A work-experience opportunity where you spend time at a company, laboratory, organization, museum, or other workplace related to a field you are interested in. You work alongside professionals and may help with everyday tasks, projects, or other responsibilities while learning what the field is actually like.

Limits:

• Often unpaid for high school students.

• You may be given routine or supporting tasks rather than doing advanced work.

• The experience depends heavily on the organization and the person supervising you.

Best for: students who want to experience what working in a particular field is actually like, build practical skills, and see whether they could imagine pursuing it as a career.

Identify organizations in your field of interest

Look for companies, laboratories, museums, research institutes, engineering firms, hospitals, nonprofits, or other organizations where you could gain experience in the field.

Search: [city] + [field of interest] + internship
or [organization type] + high school internship + [city]

Check for existing internship programs
Look through the organization’s website for high school, student, summer, volunteer, or internship opportunities. Also check your school’s career office and local programs that connect students with workplaces.

Reach out directly if there is no formal program
If an organization does not advertise internships for high school students, you can still contact them by finding their email on their website. Introduce yourself, explain your interest in their work, and ask whether they would be willing to offer a short-term internship, job-shadowing opportunity, or volunteer position. 

Apply to multiple opportunities
Do not rely on one organization. Apply or reach out to several places, since many organizations may not have the capacity to take on a high school student.

Be flexible about the role
Your first internship may not involve exactly what you hoped to do. You might start by assisting with basic tasks, administrative work, data entry, sample preparation, or observing professionals. The goal is to gain real experience in the workplace.