Student Trainee (Park Guide)

You will serve as a Student Trainee (Park Guide) working for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, in the Interpretation, Education, and Visitor Services Division. Temporary appointment not-to-exceed one year but may be extended each year without further competition, if you continue to meet the eligibility requirements under the Pathways Internship program and funding is available. 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 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". 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. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, academic standing, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts. To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. You will NOT be considered under Pathways unless you provide supporting information from your school. Documentation may be provided in letter format from your academic advisor, school counselor, admission office, etc. to prove enrollment OR it may be provided in the form of several official documents from your school such as a copy of your official transcripts and a copy of your class schedule for next semester. Copies of documents from your school website are acceptable if they contain all relevant information as listed above. Letters from advisors or other school officials must be on school letterhead. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.