You may not be thinking college yet, but you can be nearly certain that someone else at your school is going to want to apply to your dream school. If you both have great grades and strong leadership roles and impressive extracurriculars, it can be hard to differentiate yourself even if you have totally different areas of academic interest. This is where we excel in supporting students, and we’ve found that pursuing an academic passion independently through an internship is a proven way to set yourself apart. In this post, we’ll break down what you need to do to find and secure an internship as a high school freshman.

First, though, let’s clarify what makes for a good internship as a high school freshman.

Outside of the United States, and even in some areas around the U.S., it isn’t uncommon for companies to sell ‘internships’ that are a day or two of shadowing for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. These experiences can be useful in refining or confirming what type of field or role you want to be in eventually, but these are not actually internships as we define them. This is why we do not recommend these programs for students once they have progressed past sophomore year. As a freshman, however, they can serve a purpose.

Ideally, though, you won’t be paying for an internship-style experience. We work with our students to identify and obtain opportunities that are at least one week full-time, that have a clear focus, and that have a team or manager that the student be working closely with. The benefits of such an experience are multi-fold. You are immersed in a field you’re considering; you are engaging directly with people building careers in that field already, and you have the opportunity to build relationships that can lead to supplemental recommendations down the line. Internships don’t usually offer freshman money, though. They may offer a stipend, but as a high school freshman it is more likely that an internship will be unpaid.  

In some areas, like New York City, there are laws limiting opportunities for unpaid internships. This doesn’t mean it’s impossible, though, so pay close attention below when we talk about the importance of tapping into your network.

A strong college application starts early. Learn more about how we work with students as early as Freshman year to set them up for success in college and beyond.  

Securing an internship can be a gamechanger for your trajectory through high school and into college. An internship opens up opportunities for learning, advancement, and even employment. That may sound wild from the place of a high school freshman, but every year we help students succeed far beyond what is ‘standard’, leading to exceptional application outcomes. Examples of recent internships we’ve helped our freshman students secure include shadowing at a Fortune 500 company, assisting an award-winning journalist in the field, an working hands-on with a non-profit.

To get started finding your first internship opportunity there are four steps you need to take.  

Define Buckets of Interest

First, you need to define some buckets of interest. We say ‘buckets’ because this isn’t about pinpointing a passion, but identifying a range. You want to be specific, but not so specific as to be unnecessarily limiting. Internship opportunities aren’t in abundance for young students, so closing off your options by being hyper-focused won’t work in your favor here.

That said, it is not worth spending your time on something that is so far removed from what you care about that it won’t bring you closer to what you like. So, it’s all about being open, and not limiting yourself to the ‘obvious.’  

For example, if you decide that one of your ‘buckets’ is front end web or app development, what that website or app is being used for is pretty much irrelevant. If it’s not interesting to you, that’s ok. Similarly, if you are interested in business, it’s more important to be around business than to be around a business you yourself would want to run or work for.  

Mine Your Network

Once you have your buckets of interest, it’s time to tap into the resources close at hand — your friends and family! Asking a parent or family friend for help finding an internship isn’t cheating. In fact, it’s basically mandatory because how else are you going to find somewhere that wants you to hang out (not literally, but hyperbolically) as a 14 or 15-year-old? So, start talking to people. Let them know what you’re interested in and what you’re hoping to learn. Speak with your parents, your parent’s friends, the parents of your friends, your teachers, and do it in person or over a video call. Emailing or texting exclusively won’t get you anywhere unless it’s to set up a meeting or call.  

Every year, we work with students on finding internship opportunities, and it’s not rare for parents to look at us incredulously when we start brainstorming. But once we’ve mapped a network and clarified interests, things start to fall into place and opportunities present themselves. 

Start with Something Small

When we say, “opportunities present themselves,” we are not referring to dream jobs — or anything close. You are a high school freshman. You have, according to the metrics of the professional workforce, close to zero skills. So, accordingly, you need to start small. This doesn’t mean that you’re dreaming small, as this is just a starting point to bigger and better things.  

First, aim to have conversation with someone in a field you are interested in or on a career path that you aspire to. Next, open up opportunities for that conversation to evolve into something bigger by offering more than you are asking for. Asking “How could I support you?” may feel a little presumptuous, but it isn’t. If you are willing to be flexible and to do the un-fun stuff, there is likely a way to help them out. 

Flexibility is key. Don’t expect an opportunity to be fit to your ideal schedule. Rather, it’s highly likely that you’ll need to change your schedule to fit an opportunity. And remember that you are not ‘better’ than anything. Seriously. You’re a freshman. You likely have no, or very limited, work experience. Your resume is not impressive, even if it is well-formatted. Nearly any opportunity is a good opportunity if you seize it and run with it.

Build Relationships

A key part of any internship opportunity, whether it’s a full-fledged internship, a day or two shadowing, or just a series of conversations, is to build relationships. You never know where something — or someone — can take you.

As a freshman, you’re very young. So young, in fact, that many adults may not immediately take you seriously. As you pursue any opportunity, remember that you need to act beyond your years.

Obtaining an internship as a freshman isn’t ‘easy’ but it is entirely possible if you are clear in what you want, open to opportunities, and if you carry yourself with professionalism. Do all three, and you’ve got this.

We help high school freshman launch into an outstanding future.  Contact us to learn more.