school and work experiences.
• Copy of your most recent official transcript and upcoming school schedule, if known.
• Letter of recommendation from a professor or current or former supervisor.

Mail to:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Asheville Field Office
160 Zillicoa Street
Asheville, NC  28801

 

Additionally, certain National Wildlfie Refuges have extremely active and ongoing internship programs and regularly accept applications.

The Service also has a recruitment program, the Student Career Experience Program, or SCEP. Acceptance into SCEP establishes the student in a co-operative work situation where the student works for the Service, alternating work time with academic study, or pursuing the two concurrently. Satisfactory completion of SCEP may lead to permanent employment with the Service.