10 Economics Internships for High School Students
Are you in high school and looking to complete an internship in economics or other related fields? Check out this curated list of opportunities from across the country!
Participating in an internship can offer valuable exposure and opportunities that set you up for success both in college and for future employment, bridging the gap between the classroom and real-world experience.
Below are 10 (plus a bonus entry!) internships to consider, some of which are offered in the summer and others during the school year. The programs cover fields of economics, finance, entrepreneurship development, and business management– all of which can help set you up for future professional success.
Ladder Internship is a selective program for high school students to work with start-ups on engineering and other topics. The program is run by Harvard alums and works with companies from places like the YCombinator and Stanford.
Ladder Startups work in fields including economics, business, finance, environmental science and sustainability, business and marketing, healthcare and medicine, media and journalism, and more. You can explore all the options here on their application form.
As part of their internship, each student will work on a real-world project and present their work at the end of their internship. In addition to working closely with their manager from the startup, each intern will also work with a Ladder Coach throughout their internship - the Ladder Coach serves as a second mentor and a sounding board, guiding students through the internship and helping you navigate the startup environment. Note that as a Ladder Intern, you will engage in a coaching+work-based model - a component that sets it apart from most internships in this list. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
Cost: $1490 (Financial Aid Available)
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application Deadline: Applications for cohorts in June, September, December, and February (4 cohorts throughout the year)
Program Dates: 8 weeks, June to August; cohorts run year-round
Selection Rate: Selective (<30% acceptance rate Summer 2023)
Eligibility:
Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks.
Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Cost: Hourly minimum wage, varying by city
Location: Northern California, multiple cities
Application Deadline: TBA, but applications for 2024 open in November 2023.
Program Length: 8 weeks (from mid-June to early August)
Eligibility: Must be: 16-19 years old, eligible to work in the United States, a permanent resident of a Northern California Kaiser Permanente designated service area
Kaiser Permanente, a healthcare company based in California–provides internships for high school students to explore finance and economics-related interests in healthcare environments. At multiple sites across northern California, students can improve their skills in business through a seven-week paid internship, while networking with innovators and leaders in the healthcare field.
A full list of the career options being offered through the program can be found here. This is an especially interesting internship given its focus on fields such as finance and sales within a healthcare setting. Health finance and economics within the context of medicine is a high-demand subfield that is especially growing in the U.S. As far as requirements, most high school students are eligible to apply, but juniors and seniors are given priority. KP is also especially encouraging students from diverse backgrounds and underserved communities to apply.
Cost: No cost
Location: Richland, Washington
Application Deadline: TBA, applications open in early February and openings can be found here
Program Length: During the academic year, between August and May
Eligibility: High school student
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, known informally as PNNL, is one of the United States Department of Energy national laboratories, managed by the Department of Energy's Office of Science. The laboratory offers a business internship for high school students that runs throughout the course of the year for up to four hours a day, five days a week. A personal statement, cover letter, and transcript are required for an application. Throughout the year, students will participate in educational and leadership development activities involving laboratory demonstrations, field trips, communications, and career awareness workshops. Although it is a rigorous program, the internship is a phenomenal opportunity for exposure in business and administration in a non-traditional setting.
Cost: Paid
Location: Chicago
Application Deadline: TBA, but applications for 2024 open in February 2024.
Program Length: Six weeks
Eligibility: Requirements include: Current sophomore or junior high school student, resident of the city of Chicago, family income below $80,000/year, 3.0 average GPA
The Chicago Summer Business Institute, CSBI, provides paid summer internships for Chicago high school students to introduce them to the financial services sector. On-the-job work experience is coupled with educational material in a classroom setting. Part of the internship is spent at work sites, where a supervisor guides and provides students with general office work and meaningful projects. Other parts of the internship include classroom seminars and lectures from professionals. This program is a meaningful and impactful introduction to the world of finance, with many of its alumni moving on to complete their Bachelor's and MBAs.
Cost: Paid
Location: Miami, Florida
Application Deadline: TBA, email internships@miamidade.gov for more information.
Program Length: Five weeks, June through July
Eligibility: Rising 10th through 12th grade high school student,between 16-18 years old, 2.5 GPA or higher, resident of Miami-Dade County, eligible to work in the USA
Through its various departments and offices, Miami Dade County provides several internship opportunities for high school students to explore their career interests through the lens of public government affairs. The program offers work experience, as well as mentorship by being paired with a supervisor from Miami-Dade County. Students will be evaluated twice during the course of the summer as they participate in activities like program design, financial planning, and delivering presentations. Interns must work a minimum of 150 hours total. By the end of the program, participants will learn and develop employability skills and money management skills, while earning academic credit.
Cost: Paid
Location: Seattle, Washington
Application Deadline: TBA, but applications for 2024 open in November 2023.
Program Length: Varies
Eligibility: At least 16 years of age, enrolled (or recently graduated from) high school, authorized to work in the USA
The goal of the Port’s internship program is to equip students with skills needed to be successful in a corporate environment. Over 80 high school internships are available through the entity across various departments, some of which include: finance, accounting, business administration, facilities management, and business technology. The Port of Seattle is a well known public organization with a long-standing commitment to uplifting and serving the community. Interning with the Port is a beneficial way to make a significant impact on your local community and regional economy through applicable and transferable skills. In addition to the work itself, interns are offered workshops to promote personal development, such as resume-building, public speaking coaching, and LinkedIn 101 sessions.
Cost: $10/hr compensation and a $2500 scholarship upon program completion
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Application Deadline: TBA, applications likely due February 2024
Program Length: Two sessions of 4 weeks each, students can participate in one or both
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors, resident of Kansas City, Missouri
The YEP is considered to be a premier “entrepreneurial-experience-focused” internship in the Midwest. Their internship program focuses on providing high school students with practical experience in business and entrepreneurship fields. Students also connect with professionals from fields ranging from analytical finance to marketing and engineering. Alumni like Madi Webb and Nate Schanker from the program have successfully started businesses, participated in economic forums, and become leaders in financial investment. The cohort model also grants participants key opportunities to network with peers and establish strong professional connections with like-minded individuals.
Cost: $600 stipend
Location: New York, parts virtual
Application Deadline: On a rolling basis
Program Length: Eight weeks
Eligibility: High school students
Pentacle is a non-profit organization in New York City catering to the performing arts community across the United States. Their high school internship program offers students work experience, mentorship, and career development over the course of eight weeks. Specifically, the internship caters to students seeking to expand their toolkit of business skills and knowledge.
Students are paired with a small business (both for– and nonprofit) with whom they work throughout the course of the program. Through work with the business, students acquire knowledge of economic frameworks and market health. Responsibilities are 5 hours/ week working with one’s paired business partner, and 2.5 hours/ week for professional development workshops (virtual). The workshop topics cover a wide range of useful economic skills such as economic management and data collection/analysis. The weekly workshops provide students an opportunity to practically apply their knowledge within their respective internship. Overall, this is another unique avenue for gaining more exposure to the business field.
9. On the Money
Cost: Paid
Location: Chicago
Application Deadline: Applications due before September, see more details here.
Program Length: Four months (September-December)
Eligibility: Current highschool student, resident of the city of Chicago
On the Money Magazine is an online publication platform based out of Chicago. Made by teens for teens, their publication seeks to increase financial literacy and entrepreneurship education to young people. Their publication’s fall internship seeks a cohort of students each semester to research and publish articles related to finance and entrepreneurship. The magazine works alongside DePaul University’s Writing Center and the internship is an excellent way to apply economics and finance in an interesting way. Do note that an interview (virtual or in-person) is required and that interested students should provide a work sample prior to their interview.
Cost: Fully funded, hourly stipend
Location: Washington D.C
Application Deadline: TBD, applications open in October
Program Length: Eight weeks
Eligibility: Current junior or senior high school student, legally authorized to work in the U.S
The Bank of America offers hundreds of high school students across the country an opportunity to engage with their communities in meaningful ways via their internship program. Students are paired with a nonprofit organization local to them and participate in a paid internship for eight weeks. Popular participating nonprofits include Habitat for Humanity and The Boys and Girls Club. Students interested in economics can apply their knowledge and gain more skills through a hands-on internship over the course of a summer.
Additionally, as part of the internship experience, students convene in Washington, D.C at their National Student Leaders Summit where they interact with professionals in a variety of fields ranging from business to governmental affairs. This program is considered highly selective, but is another phenomenal way to apply economics hands-on while developing connections on a nationwide level.
Note: We've covered this opportunity in detail here!
Cost: Paid, part-time
Location: Wichita, Kansas
Application Deadline: TBD, see their website for openings
Program Length: Varies depending on program
Eligibility: High school student between 16-19 years of age, US citizen
Textron Aviation is an aviation company that provides aviation equipment for government, military, and commercial customers. Although their work is rooted in engineering and manufacturing, the company provides an extensive range of internship opportunities for high school students, including in the fields of finance, sales, and marketing. This opportunity for career exploration through the aviation industry intends to provide exposure to meaningful business-driven work that connects foundational knowledge with future career goals. Many different offerings for internships are available during both the fall and spring semesters.
If you are interested in doing university-level research in economics, then you could also consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for high school students. Last year, we had over 2100 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Aisha is a student at Princeton University, studying Anthropology and Global Health. On campus, she is involved with student groups centered around health equity and cultural affinity. In her free time, she enjoys podcasting, learning languages, and trying new recipes.
Image Source: Bank of America Student Leaders logo
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