Internship Overview

An internship is an experience in which a high school student learns by taking on a responsible role as a worker in a company or organization and then reflects on what happened while in the workplace. The Internship Program is a supplement to formal classroom instruction.  Its intent is to significantly add to the vitality of the instructional program and to impact the courses that a student has taken or will take.  Internships are for juniors and seniors and must be at least 120 hours.  Students will earn one (1) credit for the internship.

Internship Requirements:

• Students must have begun 11th or 12^th grade.
• 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).
• The internship can be paid or nonpaid. Most are nonpaid.
• Students cannot intern with their parents/guardians or family business.
• Students may not intern in a job in which they are currently employed.
• 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. Internships are usually taken during 4th period.
• The internship includes completion of 120 hours of work-based experience for one high school credit on a graded basis.
• A maximum of two WCPSS internships are allowed per student.

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:
-Better Business Bureau (search for companies in the Raleigh area)
-Raleigh Chamber of Commerce (look at the business directory)