High School Internships
An internship gives you hands-on experience inside a real organization — a lab, a startup, a hospital, a newsroom — instead of just reading about the field. Even a few weeks alongside professionals can clarify whether a career path is actually a fit, and gives you someone who can speak to your actual work in a recommendation letter, not just your grades in their class.
High school internships split roughly into two kinds: programs built specifically for high schoolers (structured, cohort-based, often at a university or hospital), and general internships at a company or nonprofit that happen to accept students under 18. The first kind is easier to find and usually has clearer eligibility rules; the second kind is more common but requires more direct outreach and a bit more judgment about whether a listing is actually open to your age group.
What counts
- · Summer internships at companies, nonprofits, and government agencies
- · Lab or clinical internships at universities and hospitals
- · Remote internships doing research, writing, or technical work
- · Paid and unpaid positions
- · Programs designed specifically for high schoolers, and general internships that happen to accept them
Real internships right now
How to actually get one
- · Start looking three to six months before the internship would begin — most summer programs post applications in winter and close by early spring, and by June nearly everything worth applying to has already closed.
- · A short, specific note to a lab or small organization ('I'm a junior interested in X, is there any way to help out this summer?') often works better than only applying to formal postings — many high schoolers get placements that were never publicly advertised.
- · Don't rule out unpaid internships just because they're unpaid; they're usually easier to get and can lead to a paid role or a stronger letter than a more competitive paid program you don't land.
- · Ask what you'd actually be doing day to day before accepting — some 'internships' are closer to a structured tour, others put you on a real deliverable. Both are legitimate, but they read differently on an application.
Common questions
Do I need experience to get a high school internship?
No — most are designed as an intro to the field. Genuine interest and reliability matter more than prior experience.
Are high school internships paid?
Some are, many aren't. Paid internships tend to be more competitive; unpaid ones are often the easier entry point.
When should I start applying?
Most summer internships post applications in winter and close by spring, so start looking three to six months ahead.
Can I do an internship during the school year, not just summer?
Yes — some are structured as an ongoing weekly commitment during the school year rather than a summer block, especially remote research and writing internships.
What if I can't find any internships that accept high schoolers in my field?
It's worth directly emailing a small lab, local business, or nonprofit even if they haven't posted anything — a real number of high school internships exist because a student asked, not because a listing existed.