Student Trainee (Park Guide)

Clarification from the agency

Open to individuals eligible for appointment under the Pathways Internship Program, including students who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a qualifying educational institution or qualifying career or technical education program.

Some of the major duties you will perform include but not limited to:

• Presents limited and repetitive pre-established talks including introductions to films, map talks, and static exhibit interpretation.
• Provides information on a variety of subjects and interprets park values for visitors with varying interests and backgrounds.
• Provides visitors with information on park related activities, services and park themes.
• Provides a wide range of services to visitors, including assistance with lost articles, car trouble, and first aid; and provides information about weather conditions, highway routes, park and concessioner facilities, and prices.

In additional to the duties listed above, at the GS-04 and GS-05 level, duties will increase in complexity. At the GS-04, you will guide parties of small size (up to 20 people) and at the GS-05, you will guide larger groups (up to 50 people).

Physical Demands: The work requires standing for long periods of time, walking for long distances, climbing and descending steep inclines, bending, and lifting moderately heavy items.

Working Conditions: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors resulting in exposure to a variety of weather conditions

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
• Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required
• Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• Pathways participant agreement is required.
• Must have and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
• This position has a mixed work schedule based on the varying workload, and your work schedule is subject to change from part-time to full-time to on-call as workload dictates.
• You must be at least 18 years of age or older to operate government vehicles.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year trial period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This trial period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated.

Upon completion of your trial your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/29/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

To be eligible for a Pathways Program internship program, you must meet the following requirements:

• You must be a student accepted for enrollment or enrolled in a degree or certificate program on a full or half-time basis as defined by the school (certificate program means post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum), or career or technical education programs, (which may include Registered Apprenticeship Programs, Job Corps, Climate Corps, AmeriCorps, and Peace Corps); AND

• Enrollment is with a qualifying educational institution such as a high school or state-approved homeschool; or accredited technical or vocational school; a 2- or 4-year college or university; a graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school); or a post-secondary home school curriculum; AND

• Must be in good academic standing; AND

• You must continue to meet these eligibility requirements throughout the duration of your appointment under the Pathways Internship Program.

• The duties of this position should be related to your academic or career goals.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount qualified specialized experience.

Minimum Qualifications GS-4

• EXPERIENCE: At least six (6) months of General Experience and six (6) months of Specialized Experience equivalent to at least the GS-03 level. General Experience is (1) Any type of work that demonstrates the ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation. Specialized Experience includes: oral presentations of historical, scientific, or program information to groups; assisting in developing and/or revising technical, historical, or scientific information for oral presentation to groups; assisting in presenting interpretive or educational programs; work as a park guide answering visitors questions that are routine and factual such as location of campgrounds and picnic areas, and selling permits; tour leader; docent; museum or observatory guide; teaching assistant; or other similar work. (Excess specialized experience can be substituted for general experience; but excess general experience cannot be substituted for required specialized experience). NOTE: Your resume must include sufficient detail (e.g., complete begin/end dates, work schedule, duties performed, etc.) for each time frame for consideration. OR
• EDUCATION: Successful completion of 2 full academic years of post-high school study or an associate's degree (as determined by the educational institution attending) in a discipline/academic program related to the position. NOTE: Transcripts required. OR
• Combination of Education and Experience: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience as described above. To determine if you qualify based on a combination of education and experience, determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the above requirement; then determine your education as a percentage of the above requirement. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for GS-4. NOTE: Transcripts required, and your resume must contain sufficient information, e.g., complete begin/end dates, hours worked per week, duties performed, etc., for each period of work for consideration to meet this standard.

Minimum Qualifications GS-5

• EXPERIENCE: One year of specialized experience comparable to the GS-4 level or higher in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized Experience includes: oral presentations of historical, scientific, or program information to groups; developing and/or revising technical, historical, or scientific information for oral presentation to groups; assisting in presenting interpretive or educational programs; Park Guide or tour leader; naturalist; environmental educator or teacher; or other similar work. NOTE: Your resume must include sufficient detail (e.g., complete begin/end dates, work schedule, duties performed, etc.) for each time frame for consideration. OR
• EDUCATION: Successfully completed of 4 academic years of post-high school leading to a bachelor's degree or equivalent degree (as determined by the educational institution attending) in a discipline/academic program related to the position. NOTE: Transcripts required. OR
• Combination of education and experience. Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and specialized experience as described above are also qualifying. For GS-05 levels positions, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours in a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to 1 year of specialized experience. Determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the year of specialized experience required at the GS-05 level. Then determine your education as a percentage of the education that meets the requirements for the GS-05. Add the two percentages together. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for the GS-05 based on a combination. NOTE: Transcripts required, and your resume must contain sufficient information, e.g., complete begin/end dates, hours worked per week, duties performed, etc., for each period of work for consideration to meet this standard.

Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies".

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into the following categories:

• Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position

• Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job

• Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Flexibility
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Problem Solving
• Self-Management
• Technology Application

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/29/2026:

1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year format, and, indicate hours worked per week. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
2. A complete Occupational Questionnaire
3. Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as:
   • Veterans Preference Documentation:
     • If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
     • If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
     • If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
   • If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here.
4. Student Documentation: College transcripts, or acceptance letter from school indicating enrollment of at least half time (if grades have not been posted).

Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.

Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

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