A high school internship offers the perfect opportunity to gain hands-on experience in your chosen field and allows you to compliment your academic studies and explore your future career. Pursuing an internship is also a chance to develop your professional network and will look pretty impressive on your resume or college application.
There are many different internship options available and it can often be difficult to know where to start. What type of internship can you complete during high school? Will it be worthwhile? Where can you find internships? How can you secure the best opportunities? In this article, we will answer these questions and more as we provide an ultimate guide to high school internships.
What is an internship?
A high school internship is a short-term work arrangement with a company that enables students to gain practical work experience related to a field of study or career area of interest. This arrangement usually can last several weeks or several months. Fall and spring internships can be completed part-time around your high school schedule or you can complete a more intensive internship over the summer holidays, which can be up to 40 hours a week, over 4 to 12 weeks.
Benefits of high school internships
An internship can give you the experience you need to make informed career decisions as well as boost your college application or resume. Many organizations offer internship programs for high school students, so the opportunities are plentiful.
Here are some of the key benefits of interning during high school.
Test-run a career. Completing a high school internship provides the perfect opportunity to test-drive a job you are interested in while also securing valuable industry insights. Perhaps you will thrive during your internship experience and this will cement your academic pathways and career choices in the future. Conversely, you may find that you wish to test-run other careers after your internship and pursue a different direction.
Boost your application documents. Writing a compelling resume or college application that will attract some attention can be a daunting prospect. Differentiating yourself from other students who also have excellent grades and test scores is vital. Completing a relevant high school internship demonstrates a real commitment to your chosen career path, which can really resonate with recruiters when you include this on your application documents.
According to numerous studies across both academia and industry, high school students who complete an internship have a competitive advantage in their college applications, and also in later securing internships in college and landing fulfilling first full time jobs. Highlighting that completing an internship in high school can provide a significant leg up on your peers.
Develop a professional network. High school internships allow you to expand your network outside of your education and establish relationships with working professionals. Networking allows you to meet people who can provide industry insights in your chosen sector, open the door to securing a mentor, and can lead to job opportunities in the future.
Enhance transferable skills. Communication, time management, problem-solving, teamwork, and relationship-building are examples of some of the skills you will enhance if you decide to complete a high school internship. When it comes to attending college or joining the workforce, these transferable skills are invaluable.
Build your confidence. Transitioning to college or starting a new job is an exciting time, but feelings of apprehension and a lack of confidence can impact a strong start. High school internships take you out of your comfort zone and allow you to build confidence by letting you put your skills to test, overcome challenges, learn, and grow via constructive feedback.
How to find a high school internship
Once you have made the decision to complete an internship during high school, you’ll be keen to find the best opportunities and make the most out of your experience. But, it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are our top strategies to help you get on the right track:
1. Establish clear goals
Before you start to look for a high school internship, it’s a good idea to pin down the career path you want to explore and identify what you hope to gain from the experience. What field are you passionate about? Which skills do you want to learn? Are you looking to explore advanced studies, decide between two career fields of interest, or find out whether you would actually enjoy a specific job?
Asking self-reflective questions will help you to establish clear goals so that you can find the right high school internship. Perhaps you’re considering a career in medicine, but are unsure whether you would enjoy advanced studies or working in the medical field. A medicine internship will give you a good taste of what the future may look like as a medical student and beyond. Maybe you are trying to decide between a career in engineering or law. Completing two part-time internships would enable you to make informed career choices.
2. Meet with your high school counselor
High school counselors are a great resource to leverage when trying to find an internship. Counselors have access to information about your classes, grades, and extracurricular activities that can be applied to help you explore career areas and plan for your future. This could include providing tests to allow you to explore your strengths and interests as well as facilitating access to careers fairs or work-based programs, such as job shadowing. It’s a good idea to meet with your high school counselor regularly. This will enable you to build a positive relationship and enable them to provide more insightful advice.
3. Attend career fairs
Attending career fairs is a great way to find out about internship opportunities. When you think about the chance to meet multiple employers and recruiters all in one place, then it’s an opportunity not to be missed. Your school counselor may refer to you to a career fair, but it’s still worth doing your research to find out about any other events you can attend. Local career fairs are often promoted online. Websites like Facebook, Eventbrite, and other job listing platforms can also be great resources. The more events you attend, the better your chances of discovering new opportunities.
4. Contact target companies
Many companies post internship openings on their careers page, so if there are some organizations you would love to work for its worth checking their website or social media. While most companies will advertise internships on job boards, going direct to the source could allow you to get ahead of the game if the organization posts the opportunity there first. You can also set up job alerts to notify you when any new jobs are posted.
Another option is to send a speculative email and a short resume to the human resources department to inquire about a possible internship. Being proactive is likely to impress a recruiter and sending a professional email, and even if you aren’t initially successful, your accompanying resume will will help you spring to mind if an internship eventually does arise.
5. Research online
The online world is your oyster when looking for a high school internship. Apart from checking out the websites of companies you would love to work for, you can also find internships on sites such as LinkedIn, Indeed.com, Idealist who post internships at non-profits, or USAJobs for internships with government bodies.
Another option is to secure a virtual internship, which offers the convenience of completing your internship from anywhere in the world and the opportunity to intern with world-class experts. The beauty of these options is that you will gain exposure to diverse subject matter areas typically not offered in high school, with internships ranging from business and law, through to medicine and engineering.
6. Leverage your network
Many people find an internship position simply by word of mouth. Spread the word with teachers, coaches, friends, and family that you’re looking to secure a high school internship in your chosen or an adjacent industry. Your existing network may know directly of an opening or be willing to refer you for an internship via their network of professional contacts. While you may still be required to follow an official application process, a referee can provide a recommendation and give you the edge over other internship applicants.
How to secure a high school internship
Once you’ve identified an internship of interest, you now need to capture the recruiter’s attention. Every high school internship will have their own application process, but there are some steps you can take to present yourself as the perfect intern:
Create an impressive resume
Most advertised internships require you to send a formal resume or complete an application form that requires similar information to your resume. When you attend a careers fair or someone in your network wants to refer you for an internship, then it’s important to have a professional resume ready to hand out.
Creating an impressive resume as a high school student can be challenging when you have little or zero work experience. However, it is still possible to impress employers with a well-crafted resume even in these situations. Recruiters will understand that you haven’t had chance to acquire a wealth of experience yet, so creating a short, concise, one page resume is perfectly fine. Here are the key sections you need to include:
Contact Information
Resume Summary or Personal Statement
Work Experience
Education
Skills
After you’ve listed your contact information, start with your resume summary or personal statement. This only needs to be a few sentences at the start of your resume, where you can highlight your passion for the specific industry you are targeting as well as any transferable skills and experience relevant to the internship opening. Explain why the internship sparked your interest and what value you can bring to the opportunity.
Work experience can include volunteer work, part-time jobs, work-based programs, job shadowing, freelancing, or personal projects. The caveat here is that anything you include should be relevant to the internship or include transferable skills or experience. For example, if you have worked a part-time retail job you can reference your strong communication, problem-solving, and teamwork capabilities. Perhaps you’re targeting a business internship and participated in a business start-up project in school. These jobs or projects can be expanded upon in the work experience section and should spark the interest of recruiters.
Wrap up with your education section, including any notable predicted grades and expected completion dates. Including a customized skills section just after your resume summary can also strengthen your resume. Check the language and keywords used in the job description so that you can create a short list of skills that align with the specific internship. This will show that you’re a great fit for the opening.
Write a convincing cover letter
Cover letters can be viewed as a last-minute task or not that relevant in today’s job market, but they still add value in the eyes of many recruiters. While your resume is a more formal document, your cover letter provides an opportunity to sprinkle some personality in your internship application and serves as a smooth introduction to your resume.
Use this opportunity to express your strong interest in the industry and internship as well as why you will be a good fit for the role. Conduct some research and demonstrate your knowledge of the company. This could include milestones or advancements the company has made and why you admire them. Similar to your resume, this doesn’t need to be a long letter. Stick to one page and approximately 300 to 400 words, unless of course a word count or specific guidelines are provided.
Prepare for your interview
Being prepared for an internship interview will ensure you perform well. Some interviews will be in-person others may be virtual, but both will include interview questions. While you won’t know exactly what will be asked, there are some standard questions to expect regardless of the role. Here are some examples:
Why did this internship stand out to you?
What do you know about the company?
Why do you want to work in this industry?
What skills and strengths can you bring to this opportunity?
Do you have any experience relatable to this industry?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Preparing and practicing some well-constructed answers to these questions will ensure you don’t get flustered and perform well in your internship interview. Practice with your friends and family so you have a good sense of what you will say, but try to avoid over rehearsing as you want your responses to sound as natural as possible.
In addition to interview questions, you may also be required to complete aptitude tests as part of the process. These tests are used to assess your abilities, skills, and potential to excel in a specific role, which can include numerical, verbal, and logical reasoning as well as situational judgement. While no prior knowledge is required for aptitude tests, if you hear that there will be an aptitude test, it’s worth completing a few practice tests online to prepare.
Follow-up on internship contacts and applications
Follow-up with any new contacts you meet at a careers fair, as otherwise they might just forget about you. Within 24 to 48 hours of the event, send a thank-you email to the recruiter and personalize this as much as possible. This could include thanking them for their time, mentioning a specific topic from your conversation, and expressing your strong interest in a high school internship with their company.
Make sure to send a follow-up email after sending an internship application too. Allow the time you have been advised to wait for a response to pass, then send a polite email to the HR team to check the company received your application and whether to expect a response if unsuccessful. This just reinforces your enthusiasm for the internship opening to the recruiters and avoids your application falling through the cracks.
What if I struggle to find an internship?
Finding an internship can be competitive, especially if you’re targeting openings with well-known organizations where a large number of students will be looking to get a foot in the door. Here are some alternative options if you’re finding the competition tough:
Online internships. Completing a virtual internship is a flexible and convenient option that allows you to study your chosen discipline from anywhere in the world. Research internships span diverse subjects, from engineering to medicine, and involve working on projects with world-leading experts. While deepening your knowledge in your chosen field, you will also boost your resume, and may have the opportunity to secure a glowing letter of recommendation.
Volunteering. Volunteering in your career area of interest is an ideal way to secure experience and give back to the community. Seek out opportunities with national organizations or local non-profits via your network, online sources, social media, or by sending a speculative email to a target organization. You could also volunteer on research programs, which is a good way to boost your academics and contribute toward cutting-edge projects in your field of interest.
Part-time jobs. Working part-time in the evening, on weekends, and during the summer allows you to gain work experience, develop your soft skills, as well as earn some money. Even if the work experience is not directly related to your dream career, it can help. For example, if you’re targeting a career in human resources, working a part-time customer service job could provide you with valuable transferable skills in communication, problem-solving, and teamwork.
·Overseas internships. Completing an internship abroad can offer an enriching experience, combining the opportunity to travel with furthering your career. As with any internship experience, it’s best to do your due diligence before taking the plunge. Complete research on the internship program, consult independent reviews, consider language requirements, assess costs (fees, travel, accommodation, living expenses etc.) and check out any visa requirements.
Internship FAQs
Making decisions around high school internships and preparing your application can be tough. Here are some frequently asked questions to help you navigate this process:
When should you apply for an internship?
Start early. If you’re applying for a summer internship you should start the process the summer before ideally. So if you plan to complete an internship in summer 2026, then start looking in August 2025. Many networking events take place in September or October and application dates usually start in November or December. Starting your research and perfecting your resume early will therefore ensure that you’re ahead of the game.
Even if you are targeting a part-time internship during the school year, it’s good to start early and be prepared. Each company will have their own deadlines, but you will still need to complete your research and tailor your resume and application for each opportunity. Aim to start the process around four to six months before you plan to complete your part-time internship.
What do organizations look for in an intern?
Whether you’re targeting a major multinational or a small enterprise, the majority of internship employers will have common criteria when looking for standout applicants:
Personality. While hard (industry-specific) skills are important they can be taught and, at an early stage in your career, they are not expected. Demonstrating your passion and enthusiasm for the role, company, and industry will show that you really do care and are committed to the internship opportunity. Confidence and openness to learning are also qualities highly valued by employers.
Soft skills. Communication, teamwork, and critical thinking skills are soft skills that will be on an employer’s checklist when selecting an intern. Demonstrate these skills in action via specific examples in your application and during any interviews.
Basic technical / role-specific skills. Check the job description for specific details and make sure you highlight relevant skills and experience. For example, if you’re targeting a data science role, you could mention your expertise in Python and SQL.
Are internships paid or unpaid?
Internships can be paid, unpaid, and some academic internships charge fees. Paid internships provide on-the-job experience for which you are compensated, others may not provide pay, but you will benefit from experience and boost your college applications.
How do I prepare for the first day of my internship?
Securing an internship is an exciting time, but it’s inevitable that you will experience some apprehension as your first day on the job gets closer. Having a plan in place will help you quell the nerves and put your best foot forward. Start by completing some background research on the company and team as well as reviewing the job description so you fully understand your tasks and responsibilities.
The day before your internship, make sure you prepare your equipment (laptop, notepad, stationary etc.), put together an appropriate outfit, and plan your commute if travelling. You’ll also want to get a good night’s sleep! When you arrive for your first day, be friendly, helpful, and approachable, take notes, and ask insightful questions to make a great first impression.
Conclusion
Completing a high school internship is a positive career move for many reasons, including the opportunity to test-run a career, boost your college application, build confidence, expand your professional network, and enhance your skills.
Before you take the plunge, it’s a good idea to explore your career interests, meet with your school counselor, and conduct research in order to find suitable internship opportunities. Attending career fairs and job-related events, as well as spreading the word among family and friends, can also open doors to a future high school internship.
When you hear about an exciting internship, you’ll want to fire off a strong application, For this reason, it’s a good idea to be prepared with a strong resume and cover letter in hand that is tailored to the specific internship. Demonstrate your enthusiasm for the role, positive outlook, transferable skills, and any industry-specific abilities in order to stand out.
Competition can be tough for internships, but its well worth persevering. There are other options to consider such as virtual internships, volunteering, part-time jobs, or overseas internships, so keep your options open and use this ultimate guide to get started!