Honestly, most people think internships for high school students are just for overachievers trying to get into Harvard or Stanford. It’s a bit of a myth. You don’t need a 4.5 GPA to land one, but you do need to know where to look because the "prestigious" ones are often just glorified summer camps that cost $5,000. That’s not an internship. That’s a vacation with a syllabus.
Real internships—the ones where you’re actually touching code, drafting social media posts, or assisting in a lab—are rare for sixteen-year-olds. But they exist.
Companies are starting to realize that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are digital natives who can actually teach them things. It’s a weird shift. Instead of just filing papers, a student might be explaining TikTok trends to a 40-year-old marketing director. If you’re looking for internships for high school students, you have to move past the idea that you’re just there to learn. You’re there to provide a weirdly specific type of value that only a teenager has.
The truth about those big-name programs
Let’s talk about the heavy hitters like NASA or the Smithsonian. These are the gold standards. NASA’s OSTEM program is legendary. It’s competitive. Like, "only-a-handful-of-kids-per-state" competitive. If you get into a NASA internship, your college applications are basically on steroids. But for everyone else? You’re looking at local businesses or niche non-profits.
The Bank of America Student Leaders program is another massive one. They don’t just give you a job; they fly you to Washington D.C. for a summit. It’s fully paid. That is a huge distinction you need to look for. If an internship asks you to pay for "tuition," it is a pre-college program, not an internship. Don't get them confused. One builds a resume; the other builds a credit card bill for your parents.
Why local businesses are actually a better bet
You might think a local real estate office or a small tech startup in your town isn't "cool" enough. You're wrong.
Big corporations have legal departments that are terrified of minors. They have "liability concerns" that result in you sitting in a corner doing nothing. A local business? They just need help. If you walk into a local boutique marketing agency and show them you can edit Reels better than their current staff, they will hire you on the spot.
I’ve seen students land roles at local vet clinics or architecture firms just by asking. It’s about the "cold ask."
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Most internships for high school students aren't even posted on LinkedIn. They are created because a student was annoying enough to keep emailing until the CEO said yes. It’s about grit. Or maybe just being persistent.
The legal stuff no one tells you
Labor laws are annoying. In the United States, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has very specific rules about unpaid internships. Basically, if you are doing work that provides an "immediate advantage" to the employer, they technically have to pay you.
Many companies avoid high schoolers because they don't want to deal with work permits or limited hours.
If you're under 16, it's even harder. Most formal programs require you to be at least 16 or 17 by the time the program starts. If you're 14 and looking for a way in, your best bet is "job shadowing" rather than a formal internship. It’s lower pressure. You just follow someone around for a few days. It still looks great on a resume, and it doesn't trigger the same HR nightmares that a formal internship does.
Research and Science: The high-barrier entry
If you’re into STEM, the game is different.
The Simons Summer Research Program at Stony Brook University is one of the most prestigious out there. It’s for juniors. You work on actual research. You might end up with your name on a published paper. That is the "holy grail" for science students.
Then there’s the NIH (National Institutes of Health) Summer Internship Program. It’s intense. You’re in a lab. You’re dealing with real data. But here’s the kicker: you have to apply months in advance. If you’re looking for a summer internship in May, you’ve already lost. Most of these deadlines are in January or February.
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How to actually get noticed without a resume
You’re sixteen. Your resume is probably blank. Or maybe it just says "Varsity Soccer" and "Babysitting." That’s fine.
When applying for internships for high school students, your "portfolio" matters more than your "resume."
- If you want a coding internship, show your GitHub.
- If you want a writing internship, show your Substack or school paper clips.
- If you want a design internship, show your Figma files.
Show, don't tell.
I once heard about a kid who wanted an internship at a shoe company. He didn't send a resume. He sent a redesigned mockup of their website with three specific bugs he found. He got the internship. He was 17. That’s how you bypass the "experience" requirement. You prove you can do the job before they even hire you.
The "Cold Email" template that doesn't suck
Stop saying "To whom it may concern." It’s boring. It’s robotic.
Try this instead: "Hi [Name], I’m a student at [School] and I’ve been following [Company] because of [Specific Project]. I noticed you guys are doing [X], and I have some ideas on how to help with [Y]. I’m looking for a summer internship and I’m willing to work for [Credit/Minimum Wage/Experience]. Can we chat for 10 minutes?"
It works because it’s human.
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Remote internships are the new frontier
Since 2020, the world changed. You don’t have to live in New York or SF to get a great internship. Platforms like Internships.com or even Chegg have listings for remote roles.
Be careful, though. Remote internships for high school students can be lonely. If you aren't self-motivated, you'll end up playing video games while "on the clock." You miss out on the office culture, which is half the point of an internship. You want to see how adults behave in their natural habitat. You want to see how they handle a crisis or a boring meeting. That's where the real "career prep" happens.
What to do if you get rejected everywhere
It happens. A lot.
If you can't find a formal internship, create your own project. Start a business. Volunteer for a political campaign. Non-profits are almost always looking for help, and they are much more flexible with age requirements.
A "Community Outreach Coordinator" role at a local food bank is just as impressive as a "Marketing Intern" at a mid-sized corporation. Sometimes more so, because you likely had more responsibility.
Actionable steps to take right now
- Audit your social media. If a recruiter looks you up and sees something questionable, you're out. It’s unfair, but it’s true. Make your profiles private or make them professional.
- Identify five local companies. Don't go for Google yet. Go for the tech company three towns over. Look them up on LinkedIn. Find the "Operations Manager" or the "Creative Director."
- Draft your "Value Proposition." What can you actually do? Can you edit video? Can you organize spreadsheets? Can you research competitors? Pick one thing and get good at it.
- Check the deadlines. If it’s January or February, start applying for the big government and university programs like NASA OSTEM or the NIH SIP.
- Get a teacher's recommendation ready. Most formal programs require at least one. Don't ask them the day before the deadline. Give them two weeks.
Internships for high school students aren't just about the resume boost. They’re about figuring out what you hate doing before you spend $200,000 on a college degree in a field you actually despise. If you spend a summer at a law firm and realize you hate paperwork, you just saved yourself a decade of misery. That’s the real value.