United States Customs and Border Protection has launched the Federal Career Intern Program Virtual Job Fair, an internship program to help attract exceptional men and women to the organization.

The CBP is the largest uniformed law enforcement agency in the country. The agency is looking for applicants with competencies that would prepare them for careers in analyzing and implementing public programs, along with diverse professional experience and successful academic training.

The two-year internship program is designed to recruit, develop and retain a group of future leaders for CBP's administrative functions. The recruiting fair will last 30 days and end on July 22.

The goal of the virtual fair is to inform the national community that CBP is looking to hire a growing number of non-uniformed mission support personnel to support its law enforcement efforts.

The agency is currently hiring qualified candidates for the internship program in the following places:

• Accountants – Indianapolis, Ind.
• Contract Specialists – Washington, D.C.
• Budget Analysts – Washington, D.C.
• Management and Program Analysts – Washington, D.C.
• Information Technology Specialists – Washington, D.C.
• Human Resources Specialists – Washington, D.C.

Interning and preparing for a future career with the government is a great idea, as the federal government in particular is one of the country's largest employers. The federal government has more than 1.8 million civilian employees, with nine out of 10 federal employees working outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth generated by increased homeland security will be offset by projected declines in other federal sectors. However, many job openings should be created from the need to replace workers who retire or leave.

And right now, competition for federal positions is harder than usual, because the federal government is one of the only employers that can promise stability amidst the current economic recession.

If you're a current college student or a recent graduate, you probably already know how important internships are. However, securing a paid internship is often a daunting, if not nearly impossible, task. Because of this, many students opt for unpaid internships. But which is the better route to take?

Even though unpaid internships still allow students to gain education, opponents think they only perpetuate the idea that those with money or connections will do better. For example, a student who is paying his or her own way through college would have to settle for a regular job instead of an unpaid internship in order to make ends meet.

According to an article by The New York Times, unpaid internships also promote "over-identification" with employers. Interns have to act happy that they aren't getting paid, which could make them respect their boss too much. That could cause trouble later when workers should be forming unions, asking for raises or inquiring about healthcare or retirement.

Proponents of unpaid internships say that internships provide an invaluable experience for the jobs students might want to pursue. But at the same time, opponents say that working for money can be just as educational and even more gratifying.

"Long hours on your feet waiting tables may not be particularly edifying, but they teach you that work is a routine of obligation, relieved by external reward, where you contribute value to a larger enterprise," the article notes.

There are plausible arguments for and against unpaid internships, but the fact still remains that most colleges today require you to have some sort of experience in the working world before you can graduate. To make the playing level more fair, perhaps colleges should expand their acceptance of accredited internships or provide financial compensation for students involved in unpaid internships.

Because of the current state of the economy, many small businesses are hiring unpaid interns this summer.

Extra workers, whether experienced or new to the workforce, can offer a lot of help to a company that can't necessarily afford to hire a regular staff member. However, it's important that businesses don't hire interns only to save money. After all, internships are meant to be for the benefit of the intern, not the employer.

There are actually federal laws that govern internships. The Fair Labor standards Act details the criteria an internship must meet in order for an intern to be unpaid. In essence, the law looks at an unpaid internship as a training program.

The FLSA states that an intern must receive training similar to that offered in a vocational school, with the training to benefit the intern. Also, the intern is not able to displace, or do work of, a regular employee.

The law further states that an employer must receive no immediate advantage from the acts of an intern. That means many tasks that are typical of interns, like stuffing envelopes or performing other services that benefit the employer, are technically illegal.

The FSLA also states that unpaid interns are not necessarily entitled to an entry level job at the end of the internship period. It's also imperative that both the intern and the employer understand that the intern is not entitled to any wages.

Some students who partake in unpaid internships receive college credit in exchange for their experience. Those students are governed by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, which requires an intern to be in a planned program of job training coordinated with school-based learning.

Interns receiving college credit are supposed to perform tasks and activities that build upon one another, increase in complexity and help the intern learn and master basic skills. The intern also should be exposed to all aspects of their chosen industry. As with the FLSA, these interns cannot displace a regular employee.

A recent study by AfterCollege has revealed the top 20 cities where entry level jobs are available.

The cities with the most entry level jobs, in order, are:

• Chicago, IL
• Phoenix, AZ
• Indianapolis, IN
• New York, NY
• Atlanta, GA
• Philadelphia, PA
• Denver, CO
• Cincinnati, OH
• Orlando, FL
• Boston, MA
• Tampa, FL
• Charlotte, NC
• Columbus, OH
• San Diego, CA
• Nashville, TN
• Seattle, WA
• Louisville, KY
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Kansas City, MO
• San Francisco, CA

The study included a look at entry level jobs and internships available on AfterCollege and other career networks. Rankings were determined based on the number of unique employers posting opportunities in each city versus the number of opportunities posted per city.

Of all the available opportunities, sales jobs were the most abundant, followed by positions in healthcare, finance, customer service and information technology. Comparatively, a survey completed in April by AfterCollege found that about 80 percent of college students and recent graduates were having difficulty finding work.

“The current economic climate is creating challenges for college students and recent graduates who are looking for jobs, but there are opportunities out there,” Roberto Angulo, CEO of AfterCollege, said. “We encourage job seekers to be diligent in their search and to tap every resource at their disposal, including friends, family, faculty and classmates.”