Finding Summer Internships for High School Students
byConnections Academy
4 min to read
Both in-person and online internships for high school students can help them gauge interest in potential careers and develop useful job skills that can help build their resume as they work towards their eventual career path. Internships for high school students have become more popular than ever, especially for students who plan to start working directly after graduating, want to explore potential careers, or who are looking for ways to feel more optimistic about entering the workforce.
While many internships are commonly for college students to pursue part- or full-time work, students can still find internships while still in high school by engaging opportunities available for both in-person and online.. In fact, learning how to get an internship before graduating high school is becoming easier, especially for students enrolled in a Connections Academy-supported school.
How to Find Internships for High School Students
Believe it or not, the time to start considering high school student internships for the summer can begin as early as September or October of their junior or senior year.
Students should start to find internships for high school students by searching online on job search sites or by inquiring at local businesses in industries that interest them. Students may also use a general search engine to search the name of an organization they’re interested in plus “internships for high school students near me.”
If your student is having trouble finding an internship that fits, they might have to get creative. They should think about what kind of job sounds interesting or what skills they would like to improve and then look around their local community for people and places that might offer a relevant internship opportunity. If your student is interested in business, for example, they may want to improve soft skills like time management or verbal communication by working with a local entrepreneur to get firsthand experience.
Internship seekers may want to make a list of their interests, talents, and passions, both in and outside of their studies, like video games, street art, or building robots to help them narrow down the internships of interest.
“Play to your strengths,” Pierre Huguet, CEO and co-founder of H&C Education, a college admissions consultancy, told U.S. News & World Report. “Your internship should be an opportunity to explore things you are truly passionate about and can’t learn in school. With a little creativity, you can always find a way to pursue impressive projects at the intersection of your talents and passions.”
Once students have their list of their interests and skills, they should reach out to extended family, friends, teachers, coaches, their networks on social media, and local businesses or nonprofits to ask about potential internship opportunities.
How to Get an Internship in High School
Students can prepare to land their ideal internship by first crafting an “elevator pitch,” a resume, and interview skills.
Practice an Elevator Pitch
An elevator pitch is a short speech, typically the length of a 30-second elevator ride, in which a candidate introduces themselves to employers and describes the skills, experience, and enthusiasm they have to offer.
It can be handy for students to have both a general introduction and one or more customized elevator pitches for specific internships or types of work. Students should practice their pitches with friends or family beforehand to get comfortable speaking about themselves and to get constructive feedback on how to sound more compelling.
Resume
A resume is a summary of a person’s experience and qualifications that are relevant to the job they are applying for, typically on a single page.
A basic resume consists of the applicant’s name and contact information, education, then in reverse-chronological order (most recent first), work experience, including volunteer work, extracurricular activities, and any awards or accolades, like being named to the honor roll.
Polish their Interview Skills
When interviewing, students should:
Dress in clean, modest, professional clothes.
Bring two copies of their resume in case the interviewer doesn’t have one and so they can read along as they refer to it.
Take a pad and pen to take notes.
Arrive about 15 minutes early with their cellphone off or silenced.
Present a positive attitude and enthusiasm for the job.
Treat the interview like a conversation—answer the interviewer’s questions, but also have some of their own prepared, such as additional details about the job duties and what projects or initiatives are currently or soon to be underway.
Thank the interviewer for their time when finished.
Where to Find Internships for High School Students
Here are some organizations that offer internships to high school students:
- The Bank of America Student Leader Program connects about 300 juniors and seniors with nonprofits in more than 100 communities.
- NASA High School Internships offer research and experiential learning at NASA facilities in Maryland, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia.
- The Met High School Internship Program offers museum internships to students who live in or attend high school in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut.
- Smithsonian Internships offers a variety of programs for high school students at various Smithsonian Institution museums in Washington, D.C.
- The Library of Congress offers internships in and around Washington, D.C., some of which are open to high school students.
- The Stanford Compression Forum Summer Internship offers high schoolers and community college students the opportunity to complete multidisciplinary research projects.
- Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh has unpaid internships open to high schoolers at its four museums.
- The New-York Historical Society’s Student Historian Internship Program allows high school students to conduct research and tell stories using the society’s vast resources.
- The Act Now Coalition of Illinois after-school programs has a database of high school internships and other youth job opportunities in the Chicago area.
Help Your Student Develop their Job Skills with Connections Academy
If your student is looking for ways to boost their career before graduating high school, an online Connections Academy-supported school may be the right fit for them. With dedicated career readiness programs, partnerships within common trades, and guidance counselors ready to help, Connections Academy students have many opportunities to explore careers and build their job skills while they learn.
Discover more ways for high school students to find internships through Connections Academy’s early career exploration program and other resources.
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