What is an Internship?

An internship is a career preparation activity in which students are placed at a work site for a defined period of time to participate in and observe work firsthand within a given industry. Unlike work experience, internships often allow students to rotate through a number of departments and job functions. Internships provide the student an opportunity to “test-drive” career possibilities, to gain experience in the field they are interested in pursuing, determine if they have an interest in a particular career, create a network of contacts, and gain school credit. An internship is an excellent way to determine if the industry and the profession is the best career option to follow before investing a lot of time and money in training and education.

This program is designed for students in the 11th and 12th grade. The internship must directly relate to the industry or major the student plans on pursuing after high school. Students applying for an internship should have a minimum GPA of 2.0 and should not have more than 5 absences. 

How do I find a company to intern with?

Internship Sources:
Your family's contacts and family friend's contacts are usually the best sources for providing information on potential internship sites. Having family members reach out to their contacts is a great way to use networking to find an internship site. This source is often the easiest way to secure an internship because in most cases, family friends already know you and what kind of student you are.

Another way to find internship site is to complete an Internet search using Google to find local companies of the type you would like to intern with. Once you find companies or organizations that you are interested in, you will need to contact a decision maker at that company/organization to see if they will host you as an intern.

You can also use one of the following sites to find companies/organizations:
Internships.com 
Better Business Bureau (search for companies in the Garner area)
Garner Chamber of Commerce (look at the business directory)

Once you find a potential company…
Option I: Dress up like you are going in for an interview and visit the business. You can explain who you are and that you are interested in completing an internship. Use the email script below to help prepare for what you will say. 

Option II: You can send an email to a specific person at that company/ organization, requesting an internship.
Note: Although Option I may sound more difficult, it is often more successful. It is much easier to say “No” to an email then it is to someone’s face. It also shows that you are taking the initiative to get yourself out there.