Virtual Student Foreign Service
Announced by Secretary Clinton at the 2009 New York University commencement speech, the Virtual Student Foreign Service is part of a growing effort by the State Department to harness technology and a commitment to global service among young people to facilitate new forms of diplomatic engagement. Working from college and university campuses in the United States and throughout the world, eInterns (American students working virtually) are partnered with our U.S. diplomatic posts overseas and State Department domestic offices to conduct digital diplomacy that reflects the realities of our networked world. This introductory video provides an overview of the VSFS program.
Program Details
VSFS eIntern duties and responsibilities will vary according to the location and needs of each diplomatic post overseas or State Department domestic office and VSFS projects identified. VSFS projects may be research based, contributing to reports on issues such as human rights, economics or the environment. They may also be more technology oriented, such as working on web pages, or helping produce electronic journals. Selected students are expected to work virtually on an average of 5-10 hours per week on VSFS eInternship projects. Students apply in the summer and if selected, begin the eInternship that fall lasting through spring. Most work and projects are internet-based and some have language requirements. Past projects asked students to:
- Develop and implement a public relations campaign using social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, etc. to communicate and reach out to youth
- Conduct research on the economic situation, prepare graphic representations of economic data, and prepare informational material for the U.S. Embassy website
- Create a system to gather and analyze media coverage on a set of topics including environment, health, and trade
- Research IT-based interventions that have been successful in higher education, particularly in teacher training
- Write and contribute biweekly articles to the U.S. Embassy's Facebook page on topics such as internet, computer science/technology, history, and literature
- Develop a series of professional instructional video clips to be published by the U.S. Embassy
- Survey social media efforts of U.S. diplomatic posts, NGOs, and private companies around the world to help establish best practices in a U.S. Embassy’s social media outreach business plan.
Here are all of the projects for the 2011-2012 program to which students could apply.
To Apply
The application period for the 2011-2012 VSFS eInternship program has closed. Interested U.S. citizen undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate students will be able to apply to the next round of VSFS eInternships in the summer of 2012 for positions to work virtually with State Department domestic offices and U.S. diplomatic posts overseas during the fall 2012 through spring 2013 academic year. As part of the application package, students must submit an official or unofficial transcript and a resume. Applicants will see all available positions and can select up to three projects to which to apply. U.S. citizen students studying abroad or attending foreign universities are welcome to apply.
For more information on VSFS, please visit the FAQ section and the 2011-2012 eIntern positions. Email VSFS@state.gov if you have questions that were not addressed on the FAQ site.
