Written by a former VSFS participant otherwise unaffiliated with this website. 

Summary

The Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS) 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. Given its flexible work arrangements, the wide array of available projects, and acceptance of many different academic backgrounds, VSFS internships can be an excellent way to further your public sector professional development.

The program caters to a wide variety of backgrounds and is generally open to all majors, with specific projects ranging from data analysis and graphic design to marketing and compiling educational content. The internship is quite flexible and runs entirely remotely for nine months from September through May on a part-time basis (7-10 hours/week). While the internships are eligible for university course credit, the opportunity itself is unfortunately unpaid.

The application window opens annually in February, with hundreds of positions available each year. The VSFS program is a great opportunity to gather first experiences in the US government, gain a valuable credential, and test your fit for policy work. Since 2009 more than 10,000 college students have participated in VSFS—both the VSFS LinkedIn page and this unofficial discord channel can be useful to connect with program alums.

This post will cover the specific eligibility requirements, outline some experiences in the program, and give a broad overview of the application process.

Who is eligible?

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.

The VSFS program encourages students of all majors to apply. Because the internship is conducted entirely online and does not necessitate any travel to Washington, DC, students are generally able to complete the internship from anywhere with a stable internet connection and do not even have to reside in the US. No VSFS positions require a security clearance.

Why is this an exciting opportunity?

A wide variety of government agencies participate in VSFS

Throughout its existence, the VSFS program has connected US citizen talent with the needs of over 50 federal agencies and accommodates an incredibly diverse range of academic backgrounds and personal interests. In the past, notable agencies like the CDC, NIH, as well as various intelligence agencies, branches of the military, the State Department, and USAID, have all posted positions to VSFS. Building experience and connections at agencies such as the CDC and NIH could be beneficial for future biosecurity work; experiences with the State Department and the Department of Defense could be useful for entering government work on topics spanning AI, biosecurity and other important emerging technology and security topics.

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. Because of this, the program can be a great entry into government work for those interested in future US policy positions.

The program is very flexible

The VSFS program, conducted entirely online from anywhere and without fixed working hours, means that most students should be able to continue pursuing their studies while participating in the program.

The experience can be useful for future applications

While testing your personal fit for public sector work is understandably part of the motivation for completing a VSFS internship, due to the entirely remote and part-time nature of the program, its usefulness for forecasting one’s personal fit for the average in-person full-time government position is likely limited. To this end, I caution VSFS interns against concluding that they are not a good fit for government work based on this program alone.

In addition to being a useful, if imperfect, indicator of personal fit for federal government work, participation in the VSFS program can make an applicant’s future public sector applications stand out. For example, internship supervisors can often, but not always, provide valuable mentorship throughout the program and serve as professional references for future applications.

There are several alternatives to VSFS that are worth considering, such as full-time DC-based policy internships, including via university-sponsored “Semester in DC” programs. But VSFS participation is best seen not as a substitute for a full-time DC internship but as a complement; the opportunity cost of the VSFS program is relatively low since you can participate during the academic year and the VSFS may help you qualify for more prestigious and competitive DC opportunities, including internships, fellowships, graduate school, and junior full-time positions. 

Why the VSFS might be a bad fit for you

Reasons why you might choose not to participate in VSFS include:

1. Limited exposure to individuals working in government: Because the program is entirely remote and part-time, a VSFS internship doesn’t necessarily feel very personal, and you could likely meet many more people and build more substantive relationships with mentors and coworkers through an in-person and full-time experience in Washington, DC (if that option is available to you).
2. Unpaid: The internship is unpaid, which may require some participants to continue working other jobs during the internship.
3. Time differences: Working across timezones can be tricky depending on your location; being based across the US and often abroad, interns frequently span many hours of time difference, which may be a challenge for some roles depending on your location and your supervisor’s flexibility.
4. Limited opportunity for public work: The work you do and the deliverables you produce are not usually public which means there are likely limited opportunities for getting public writing samples.

What does participating in this program entail?

A personal example 

The wide variety of positions and agencies hiring interns suggests that personal experiences and tasks will vary widely. Yet, here’s one personal example from a former VSFS intern detailing their experience in the program:

This specific position—working with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ)—hired three VSFS interns, supervised by two full-time agency staff members. Working across timezones, all project members met virtually once a week to discuss upcoming deadlines, check in on progress, and work through any difficulties. A joint messaging channel also served as a useful tool for regular communication, and both supervisors and the other students were generally very approachable and responsive to questions.

The work itself was primarily research-focused and mostly involved individual literature reviews spanning academic, private sector, and government sources on the status and future potential of zero-emission technologies in the marine and aviation sectors, with a limited teamwork component. With few exceptions, the weekly time commitment was around seven hours per week, with some weeks requiring less. The final deliverable culminated in a one-hour presentation—delivered together with the other interns—on the state of emerging technology delivered to 40-50 agency staff with a Q&A round afterward.

For other general testimonials of what it is like to be a VSFS intern check out this newsletter, and students’ experiences working for ODNI, US embassies, Department of Veteran Affairs (and again), NOAA, and others. 

General advice during the program

1. Take the opportunity to look beyond your immediate job: Working closely with agency staff can offer a unique opportunity to learn more broadly about the inner workings of government. Express your interest in this early on in the internship. Supervisors are frequently happy to accommodate this preference and, for example, send open invites to meetings where interns are welcome to listen in, or share unclassified agency documents.
2. Learn from your mentor’s experiences: Leverage your intern status to set up 1:1 calls with your mentor(s) (and possibly others) to learn more about their background, motivations, and advice for public sector work. This can be a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have about getting into government work.
3. Be transparent about other commitments: The VSFS program is generally very flexible, and supervisors understand that interns are taking classes in conjunction with the program. If you have exams or other commitments coming up which might influence the time you can dedicate to VSFS, be open and transparent about this.

Application overview

Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria should apply to their top three positions (submitted as a single application) from a list of all VSFS projects. Because each internship is limited to 300 applicants, it can make sense to apply earlier to positions that may be especially popular—in the past, research positions with the intelligence agencies have been especially quick to fill up. But some openings may only be posted later in the cycle, so this is a balancing act—submitting your application early on might mean you forgo such opportunities. If you feel excited about the positions you are applying for and they seem to fit your background well, it may be helpful to apply earlier, otherwise, there’s no harm in waiting a bit.

There are a lot of projects to apply to: In some years, more than a 1,000 VSFS projects get listed at some point. Some projects take multiple interns.

For a complete and up-to-date list of application steps, see the overview on the VSFS website. What follows is a brief summary:

1. Join the VSFS community on USAJobs and create a Login.gov account. Visit the USAJobs help center for further information
2. Login to USAJobs and upload or build your resume
3. Upload the required documents
   1. Resume
   2. College transcripts
   3. Reference contact information
   4. Your top three internships choices
   5. A statement of interest for each of your top three internships (limited to 2,999 characters—this is the most critical part of the application)
   6. Your answer to a few questions on previous experience and skill development 
4. Candidate selections are made in August
   1. Mentors will email candidates for interviews—make sure that VSFS@state.gov and other dot-gov messages are not caught in any spam filters
   2. I received an email in mid-August prompting me to accept or decline an offer. Many positions conduct brief interviews, but not all will
5. The internship starts in September and lasts through May of the following year

Depending on your level of experience, it can be smart to balance a “reach” application(s) with 1-2 positions that seem like a safer bet. Some of the top internships (e.g. with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, ODNI) received hundreds of applications for only a few spots.

Join the unofficial discord channel: This can be a useful hub to connect with other applicants and exchange feedback regarding application materials, technical difficulties, or other issues!

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