Opportunities to Get Involved

There are many opportunities for youth and young adults 15-30 years old and veterans up to age 35 to work with the National Park Service. Many of these developmental opportunities and jobs are filled at the park level —so contact the park that interests you—but others opportunities are advertised and recruited nationally by the National Park Service or in partnership with youth and veteran serving organizations. We welcome the interest and engagement of the next generation of stewards who will care for our nation’s natural and cultural resources and preserve our rich legacy.

Are you ready to get started? Opportunities include jobs, internships, and volunteering.

Jobs

Whether you are looking for part-time work during the school year, a summer job, or are beginning a full-time career, check USAJobs for current openings. Additional there are opportunities for teens, young adults and veterans, including students and recent graduates listed below.

Pathways for Students and Recent Graduates

The Pathways Program offers federal internship and employment opportunities for current students, recent graduates and those with an advanced degree. There are three different paths available:

• Who can apply: Current students seeking degrees or certificates from accredited institutions (i.e., high schools; vocational and technical schools; and associate, bachelor, graduate, or professional schools) and recent graduates

• Interest areas: All

• Stipend: Salary

• Application period: Year-round

• Schedule: Year-round or summer

• Contact: NPS/Office of Human Resources via e-mail
  

Youth Conservation Corps

• Who can apply: Ages 15–18

• Schedule: summer 8–10 weeks, non-residential (except at Yellowstone and Yosemite)

• Interest areas: conservation work projects and environmental education programs

• Application period: apply to the park that interests you or check out your state's YCC program

• Contact: NPS Youth Programs at 202-513-7177 or via e-mail
  

Internships

Whether you’re in high school or college or have graduated within the past two years, internships are a way to acquire hands-on work experience while helping preserve and protect the nation’s natural and cultural heritage. The National Park Service collaborates with other organizations to create internship opportunities. Many of our national internship programs are listed below. However, we also recommend that you contact a park of interest directly to ensure that you know all the opportunities available.

Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps

• Who can apply: Native American youth in high school or older

• Schedule: Summer, Year-round

• Interest areas: Historic preservation, traditional agriculture, interpretation, conservation, trail construction

• Stipend: Varies

• Partner: Conservation Legacy

• Contact: NPS Youth Programs at 202-513-7146 or via e-mail

Community Assistance Fellows Program

• Who can apply: Outstanding undergraduates, graduate students, and recent grads, under age 30

• Schedule: Generally January to November

• Interest areas: Community planning, outdoor recreation planning

• Stipend: $510 per week plus travel/training stipend

• Partners: Conservation Legacy and Hispanic Access Foundation

• Contact: NPS Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program, Alan Turnbull, Career Experience Coordinator, at 202-354-2174 or e-mail us

Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program

• Who can apply: Diverse undergraduate and graduate students

• Schedule: Summer

• Interest areas: Historic preservation and cultural resources

• Stipend: $400 per week plus housing and travel stipend

• Partner: American Conservation Experience

• Contact: NPS/Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education, Paloma Bolasny, Youth Program Coordinator, at 202-354-6930 or via e-mail

Future Park Leaders of Emerging Change

• Who can apply: Graduate or upper-level undergraduates students

• Schedule: Summer, 11 or 12 weeks

• Interest areas: Natural resource management issues

• Stipend: $3,520 – $3,840 plus benefits. Most positions come with free or subsidized housing in dormitories or other shared accommodations in parks.

• Partners: University of Washington College of the Environment
• Application period:
  • Spring/Summer Internships: December 7 – January 25
  • Apply here
• Contact: e-mail

Geoscientists-in-the-Parks Internships

• Who can apply: Undergraduate or graduate students, recent graduates

• Schedule: Primarily summer internships, with some occurring in the fall/winter or year-round

• Interest areas: Natural resource science fields (air resources, biological resources, geologic resources, natural sounds, night skies, and water resources)—field and office based internships focus on research, inventory and monitoring, curation of park natural resources, interpretation and education projects

• Stipend: $1,400 - $2,400 per month, plus travel allowance (if no park housing is available, intern will receive a higher stipend)

• Partner: Stewards Individual Placement Program and The Geological Society of America

• Application periods:

  • Spring/summer internships: December 1 – January 15

  • Fall/winter internships: May 1 – June 15

  • Apply here

• Contact: e-mail us or contact Limaris Soto, GIP Internship Manager, at 303-969-2082

Historically Black Colleges and Universities Internship Program

• Who can apply: Undergraduate and graduate students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

• Schedule: Summer program with a possibility to extend the internship through the school year. Program includes career workshop in August for program participants.

• Interest areas: Historians, communication, business, archeologists, architects, curators, planners, archivists and more

• Stipend: Starting from $4,000 or $4,800 for 10-week and 11 weeks positions, plus travel, and park provided housing, or offsite housing, or a housing allowance,

• Partner: The Greening Youth Foundation

• Application periods:
  • Winter: December 7- February 1
  • Apply here
• Contact: NPS Youth Programs at 202-513-7146 or 202-513-7157 or via e-mail

Historic Preservation Training Internships through the National Council for Preservation Education

• Who can apply: Undergraduate and graduate students, and veterans

• Schedule: Year-round or summer

• Interest areas: Historians, archeologists, architects, curators, planners, and archivists

• Stipend: $6,000-$18,000 depending on length of internships, which range from 10 weeks to 6 months

• Partner: National Council for Preservation Education

• Contact: NPS/Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education, Paloma Bolasny, Youth Program Coordinator, at 202-354-2174 or via e-mail

Historic Sites and Structures Documentation Internships

• Who can apply: Undergraduate or graduate students

• Schedule: Summer

• Interest areas: Architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, history, on-site field work and preparation of measured and interpretive drawings and written historical reports

• Stipend: $6,000–$11,000

• Contact: NPS/Heritage Documentation Programs, contact Paul Dolinsky at 202-354-2116, or via e-mail

Historic Preservation Training Center Traditional Trades Apprenticeship Program (HPTC)

• Who can apply: 18-30 years old and veteran up to 35 years old

• Schedule: Seasonal, 20-26 weeks

• Interest area: Hands-on trade skills, carpentry, masonry, Historic Preservation

• Stipend: Living stipend, plus travel expenses and park-provided or offsite housing

• Partners: American Conservation Experience, Conservation Legacy, Greening Youth Foundation and Groundwork USA

• Contact: HPTC Team email

Latino Heritage Internship Program

• Who can apply: Undergraduate or graduate students with a focus on Latinos attending Hispanic Serving institutions

• Schedule: Summer, 10 or 11 weeks with a possibility to extend the internship through the school year.

• Interest areas: Natural and cultural resource management, interpretation, public affairs

• Stipend: $400 a week plus travel and housing stipend

• Partners: Hispanic Access Foundation and Environment for the Americas

• Application period:
  • Spring/Summer Internships: mid-December – mid-February
  • Apply here

• Contact: Ernestine White, National Youth Employment Coordinator, at 202-513-7157 or e-mail

Maritime Documentation Internship

• Who can apply: Undergraduate or graduate students

• Schedule: Summer

• Interest areas: Architecture, engineering, or history, maritime preservation, on-site field work and preparation of measured and interpretive drawings and written historical reports

• Stipend: $7,000

• Partner: Council of American Maritime Museums

• Contact: NPS/Historic American Engineering Record, Todd Croteau, Internship Coordinator, at 202-354-2167 or via e-mail

Mosaics in Science Diversity Internships

• Who can apply: Undergraduate or graduate students, 18–35 years old with focus on hiring students under-represented in natural resource (STEM) fields

• Schedule: Summer; program includes career workshop in August for program participants

• Interest areas: Field and office based internships focused on research, inventory and monitoring, curation of park resources, and interpretation and education projects

• Stipend: $1,600 - $1,920, plus travel expenses and park-provided or offsite housing

• Partners: Environment for the Americas and Greening Youth Foundation

• Application period:
  • Spring/Summer Internships: December 1 – January 31
  • Apply here

• Contact: e-mail us or contact Limaris Soto, GIP Internship Manager, at 303-969-2082

National Park Business Plan and Consulting Internships

• Who can apply: Graduate students (MBA, MPA, MPP, environmental and/or public lands management)

• Schedule: Summer

• Interest areas: Management consulting, park management, strategic and operational planning, commercial services, public-private partnerships

• Stipend: $725 per week, plus housing and travel

• Partner: Inspiring Capital

• Contact: NPS Business Management Group

New Leaders in Conservation Community Assistance

• Who can apply: Outstanding undergraduates, graduate students, and recent grads, under age 30

• Schedule: 12 weeks in summer

• Interest areas: Community planning, outdoor recreation planning

• Stipend: $9,000 total, plus transportation grant to site

• Partners: Conservation Legacy

• Contact: NPS Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program, Alan Turnbull, Career Experience Coordinator, at 202-354-2174 or e-mail us

Public Land Corps (PLC) Programs

• Who can apply: Ages 16–30 and Veterans up to age 35 years old

• Schedule: Summer or Year-round

• Interest areas: All

• Stipend: Varies

• Partner: The National Park Service works in collaboration with service corps and other organizations to provide conservation work, and educational and training opportunities. Many of these organizations are members of the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps. The 21CSC website (www.21csc.org) or the Public Land Corps (PLC) Nonprofit Organizations Page are good places to begin your search for PLC program opportunities.

• Contact: NPS Youth Programs at 202-513-7146 or 202-513-7157 or via e-mail

ProRanger Philadelphia Program

• Who can apply: Undergraduate students starting their senior year

• Schedule: Summer

• Interest area: Law Enforcement

• Stipend: $400 a week plus travel and housing

• Partner: Temple University

• Contact: ProRanger Program Manager, Adrian Fernandez, 215-597-1744 or via email

HABS/Society of Architectural Historians Tompkins Fellowship

• Who can apply: Graduate student in architectural history or related fields

• Schedule: Summer

• Interest area: research in architectural history or related field

• Stipend: $12,000

• Partner: Society of Architectural Historians

• Contact: NPS/Historic American Buildings Survey, Lisa Davidson, Fellowship Coordinator, at 202-354-2179 or via e-mail

Urban Archeology Corps

• Who can apply: Ages 15–26

• Schedule: Year-round

• Interest area: Archeology

• Stipend: Varies

• Contact: NPS Archaeology Program, Teresa Moyer, at 202-354-2124 or via email
  

Volunteer

There are many opportunities at parks and programs across the country to donate your time and services, whether it's for a few hours or year-round. To learn more about volunteering with the National Park Service and to get started, visit Volunteer.gov. You can also Find a Park to talk with rangers about current opportunities near you.