6 Online Business Internships for High School Students
If you’re a high school student keen on pursuing business, finance, or any related fields in the future, you should consider doing an internship! Business internships can offer valuable exposure and opportunities to build your knowledge and skills, a professional network, and boost your profile for college applications. Often, however, internships can be difficult to access because of their location requirements. Arranging travel and stay if you don’t live where the internship takes place can be challenging. This is why we’ve curated this list of online business internships you can consider as a high schooler.
These internships can provide you with experiences that set you apart from your peers. A virtual setup lends flexibility and accessibility, allowing you to work with companies from various industries anywhere in the world, participate in meaningful projects, and develop a professional network—without stepping out. These internships will also expose you to potential career paths!
Early exposure to the business world can also significantly enhance your college applications. Admissions committees seek candidates who show initiative and are proactive about their education and academic interests. By participating in a business internship, you demonstrate that you’re driven and willing to go beyond the standard curriculum to pursue your interests.
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. You can explore all the options here on their application form. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars. In the program, interns work closely with their managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present their work to the company. Here is the application form. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
Cost: Starting at $2,490 (financial aid available)
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
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: No cost.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Program Length: 10 weeks, May to August.
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old can apply.
Note: Students can choose to intern virtually, in-person at the SSEC in Washington, DC, or in a hybrid format.
This summer internship is for high school students keen to work in the communications and marketing side of business. As an intern, you will be involved in projects that enhance the SSEC brand. You will create marketing materials and assist in communications dissemination, strategy, and asset management. As you research and identify key components of the Smithsonian Institution’s network of museums and centers, you will learn how to leverage brand image – an essential component of any business. You will also help identify subject matter experts, create accessible content, and consider a variety of cultural contexts to ensure the SSEC is relevant to a global audience.
Cost: No cost.
Application Deadline: Applications are open all year round, you can apply here.
Program Dates: Flexible. Students may request lengthening an internship by a week or two because of conflicting time pressure from school.
Eligibility: Sophomores, juniors, and seniors who have taken at least one honors science or honors English class, with a minimum GPA of 3.25, can apply.
Note: Students can expect a competitive selection process as this program is open to college students as well!
Open to high school and college students, EnergyMag offers virtual research internships to students looking to gain experience in research and analysis. You will research companies, analyze technologies, and conduct market research – all essential to any business. EnergyMag works in the renewable energy sector. This program is aimed at equipping students with skills in both science and business that will be useful in the future, no matter the profession they choose. You will be assigned a mentor who will guide and supervise your work. You will need to research your topic, get in touch with people with relevant information, analyze and synthesize the information you gather, and produce a draft analysis report. The report will be published on the EnergyMag site.
Cost/Stipend: No cost. Students will be paid, but the amount is not specified.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Program Dates: Summer (exact dates not specified)
Eligibility: Rising or current high school seniors with work authorization
With the Mary Miller Summer Program, high school students can work on their leadership, teamwork, and communication. Interns will participate in team projects and activities with senior leadership while developing independent projects. As an intern, you will work under the Public Health Director and assist the team with social media projects, online community interactions, and technical support. Key tasks include attending planning meetings, conducting social media research through trending, analysis, and reporting, developing regular and creative posts, and implementing feedback from team members and clients.
Cost: $6,295
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in March.
Program Dates: July 8 - 29
Eligibility: All high school students are eligible.
This program, though not a traditional internship, offers valuable experience. It emphasizes exploring social, economic, and environmental challenges aligned with the U.N. Global Goals. It provides you with a broad understanding of entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing, finance, and business communication. The program offers a global network, allowing you to connect with a diverse cohort of students. You will learn from Babson faculty, who are both educators and entrepreneurs. You will hear from leaders within Babson’s entrepreneurial network and engage with faculty, alumni, and students through panels and presentations.
Cost: No cost.
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines, it is recommended that you apply as soon as possible.
Program Dates: Usually 3 months from June to August. It can be extended!
Eligibility: All high school students can apply.
Building-U is a remote non-profit focused on assisting high school students. The organization engages interns to assist in the administrative/business aspects of the organization. Once selected as an intern, you join one of their teams, which includes R&D roles, student ambassador roles, Business Development roles, and others that you can read about here. These teams might concentrate on digital marketing, content writing, web development, or data analytics. This structure allows you to work in areas that align with your interests and skills and promotes teamwork, leadership, and project management skills.
One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Jessica attends Harvard University where she studies Neuroscience and Computer Science as a Coca-Cola, Elks, and Albert Shankar Scholar. She is passionate about educational equity and hopes to one day combine this with her academic interests via social entrepreneurship. Outside of academics, she enjoys taking walks, listening to music, and running her jewelry business!