National Park Service

Your stipend as an interpretive intern depends entirely on the organization you get the internship through. Some parks run their own interpretive internship programs and are able to provide sizable stipends ($225/week); other internships managed through the Student Conservation Association earn a...

A day in the life of a Visitor Use Assistant definitely depends on which national park you work at and where you work within that park. Some VUAs work in campgrounds and you can expect to check-in campers, orient them to the park and the campground, give them information about hikes and sites in ...

Work-life balance working as a Visitor Use Assistant and for the National Park Service is generally very easy to achieve. At the level a VUA operates, there is typically ample time after work and on your off days to explore the park you are in and mingle with fellow rangers. 

The primary thing that someone should understand when looking at a job for the NPS is what the individual is passionate about. The NPS as a multitude of opportunities, but determining a certain attribute that you prefer in a park ranger is important. For example, the majority of the job for park ...

This varies park-to-park, even for internships. For example, my internship payed $125 biweekly. In total, I was compensated $750 by the end of the summer. This is lower on the spectrum in terms of compensation compared to other parks (I worked in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park). The rece...

I would say that leadership skills, managing other employees of varying ages, and being respectful to the customer is a particular highlight of the job. A calm, patient mind is needed when working as a Dock Manager especially due to how often we interact with the park-goers.

In the range of $10.50-13.00, it depends on location and how in demand the job currently is.

A day in the park service can be very worth while, being able to teach and help the public have a better understanding about the public lands that we do protect. you can go from working in a visitor center to hiking over 10 miles. giving tours to children and helping them understand the geology a...

Most parks when work full time it can be very time consuming. the park that i have worked at has 4 days 10 hours that would give me a 3 day weekend and able to explore other places especially around here in Utah. you can make new connections for a better reference in the future. getting to know t...

I had just two phone interviews because I was long distance when I applied. Recall any experience you had in civic engagement volunteering or government work. Leave out all the talk about being really creative because there are so many regulations that prohibit activities, but highlight what you ...

I wasn't working directly for the National Park Service, but as an assistant instructor for an archaeological field school that was run through the National Park Service and National Forest Service. As an assistant instructor, I would help teach teams of students different archaeological techniqu...

In the mornings attend the Interprtation team meetings. Hear how the front desk needs support and share updates on the programs. Check emails that share places to promote the event, list meetings to attend, and have responses from vendors or performers for the event. Many parks work with Native A...

This was a summer position, and when on the job, we would camp on-site for 10 days at a time. This means that you're constantly on the job! It's also very fun because you grow very close to the other people working on or taking the field school. Although actual work is only from 9-5 every day or ...

Personally, I had a great experience at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Everyone I interacted with loved their jobs and were passionate about protecting Hawaii's unique environment and serving their community. Each person was outgoing and curious, always looking to improve. They were all supporti...

As a Youth Interpretation Ranger at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, you are expected to learn three basic tours to lead visitors around different areas of the park. Each of these tours has a different theme and vary in duration from 20 minutes to an hour. Depending on your work schedule, you may ...

while I worked as a wildlife intern with Redwood National Park I had a great amount of ownership over my work. For awhile it was all just a learning experience but once I got the hang of it I basically did everything myself with little guidance. The NPS staff are all amazing and very helpful and ...