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 an 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 Raleigh-Durham area)
Greater Raleigh 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 company. 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.

Sample Email to Request an Internship:
You should try to send your email to a specific person, not a general company email address. To determine who to send it to, look up the company or organization on the Internet, go to their website and try to find an email address for one of the decision makers, such as the owner, manager, office manager, or partner. If you cannot find a specific person on their Internet site, call the company and explain to the person who answers the phone that you are inquiring about an internship and would like to know who to send your request to. Try to get the person's name, email address and phone number. Once you have a name and an email address, send an email like the one below to that person and be prepared to follow-up by phone. Make sure you write down who you sent it to, so that you know who to follow up with.

When you send the email, send a copy to Dr. Jessee at ejessee@wcpss.net so that if the company decides to contact Dr. Jessee, she will know who they are calling about.

 

Internship Information
Internship Workbook Please read the FVHS Internship Workbook which includes all forms for use during an internship. Individual forms are also provided for your use on this page. You must review the FVHS Internship Workbook file before you submit an application.

• Students are rising juniors or seniors
• Students applying for an internship should have a minimum overall unweighted GPA of 2.5.
• Students must determine their internship interest area and seek out a business who may be willing to allow the student to complete the internship (check with family friends, etc. for contacts with companies that may consider allowing a student to intern).
• Students turn in two Teacher Recommendation to be considered for an internship. 
• The internships may be paid or unpaid.
• Wake County Public Schools maintains liability insurance for all students who participate in an approved internship.
• Internships may be taken in place of a class at school if the student is on track to graduate.
• The internship includes completion of 120 hours of work-based experience for one high school credit on a graded basis.

How to Apply for an Internship:

• First, determine the area in which you would like to complete an internship. If you are not sure about an area, you may want to complete one or more career assessments to help guide you to an area.
• If you wish to take the internship in lieu of another class, check with your counselor to determine whether you are on track to graduate.
• Find an organization/company that is willing to allow you to complete an internship.
• Read the entire FVHS Internship Workbook
• Complete the yellow form from Dr. Jessee which included the following forms:
  • Internship Application (student, parent and counselor signs).
  • Prerequisites for an Internship (student and parent sign).
  • Student Intern Code of Conduct (student signs).
  • Student submits a Resume.
  • Two teacher recommendations are required (see forms below).
  • After meeting with the company/organization who will host you - fill out the Internship agreement with the organization's sponsor/mentor and have the mentor sign, you sign, and your parent sign. When Ms. Barone receives the agreement, she will also sign. 
• Return all forms to Dr. Jessee in room 2402 and communicate this course interest.