It’s never too early to get started on figuring out your career. At the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), we offer the opportunity to work and gain valuable career experience. The Pathways Program provides current students with paid work opportunities and recent graduates with a dynamic training and mentoring program at the start of their careers. Both internships offer the possibility of future employment at the Commission.
CFTC Pathways Internships
CFTC offers paid and non-paid internships across the agency. Overall, the internships provide a realistic feel for the nature of our work and the culture and the Pathways Program can be a direct pipeline for the conversion of temporary to permanent full-time employment upon graduation.
Interns are strategically placed for long-term potential and aligned with CFTC’s workforce requirements, mission, and goals. We offer career developmental opportunities to build leaders in finance/accounting, Information technology, economics, and legal.
If you have a desire to connect to our mission and make a difference in the derivatives market, the Pathways Internship Program is a great start to launch your career at the Commission.
We offer:
Student Internships
The Internship Program provides students who are enrolled in or accepted for enrollment in a wide variety of qualifying educational institutions with paid opportunities, to work either part- or full-time in agencies and explore career paths related to their academic fields of study or career interests.
We're Interested in You
We want aspiring graduates and recent graduates who are interested in our business by aligning with our Vision, Mission, and Core Values that contributes to the Commission’s accomplishments. Ideal candidates are accomplished and successful students from diverse backgrounds, have a zeal for learning and exploring new ideas, self-directed, and team-players. Pathway Internships do not require prior professional experience.
The Investment
The Commission is excited to invest in you through valuable work assignments that are aligned with your academics and career interests.
Careers after Graduation
For the duration of your Pathways Internship, you will be assigned a supervisor/mentor that will help you develop a career path with the development of an Individual Development Plan (IDP). The IDP will define your work assignments, training courses/events, and additional learning opportunities.
As you approach the end of your internship, we will evaluate your work experience and consider if the position is eligible to be converted into full-time employment. No additional job applications are needed at this time.
Types of Internships
Finance/Accounting, Information Technology, Economics, Legal
- CT-599: Finance/Accounting
- CT-2299: Information Technology
- CT-0199: Economics
- CT-0999: Legal
CFTC Locations
- Washington, DC (Headquarters)
- Chicago, IL
- Kansas City, MO
- New York, NY
All Pathways Interns must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- To be eligible, the individual must have been accepted for enrollment or be enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) in a qualifying educational institution on at least a half-time basis.
- Half-time status is determined by the individual school.
- Must meet the minimum 2.5 grade point average (“GPA”) requirements on a 4.0 scale in order to apply to, and maintain eligibility, in the Program.
- A student must be at least 16 years old to be eligible for the Program.
- The son or daughter of a CFTC employee may only be considered if the parent and student do not have a direct reporting relationship; a CFTC employee cannot advocate the employment, promotion, or advancement of the student.
How to Apply
All of our Pathways Internship vacancies are posted on USAJobs.gov. Each vacancy lists multiple CFTC Center locations and has different educational requirements (e.g., specific academic majors).