How does one go about finding and applying for an internship?

[Excelsior! Academy]

See question.  :)

[Jen in NY]

Do you have local universities? I know it sounds pretty basic, but have you googled the name of the institution + high school internship + the subject of interest?

 

If I do that in my town, here's just one huge list that pops up:

http://people.rit.edu/gtfsbi/Symp/highschool.htm

 

Another option: if there are medium-large sized employers in the area you could do the same... there are a few companies in my neck of the woods that have spots for high school aged kids.

 

Good Luck!

[Sebastian (a lady)]

What areas are of interest? Tell everyone you know with a connection to that field that you're looking. If you're on Facebook mention it there.

 

You might find that for high schoolers you're looking for a long term volunteer position because intern either means a college student or someone who is given advanced responsibilities because they already have experience.

 

In my area there are a lot of opportunities at nature centers and historic sites as well as libraries.

[Arcadia]

The wildlife refuge (federal) takes out-of-state interns too if that is your child's area of interest and your child love to travel.  They had a few from New York for summer.

Here the institutes and agencies have the internship programs listed on their webpage.

[snowbeltmom]

My oldest started out by asking to shadow for a day.  The shadowing resulted in the research opportunity.

[Excelsior! Academy]

Thank you.

[Muttichen]

It depends what your child is interested in.  If it's science, are there any government labs in your area?  Places like NIH often have well-established internship programs.  Universities may as well.  Try googling and talking to public school kids if you know any.

 

Another option is to put together something on your own.  My oldest daughter loved history.  We couldn't find a real "internship" for her, but we pieced together a couple of things.  She gave tours two afternoons a week at a historic home, she volunteered at the historical society one day a week cataloging a box of papers from the 1800s that someone found in their attic, and she worked as a research assistant for a history professor at the community college (this was a paid position).  She had a fun year, and she was exposed to three fields historians work in.

 

I know you said in the other thread what your dd was interested in, but I don't remember what it was.  Whatever the field, think creatively and look for agencies that could use volunteers and talk to people in your community.

[Gwen in VA]

Large museums sometimes have official internships for a lucky few as well as numerous volunteer opportunities for the masses. These can be a GREAT experience!

 

Don't be disappointed if the position your child can find is singularly unglamorous. Once a kid gets a foot in the door, if he can prove his worth he can move up quickly to do more interesting work!