| Summer jobs with the U.S. National Park Service | | | | can increase your chances of being hired. To learn |
| (NPS) are a great way to find out if an NPS job is | | | | more, visit the Fire and Aviation Management |
| right for you. Some long-term NPS employees | | | | website. |
| also work winter, spring, and fall seasonal outdoor | | | | Maintenance Crew |
| jobs, moving from park to park throughout the | | | | Summer is a busy time for park maintenance |
| year. | | | | staff, since trails need to be maintained, |
| Seasonal Ranger | | | | construction and repair projects conducted. |
| The NPS hires two kinds of rangers, interpretive | | | | Increased visitation also puts strain on bathrooms, |
| and law enforcement. Most summer ranger hires | | | | trails, and picnic areas. |
| are interpretive rangers, who work with the public. | | | | Many parks hire extra maintenance staff during |
| These rangers give talks, lead hikes, coordinate | | | | the summer. Previous experience is important. |
| special events, staff the front desk, assist | | | | You must also be in good physical shape and |
| teachers, and answer visitor questions. They may | | | | possess a valid driver's license. Other |
| also be involved in exhibit design and maintenance, | | | | requirements may also exist. |
| publications, and other duties like nonnative plant | | | | Intern |
| mitigation. | | | | National Park Service internships are typically |
| Summer rangers are often teachers, and many | | | | funded by the Student Conservation Association, |
| parks reserve a specific position for a teacher | | | | the Geological Society of America GeoCorps |
| through the Teacher to Ranger to Teacher | | | | America program, or Friends-of-the-Park groups. |
| program. This program is intended to encourage | | | | Interns are officially classified as volunteers and |
| cooperation between schools and national parks. | | | | typically receive housing and a small stipend. |
| Teachers bring teaching skills and experience with | | | | Otherwise, interns are treated like regular |
| children to the park and then bring knowledge of | | | | employees. |
| the park and new activities back to the | | | | Most interns are interpretive, resource |
| classroom. | | | | management, science, or history. Interpretive |
| College interns often return as seasonal rangers | | | | interns have duties similar to seasonal interpretive |
| as well. | | | | rangers, such as giving public talks, staffing the |
| Some high visitation parks hire additional law | | | | front desk, and leading nature walks. Resource |
| enforcement rangers in summer. Law | | | | management interns may work with rangers in |
| enforcement rangers must have law enforcement | | | | areas such as fire management or nonnative plant |
| experience and certification. | | | | mitigation. |
| Seasonal Scientist | | | | Science and history interns are often students |
| The NPS sometimes offers seasonal biologists, | | | | who are interested in continuing to graduate |
| geologists, and other scientist positions. These | | | | school and who want to gain experience in |
| scientists may be the only scientist at the park | | | | research and other aspects of a park scientist, |
| and perform a variety of duties, including | | | | historian, or curator's job. Some interns are |
| coordinating and conducting research and | | | | specifically interested in museum or archives |
| consulting with resource managers. Others are | | | | work. |
| hired to work on specific projects. For example, a | | | | Park interns often fill many roles during their time |
| seasonal biologist might conduct a survey of | | | | at the park. For example, a paleontology intern |
| native plants. | | | | might occasionally give talks for visitors or help |
| These jobs usually require a Ph.D. They offer a | | | | develop curriculum. An interpretive intern with |
| great opportunity for scientists between | | | | journalism experience might proofread exhibit |
| long-term jobs, recent Ph.D. graduates, and | | | | panels or write articles for the park's newspaper. |
| professors on sabbatical to experience something | | | | Student Appointment |
| different. The national parks offer a spectacular | | | | A student appointment is similar to an internship, |
| research laboratory. | | | | but student appointments are officially hired by |
| Forest Firefighting | | | | the NPS into a position. Student appointments |
| Approximately 600 seasonal employees work for | | | | must be while the student is in school, and may |
| the NPS's Fire and Aviation Management division | | | | be regular or intermittent. Many student |
| as firefighters, forestry and biological technicians, | | | | appointments work primarily in the summer. |
| and support staff. Wildland firefighters must meet | | | | Students may be appointed to almost any job at |
| a certain level of physical fitness. | | | | an appropriate pay grade. Student appointments |
| While it can be difficult to enter this field without | | | | are different from regular seasonal jobs because |
| training, taking basic firefighting classes at a | | | | they are noncompetitive. |
| community college or your State Forestry agency | | | | |
