Do you have 104 days of summer vacation with school afterwards just to end it? Are you facing the annual problem of your generation- finding a good way to spend it?
Going the Phineas and Ferb route is always a good idea! But if you’re someone who wants something a little calmer (with your sister off your back), student summer internships are a fantastic way to spend your summer, boosting your skills and knowledge in your chosen field with real, demonstrable experience that universities and future employers will appreciate.
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What’s An Internship?
Among the various summer programs for high school students, an internship is a temporary, structured work experience offered by organizations. It acts as a bridge between academic study and a professional career, allowing individuals to gain hands-on industry exposure, develop practical skills, and explore specific career paths. Internships can be paid, unpaid, full-time, or remote, and last anywhere from a few weeks to 6 months. At the end of the internship, interns are awarded a Certificate of Completion, and, in some cases, a Letter of Recommendation from their mentors during the internship.
Here are a few high school internship programs you could consider this summer –
- Ladder Internships
Ladder offers a selective online internship programme for high school (and gap year) students. Through Ladder, students are matched with companies and startups in the field of their choice. Students work on real projects, gaining practical and professional experience with experienced mentors hailing from Ivy League/Russell Group backgrounds. Ladder Internships provide real-world experience, a project portfolio, and mentorship in their high school internship program.
Types of Internships: Ladder offers 3 types of internships in its programme
- Startup Internship programme, where the student is placed with a high–growth startup for 8 weeks,
- CEO Internship programme, where the student is placed directly to work with the CEO/founder from FAANG-level and/or top 20 university (e.g., Facebook, Google, McKinsey, etc.)
- Combination Internship Programme (CEO Internship + Mentored Research Programme), an 8+15 week program which combines a CEO Internship with a mentored research component, offering both professional work experience and the opportunity to complete a college-level research paper.
Categories of Internships: Ladder offers internships with high-growth startups in the following spaces –
Health, Tech/Deep Tech, Finance, Machine Learning/AI, Mental Health, Business Consulting, Environmental Science, Non-Profits, Software Engineering, Web Design/UI UX
- BuildUp Internships
BuildUp is a global platform offering mentored internships/work-based learning experiences for high school and undergraduate students. BuildUp matches students to leading companies, NGOs, and startups in the field of their choice. BuildUp Internships focus on career exploration, experiential learning, real-world exposure, and structured skill development.
Types of Internships: BuildUp offers 3 types of internships in its programme
- i) BuildUp Squad Internship programme, where the student is placed with a group of peers in this group internship with direct company mentorship for 7 to 8 weeks,
- ii) BuildUp Innovator Internship programme, where the internship is more tailored to the individual student, lasting 2 months, usually customized to the student’s schedule,
iii) Industry Projects Programme, which immerses students in realistic professional environments where they face the same decisions, teamwork, and pressure as real practitioners.
Categories of Internships: BuildUp offers internships with high-growth startups in the following spaces –
Social Impact, Entrepreneurship, EdTech, Psychology, AI, Business Consulting, Health, Law, Fashion Business, Human Resources, Marketing, Sports Tech, Human Rights Law, AI and Data Science
- Delta Summer Internships
The Delta Institute offers virtual work-experience and internship-style programs for high school and early college students. Through structured projects and mentorship, participants gain exposure to real-world work with global companies and professionals, building skills and portfolios that can strengthen college applications and resumes. Delta Internships are structured around project-based work and guided learning with clear milestones.
Types of Internships: Delta offers internships in the following categories-
- Discover (career exploration)
- Delve (virtual work experience), and
- Deepen (advanced projects).
- YouVah
YouVah offers summer student internships for high school students aimed at exposing them to professional work environments through online and international placements. Internships focus on hands-on tasks and mentorship to build industry-relevant skills. YouVah internships are more aligned with students in India, as they provide in-person options and online options as well.
Categories of Internships: YouVah offers the following internship opportunities for students –
Curated Online One-on-One Internships
Youhah offers personalized 10–15 day curated online internships in the following domains:
- Finance
- Marketing/Digital Marketing
- Artificial Intelligence
- Fashion Business
- Design
- Psychology
International Offline Internship Programs
Youvah offers offline programs such as:
- Dubai Program: 10-day internship (Marketing, AI, Operations, Finance)
- Italy Program (Rome): Fashion and tech-business internships with industry exposure (e.g., Bulgari, Valentino)
Are you more inclined towards research and writing? Konnifel is a research internship platform connecting students (including high schoolers, college students, and gap-year students) with university and institute-led research opportunities in varied fields like science, engineering, and humanities. Through Konnifel, students are connected with leading professors in their field of choice, giving them the opportunity to complete a research internship. In this type of internship, students can either work with their aligned professor/mentor on a research project/paper the professor is working on themselves, or they can begin their own research project/paper, under the professor’s guidance. Summer student internships via Konnifel are great for students interested in research, as they provide interns an opportunity to strengthen their research skills, work with the leading academic experts of their field, and get a chance to get published on academic papers.Categories of Internships: Konnifel aligns students with professors/researchers across India in the following spaces-
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Market Analysis, Finance, History, Sociology, Political Science, Policy (among various others)
- PreMed Projects
For students looking for medical shadowship opportunities, PreMed Projects is a UK-based organization that arranges hospital work experience and clinical exposure programs for students interested in healthcare careers, especially medicine, nursing, dentistry, and midwifery. PreMed Projects offers virtual medical experience modules globally, allowing students all across the world to speak with medical experts in the NHS to gain a better understanding of the world of medicine. In particular, the online courses offered by PreMed Projects offer students virtual shadowship opportunities in medicine, and these summer programs for high school students are also recognized by leading universities in the world.
- Microsoft High School Discovery Program
For students interested in and/or actively pursuing Computer Science, Microsoft offers an extensive tech-focused internship program, where high school students gain hands-on experience working on real technology projects and professional development opportunities. Microsoft’s Discovery Program is a 4-week hands-on tech experience for high school graduates focusing on technology exploration and project work. Interns contribute to live projects, receive mentorship, and develop professional skills through this high school summer internship. - National Museum Internship
If you’re simply too excited to work in a museum in Delhi, the National Museum in New Delhi offers student summer internships across various museum departments, giving interns exposure to curation, conservation, research, and cultural heritage practices. Working in India’s capital, interns work with museum professionals on projects such as collection documentation, research tasks, gallery support, and educational outreach. While this internship is typically for undergraduate students or postgraduate students, high school students are encouraged to apply. - Scope for Change
If you’re someone who’s more interested in social work and community impact, Scope for Change is a non-profit organisation focused on sustainable development and community empowerment. They offer a structured high school internship program where participants support social impact projects, community engagement campaigns, and organisational development tasks. Interns typically work on project planning, implementation, research, and sustainability initiatives. - Pehchaan, The Street School Trust
Are you someone who loves to teach? Pehchaan, The Street School, is a Delhi-based NGO providing free education to underprivileged children. Their high school internship program offers opportunities to contribute to meaningful social work across multiple roles while gaining practical experience. Internships range from teaching and classroom support to content writing, social media management, marketing, HR, public relations, and project coordination. Interns may work online or on the ground in community learning centres.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Why should high school students do a summer internship?
Summer internships help high school students gain real-world exposure, develop practical skills, and explore potential career paths early. They also strengthen college applications by demonstrating initiative, commitment, and hands-on experience beyond academics.
2. Are summer internships for high school students paid or unpaid?
Most high school internships are unpaid and focused on learning and mentorship. However, some competitive or corporate programs may offer stipends. The primary value lies in skill-building, mentorship, certification, and professional exposure.
3. How do I choose the right internship as a high school student?
Start by identifying your interests, long-term goals, and availability. If you are exploring careers, choose structured exposure-based programs. If you already have a clear interest such as AI, finance, medicine, or law, look for project-based or research-oriented internships that offer measurable outcomes.
4. Do online internships hold the same value as offline internships?
Yes, if they are structured and mentor-led. Many virtual internships provide real-world projects, global exposure, and certification. Universities value the depth of learning and impact more than whether the internship was online or offline.
5. When should high school students start applying for summer internships?
Most summer internships open applications between December and March. Competitive programs fill quickly, so students should begin researching options at least 4 to 6 months in advance and prepare their resumes early.
