Depending on your school's requirements, academic credit may be earned. DIA will work with your institution to provide any necessary evaluation. Any written product provided to your institution must be cleared by your security officer.

An intern’s pay is only based on school credit hours; work experience is not taken into account when determining pay.

DIA offers internships in the following geographical locations:

• Huntsville, AL
• Colorado Springs, CO
• Washington, DC
• Tampa, FL
• Miami, FL
• Honolulu, HI
• Scott Air Force Base, IL
• Fort George G. Meade, MD
• Arlington, VA
• Charlottesville, VA
• Quantico, VA
• Reston, VA

Applications will only be accepted through the online application process here. Your resume, unofficial transcript, and cover letter should be attached to your online application. Finalists will be provided with instructions on submitting an official transcript. Applications will not be considered without all required documents. Please be sure to include your GPA on your submitted application. Letters of recommendation and writing samples are not required with the application.

DIA will ask you to complete pre-employment forms which include the SF-86 background questionnaire for a security clearance. When you return the pre-employment forms, we will request our vendor to schedule a drug screening test. You will not receive a final official offer letter until all required documentation has been received and a security clearance is approved.

* Please note: As marijuana is legalized in more states across the United States, the DIA remains a drug free workplace. Federal law and Executive branch policy prohibit the use of marijuana in any form, whether recreational or medicinal. Marijuana is categorized as a controlled substance under Schedule I of the Controlled Substance Act. Intentional marijuana possession is illegal, even if an individual has no intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense marijuana. Federal law on marijuana use remains unchanged. Executive Order 12564, Drug-Free Federal Workplace, mandates that:

• (a) Federal employees are required to refrain from the use of illegal drugs;
• (b) the use of illegal drugs by Federal employees, whether on or off duty, is contrary to the efficiency of the service; and
• (c) Persons who use illegal drugs are not suitable for Federal employment.

It varies depending on your personal background and the volume of clearances being processed. In general, if you have significant foreign travel and/or foreign relatives or contacts, the clearance can be rather lengthy – up to 6 months or more to receive a full clearance. Students must be fully cleared before being able to begin work.

Individuals with dual citizenship can be granted clearances.

Yes. While the experience of living abroad is of value to DIA, it is impossible to complete the security background investigation and the necessary drug screening test when someone is overseas.

Intern assignments are based on entry-level professional job descriptions and will involve a great deal of independent work under the guidance of a senior level supervisor and mentor. For example, duties for intelligence analyst intern positions may involve research and drafting reports. Assignments are not clerical in nature. Particular occupational areas may include crisis management, counterintelligence, military economics, homeland security, imagery, information warfare, and arms control/proliferation.

The typical workday is 8.5 hours, which includes 30 minutes uncompensated for lunch. At the discretion of their managers, interns can opt to not take lunch and work only 8 hours with no lunch.

Full-time interns utilize a flexible work schedule and must complete 40 hours a week. With supervisor’s approval, interns can vary their arrival and departure time while still completing 8.5 hours a day. On the other hand, an intermittent work schedule is utilized by Academic semester interns where interns work a maximum amount of 29 hours a week.

When participating as a Summer Intern from June to August, Interns can participate in any of the available work schedules if their supervisor approves it. It’s encouraged that interns do Alternate Work Schedule (AWS) 2 while interning in the summer. (AWS 2-Gliding Work Schedule: Ten 8-hour workdays in a pay period that permits the employee to select arrival and departure times that vary from day to day.)

If you are interested in continuing your internship, please notify your supervisor.

If an intern has not completed school and lives within 50 miles radius from their duty station, they can request to participate in the Academic Semester Program (ASIP). Their leadership must have work for them to do while they attend school. These interns can participate in ASIP from September to May and then they get converted to Summer Interns again. Once an intern graduates from school, they are no longer able to participate in internship programs.

If you decide to leave the agency, please reach out to the Internship Program Branch at least two weeks before your departure day. Notify your leadership and CC the internship program. We need at least two weeks' notice. You will also need to have your resume checked through prepublication to ensure you’ve had it properly classified.

Once you are entered into the Cleared Hiring Pool, there is no timetable for permanent employment. You will be in the Hiring Pool until a manager pulls you out and slots you for a permanent position. At that time, an email and/or phone call can be expected from OHR with more information as to the next steps to take.