8 High School Internships in Seattle

What’s Covered:

• 8 High School Internships in Seattle
• How to Find an Internship
• How Much Do Internships Impact Your College Chances?

Internships are a phenomenal way to boost your college application, gain work experience, and discover career options—just to name a few benefits.

Although internships are popularized among college students, completing an internship while you’re still in high school is a great way to prepare to enter the workforce and develop a new skill set.

If you’re located in the Seattle area, check out these internships to find the perfect fit for your interests and future career aspirations!

8 High School Internships in Seattle

1. The Seattle Public Library Student Assistant Program

Do you love books, reading, and research? The Student Assistant Program at the Seattle Public Library may be the perfect internship opportunity for you. High school students ages 16 and up can gain vocational experience working at the library for 12 – 15 hours per week.

You can submit an online application in the spring of each year for the summer internship program. The Seattle Public Library requires that high school students must be available to work for at least four months.

2. The Port of Seattle

The Port of Seattle’s Internship Program offers over 80 paid high school internships across several departments, including business, communications, customer service, engineering, facilities management, finance, accounting, and more. The Port of Seattle’s goal is to provide high school students with the skills they need to succeed in a corporate environment.

Students must be 16 years old before the internship begins, and have been involved with community organizations and extracurricular activities. Students can apply for the summer internship from February to April each year.

3. Seattle City Light

If you’re interested in exploring energy production and distribution, Seattle City Light offers eight-week, paid summer internships that allow you to get hands-on experience with utilities. You’ll be able to talk with executive leaders, participate in professional development workshops, visit multiple City Light facilities, and more. 

You must be at least 16 years of age, a U.S. citizen, and a continuing high school student to participate in this internship. Internship opportunities are posted in April each year.

4. Seattle Children’s Hospital

Are you considering a career in the medical field? If so, the research training program for high school students at the Seattle Children’s Hospital may be the ideal internship opportunity for you. During the internship, students will learn about biochemistry, immunotherapy, gene editing, and infectious diseases. Students will also participate in college readiness and career exploration workshops.

To participate, students must be completing their sophomore, junior, or senior year of high school, be a resident of Western Washington, and consider themselves underrepresented in the field of biomedical research.

5. Youth Maritime Program

The Youth Maritime Program is a two-year internship opportunity for high school students interested in a career in the maritime industry. This internship is managed by the King County Job Training and Education Center, the Port of Seattle, Seattle Central College, the Youth Maritime Collaborative, and other partners.

Students will be expected to attend weekend activities and workshops during their senior year of high school. Students will also have the chance to take field trips and network with maritime industry experts and local community leaders during the internship. The internship also offers job placement assistance upon completion.

6. Youth Aerospace Program

Similar to the Youth Maritime Program, the Youth Aerospace Program is a two-year internship opportunity for students interested in the aerospace industry. This program is held at Renton Technical College in Marysville.

Students will need to attend weekend activities and workshops during their senior year of high school. Students will also have the chance to take field trips to aerospace companies like Boeing, network with industry experts, and more. Students will receive job placement assistance at the end of the internship.

7. Bikeworks BIPOC Leadership Cohort

Do you love bikes? If so, this eight-week internship may be an excellent opportunity for you! There are two areas of focus: the Bike Repair Cohort and the Bike Riding Cohort.

The Bike Repair Cohort meets on Tuesday afternoons in Colombia City and learns about basic mechanics that can lead to future employment as a mechanic. The Bike Riding Cohort meets on Saturday mornings to go on increasingly difficult bike rides. Both cohorts must participate in leadership conversations and training.

8. Seattle Good Business Network

Calling all aspiring entrepreneurs and business professionals! Seattle Good Business Network’s internship program connects high school students and college students between the ages of 16-24, from all backgrounds and levels of experience to paid internships.

Applicants are matched with a local Seattle business to build skills and explore future career goals and interests. The program is sponsored by the Seattle Office of Economic Development and the Workforce Development Council of Seattle.

How to Find an Internship

Network

If you haven’t already, you’ll quickly discover that one of the best ways to land a job (or an internship!) is through your connections.

Think of the older adults in your life, like parents, teachers, administrators, coaches, grandparents, friends, and especially people with interests or careers that align with your future aspirations. Ask your network if they have or know of any internship opportunities, and even if they don’t right now, they’ll be likely to let you know when an opportunity does arise.

Join LinkedIn

After networking with your friends and family, consider creating a LinkedIn profile to do some online networking. LinkedIn is an essential tool you will use in your professional career to connect with other professionals and explore job opportunities.

Once you’ve built a LinkedIn profile and have added your education, work experience, extracurriculars, and leadership experiences, you’ll be able to attract job recruiters. You can also use the LinkedIn job board to search for internships relevant to your interests and career goals!

Explore Local Opportunities

Are there any small, local Seattle businesses you love to support? Consider visiting the store location and asking the owner if they have any unadvertised internship opportunities. Chances are, they’re probably willing to give a loyal customer a chance to help their business succeed!

Discover National Opportunities

While local internship opportunities are always a great avenue to explore, national internship opportunities also offer incredible, well-respected experiences for high school students. You can often find national internships online. Search for your field of interest, such as STEM, journalism, and more, to find internships that align with your future major.

How Much Do Internships Impact Your College Chances?

Your extracurriculars will help you get into college to a certain extent, depending on the rarity and prestige of the activity. To make things easier to understand, we’ve divided extracurriculars into four tiers. Tier 1 encompasses the most impressive and unique extracurriculars, while tier 4 encompasses the most common extracurriculars seen by admissions committees.

Having one or two tier 1 or 2 extracurricular activities can help you stand out during the admissions process, especially if you’re applying to highly-selective schools. While internship rankings vary per program, highly selective and especially national programs will certainly fall into tiers 1 or 2.

Do you want to know how your internship will impact your admissions chances?

If so, use CollegeVine’s free chancing engine to calculate your admissions chances using your GPA, test scores, and extracurricular activities, such as internships. The chancing engine will even give you tips on improving your profile to increase your chances of admission!