Apply by September 11, 2025
The BIA Office of Trust Services’ Pathways Internship Program connects current college students to paid internships throughout the Bureau of Indian Affairs and with Tribal Nations across the United States. With meaningful projects, rotational assignments, and multi-semester opportunities, Pathways prepares interns for an impactful career in public service and offers a direct pipeline to full-time employment with the BIA or Tribal Nations upon graduation.
Pathways Interns, also called “Student Trainees”, fulfill a wide variety of roles and functions for the offices or programs to which they are assigned. In general, though, Student Trainees can expect to:
- Receive formal and on-the-job training to develop the knowledge and skills required for entry-level positions within the BIA.
- Be mentored by higher-graded employees and specialists in a specific specialty area.
- Learn about the nation-to-nation relationship between the federal government and federally recognized Tribal Nations.
- Develop an understanding of how the BIA and Tribal Nations work together to oversee, protect, manage, and utilize Indian Trust Lands and restricted lands.
- Receive developmental assignments to broaden their knowledge of BIA activities and expand or deepen their understanding of their chosen specialty areas within BIA.