Internships for High School Students: Paving the way for the Future

by Stephanie Partridge

Engineer & Teen Intern Review Plans My daughter will be in an internship through her school next year, which will be her senior year. She is planning to go to college and on to veterinarian school. The academy where she will be going has several programs that allow students to work in internships to gain practical, hands on experience in the field of their choice. The program in which she will be participating teaches animal care, dog grooming and related things dealing with animals. It allows students to actually work in an environment where they are caring for and handling the animals, giving them real life, practical experience.

Located just outside of Washington, D.C., this academy has several programs including computer science and gourmet cooking. Some of the programs even pay the students. But internship opportunities for high school students are available all over the country. Some are small, local programs like the one my daughter is attending, while others take students for several weeks in the summer to a major city where they gain real life experience in a professional setting.

Many high school students and their parents probably don't consider the option of an internship. Traditionally, this is usually thought to be reserved for college students. In actuality, more and more companies are opening their doors to high school interns. There are several good reasons to encourage your teen to pursue an internship.

It allows your teen to see how an organization actually operates.
It will introduce your teen to valuable networking contacts who can open doors for them later, in college and professionally.
It looks great on a college application.
It provides real time work experience.
It allows your teen to explore different career options and sort of "try before you buy." They can check out the career before they commit to the college degree program. It may also open their eyes to other career options.

So, the question is where do you find internships? Some organizations have their own internship programs for high school students. The Smithsonian in D.C. has an internship program for high school students. My daughter has several friends who have participated. Microsoft also has a similar program, as does the Museum of Modern Art and others. These are typically limited to students who live in the region. The best way to find an internship is to research companies that are in the industries that interest your teen. They usually list internship programs on their websites.

Local and smaller businesses also often host internship programs. Local newspapers often hire high school interns, as do museums. Your local business association and chamber of commerce can give you information on what businesses offer these programs. You can also contact the companies directly. Try to find someone in human resources or a manager and contact them. Non profit organizations are also very good about hiring high school interns. You may have to do a little leg work, but the opportunities are out there and if you put in the work, you will find them.

Your teen can also talk to their high school counselor about possible internship opportunities. Some companies will not publicly post opportunities, but will let school counselors know. There are also books available that list Internships. Three top books are "Peterson's Internships," "The Best 109 Internships" and "The Internship Bible." The library is also a great resource. On the internet, you can visit these terrific sites that advertise internship opportunities.

http://www.internshipprograms.com/
http://highschoolinternships.net
http://www.internabroad.com/
http://www.idealist.org/
http://www.volunteerinternational.org/

When applying for high school internships, find out just what the company wants in an application. Most companies that sponsor internships have specific guidelines that they post for applicants to review. Make sure that you follow those guidelines to the letter. Help your teen navigate the process and adhere to the procedure that is required.

If your teen wants to try to create their own opportunity, help them to create a one page resume. It should outline their education, skills and interests, giving real life examples. They should send it with a cover letter explaining their interest in the company, why they want to intern there and what they can offer the company. If they have been referred to the company by anyone, they should mention it in the letter.

Talk with your teen about evaluating the opportunities that they find. It is important that they not take just any internship, but take something that is interesting to them. They should ask questions, lots of them. Help them prepare a list of questions to ask or answer through research. Some good questions include:

What are my duties?
Who will help to teach me the skills I need to do this internship?
Is the internship during the summer or during the school year?
Is this a free internship or is it paid?
How does it incorporate my interests into the position?
Will I receive a letter of recommendation upon completion of the program?
What type of dress is required?
What are the hours I will work?

These are just a few of the questions that your teen will want answered. They may not necessarily ask the employer these questions, but will be able to answer many through research.

An internship can be an enriching, educational and rewarding experience for your teen. It can also be a great bonding experience for the two of you as you work together to find the best internship opportunity available. Coach your teen on behavior during the interview as well as on the job. Don't take it for granted that they will automatically know what to say or do in those situations. You may even want to role play with your teen. You can be the employer and they can be the applicant. Take them through the interview process and some job scenarios. This will better prepare them for a situation that will likely be quite new to them. But it will be well worth it.

Biography
Stephanie Partridge is a freelance writer and photographer as well as a FOIA analyst for a federal agency in Washington, D.C. She is a single mom to Jeffery, 19; Micah Elizabeth, 17 and Benjamin, 15. She is also the author of the ebook, “Diet is a Dirty Word.”

Tags: internship opportunities, internships, student interns