Writing Internships: A Launchpad for High School Students

Internships, often associated with college students, are increasingly accessible and beneficial for high school students. These opportunities provide invaluable work experience, allowing students to explore career interests and fields of study early on. High school may feel a bit early to start looking into internships, but it’s never too soon!

Why Pursue a Writing Internship in High School?

For high schoolers considering careers that require strong writing skills, such as academia, research, journalism, law, marketing, content creation, or scientific research, a writing internship can be particularly advantageous. A writing internship, or even a writing program or practical course, will make a positive impression on college admissions committees while also sprucing up your resume. You will also end up with a strong and well-grounded portfolio that you can use to demonstrate your experience. Moreover, the practice of daily writing, editing, and gaining feedback will help you improve your writing skills and figure out areas of interest.

Finding the Right Internship

Finding writing internships isn’t always easy, especially because of how self-driven the nature of writing is. They can also be overwhelming to look for because of how many different kinds of writing exist! But doing writing internships can show college admissions officers your passion and dedication, and it also helps in skill-building.

Here are some tips to find internships. Consider reaching out directly to newspapers, NGOs or organizations that piqued your interest, even if they haven’t explicitly offered internships. Express your interest and inquire about any available opportunities to write for them. Build a portfolio of your best writing samples. Include a variety of pieces such as articles, essays, blog posts, or short stories. Make sure your portfolio demonstrates your writing abilities and range. Be proactive and consistent in your search. Follow up with organizations after submitting your application and express your continued interest in writing for them.

Featured Writing Internship Programs

Here are some writing internships for high school students you can consider. Some of these are unpaid internships, while some provide a stipend. Some of these opportunities may also require you to pay a fee because there is a teaching/mentoring component or a learning program.

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Ladder Internships
- Location: Virtual
- Eligibility: High school students, undergraduates, and gap year students able to contribute 5-15 work hours per week for 8-16 weeks.
- Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year.
- Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring.
- Cost: Starting $2,490
- Financial Aid: Full and partial need-based financial aid is available.
- Description: The media and journalism track is what students interested in writing can opt for. Students can also consider the longer research internship which will include sessions with a writing coach and publication specialist. The program also includes professional skill development sessions and 1-on-1 skill training!
L.A. Times High School Insider Summer Internship
- Location: Hybrid (online + L.A. Times office, El Segundo, CA). Students will need to commute to the office.
- Eligibility: High school student graduating in the next three years
- Application Deadline: February 19
- Dates: June 17 - August 2 (24 hours a week for 7 weeks)
- Stipend: $16.90 per hour
- Description: Interns will attend training and workshops, work with mentors from experienced journalists, contact sources, schedule interviews, draft features, and work on edits and revisions. A strong and tight cohort of interns (8-10 in number) will collaborate and network to produce stories that are particularly relevant to the youth.
Project Write Now Teen Internship Program
- Location: Virtual
- Eligibility: High school students aged 15-18
- Application Deadline: Applications will open in March. The deadline has not been announced yet.
- Dates: June-August (3 months)
- Stipend: This is an unpaid internship but students will receive community hours.
- Description: The program provides virtual training for 2-3 days, following which students will embark on one of the following writing internships: Editorial Assistant, The Interview Project, Teaching Assistant.
Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP)
- Eligibility: Students from a low-income background who have an unweighted 3.5/4.0 GPA can apply.
- Application Deadline: February 15
- Dates: July - August (around 5 weeks)
- Cost: Free. All housing, food, transportation, and equipment costs will be covered for the on-site portion of the program.
- Description: Students will take part in a summer intensive that includes virtual and on-campus workshops and lectures led by program graduates and journalists from publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, The Daily Beast, Politico, and CNN, among others. The program will conclude with its 10-day residential program, at the end of which students will publish the Princeton Summer Journal.
City Limits CLARIFY Internship

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- Location: CUNY Brooklyn or CUNY York college campus, NY / Virtual
- Eligibility: Junior, senior, and graduating high school students studying and living in NYC
- Application Deadline: Applications for spring are open, followed by the summer applications. Keep checking the Apply page to stay updated.
- Dates: To be announced. Last year, summer program was held for 10 days in July.
- Stipend: $500
- Description: Selected interns will receive training in research, interviewing, investigative techniques, media ethics, photojournalism, reporting and writing, and story structure. They will work with City Limit’s journalists to produce locally relevant news stories that will then get published online.
Pasquines Writing and Editing Internship
- Location: Virtual
- Eligibility: High school students with some writing and editing experience
- Application Deadline: January 31.
- Description: Interns will receive assignments in areas like federal affairs, local affairs, economic affairs, science and environmental affairs, court affairs, and opinion.
Building-U Internship
- Location: Virtual
- Eligibility: High school students (grades 9-12) from all over the world
- Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
- Dates: 3 months at any time of the year
- Stipend: This is an unpaid internship.
- Description: Selected interns will focus on writing articles for the Down to U blog and speaking with experts on topics like land-based education and its importance for both indigenous and non-indigenous communities (for the Down to U Discussions podcast). Interns will work on real-world team projects and build writing, reporting, teamwork, and communication skills.
Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshops
- Location: Virtual / Kenyon College, Gambier, OH
- Eligibility: Rising junior and senior high school students aged 16-18 from all over the world
- Application Deadline: March 1 (residential) | April 15 (online)
- Dates: Summer residential workshops (2 weeks): June 23 - July 6 or July 14 - July 27 | Summer online workshops (1 week): June 16 - June 21
- Cost: $2,575 (residential) | $995 (virtual)
- Financial Aid: Need-based financial aid is available.
- Description: Each workshop includes groups of 12-14 students who meet for 3.5-5 hours a day and explore ideas and genres, produce fresh work and discuss the same with their peers and teachers. Genres can include poetry, fiction, and essays.
Summer Journalism Workshop at Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA)
- Location: Virtual / Columbia University campus, New York, NY
- Eligibility: Rising sophomore, junior, and senior high school students
- Application Deadline: Applications open in January; deadline to be announced
- Dates: June 23 - June 28 (on-site) | July 8 - July 12 (virtual) | July 15 - July 19 (virtual) | July 22 - July 26 (virtual)
- Cost: To be decided. Previous workshops ranged from $900 to $1,600 for virtual and on-site programs.
- Financial Aid: Need-based scholarships are available.
- Description: The Summer Journalism Workshop at CSPA is a writing program focused specifically on journalism, with sessions focusing on reporting and writing, editorial leadership, design concepts, digital media, and photojournalism.
California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) Writing Program

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- Location: California Institute of the Arts, Sacramento, California
- Eligibility: High school students entering grades 9-12 and graduating seniors
- Application Deadline: February 29
- Dates: July 6 - August 2
- Cost: $4,600 (CA state residents) | $7,000 (out-of-state and international students)
- Financial Aid: Full and partial need-based financial aid is available to CA state students.
- Description: The CSSSA Writing Program offers workshops to 70 aspiring young writers. Four professional writers conduct these workshops in genres like fiction, poetry, dramatic writing, and non-fiction.
NYC Summer Academy at The School of the New York Times
- Location: The School of The New York Times, New York, NY
- Eligibility: Rising high school students (grades 10-12) and graduating seniors
- Application Deadline: January 8 (early deadline) | February 26 (priority + final financial aid deadline) | April 1 (regular deadline)
- Dates: June - July (multiple 2-week terms available)
- Cost: $5,935 (day students) | $7,220 (residential students)
- Financial Aid: Merit and need-based aid and scholarships are available.
- Description: The School of The New York Times runs an annual NYC Summer Academy featuring a wide range of courses taught by editors, reporters, and industry experts as well as field trips, site visits, and evening and weekend activities.
Iowa Young Writers' Studio Summer Residential Program
- Location: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA / Virtual
- Eligibility: High school students in grades 10-12
- Application Deadline: February 4
- Dates: June 16 - June 29 (session 1) | July 14 - July 27 (session 2). Students can opt for either.
- Cost: $2,500 (residential) | $575 (virtual)
- Financial Aid: Full and partial need-based financial aid is available.
- Description: Students will spend two weeks writing in a core course of their choice, such as fiction writing, poetry writing, TV writing, playwriting, and creative writing.
Girl Rising’s Future Rising Fellowship
- Location: Virtual with an initial in-person bootcamp (location to be announced)
- Eligibility: High school students (regardless of gender) who are at least 17 years old. Note that individuals up to age 25 will be present in the cohort.
- Application Deadline: The deadline for has not been announced. Last year, the deadline was June 29, so students should expect a similar deadline.
- Dates: August - August (one year)
- Stipend: $5,000
- Description: During the fellowship, fellows will attend workshops and work towards crafting an engaging media project. The topics for 2024 have not yet been announced, but fellows in 2023 worked on topics like local solutions and girls and women in conservation. Fellows are free to work with any medium of their choice, such as graphic novels, essays, short films, and long-form articles.

Other Internship Opportunities

The Library of Congress: Offers a high school summer internship program, providing students with a unique opportunity to engage with the world’s largest library.
The Crimson‘s Summer Journalism Academy (SJA): A rigorous program designed for high school students interested in journalism. Organized by Harvard University’s student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, the SJA offers participants the opportunity to develop reporting, writing, and editing skills through intensive workshops and mentorship from experienced journalists and Crimson editors.
Los Angeles Times: High School Insider Program: Participants in the program develop their writing and research skills by crafting and publishing articles for the HSI platform. In addition to access to free conferences and access to LA Times staff writers, participants in the program can apply for paid summer internships.
AAJA’s JCamp: A national journalism training program for high school students from diverse backgrounds interested in media careers.
Energy Mag: Offers internship opportunities aimed at high school students interested in gaining experience in journalism and publishing.
Camp Cronkite: A summer program hosted by Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication designed for high school students interested in journalism and media.
Reynolds Young Writers’ Workshop at Denison University: A residential summer program for high school students passionate about writing.
Virtual Internships Foundations: A program specifically designed to give 14-18 years old the opportunity for career exploration and professional development remotely.
Forage: Connects students with virtual work experience programs, allowing them to learn about and grow their skills at major businesses.
The Smithsonian Office of Internships: Provides high school students the opportunity to gain experience in the world’s largest museum, education, and research institution.
FPRI: Offers the opportunity to engage deeply with the foreign relations community through work with policy experts and renowned think tanks.
Seaside Sustainability: Allows student interns from all over the world to join the fight for climate action.
United Planet: Students over the age of 16 can intern in the fields of global health, environmental sustainability, and children and education.
NASA: Offers high school internship programs to students year-round.
Department of State’s Pathways Internship Program: Provides students with paid opportunities to explore various Federal career paths.

Building a Strong Application

Most internships require a detailed résumé, a cover letter, writing samples, and sometimes a letter of recommendation. When applying, remember that companies will consider the strength of your writing. Start early and revise and edit your applications carefully.

Crafting an Engaging Cover Letter

Research the company and the internship. Be concise (two to three paragraphs) and relate yourself and your goals to the company and the role.

Résumé Tips

Keep it simple, use bullet points, and highlight individual projects. Present yourself clearly and professionally, and don’t add fluff.

Building-U Internship

Building-U is a non-profit providing high school students with free access to a wide range of resources to help them build their careers. The organization is fundamentally focused on building a database of free and helpful resources for students in the form of opportunities, internships, scholarships, contests, and education programs for students ….. with a bit of a twist: the organization itself is structured around a set of high school teams (with slightly older team leads in some cases), each in an area that specifically responds to a need at building-U, and each set up to produce specific things that reach, resonate with, and inform high school students.

Building-U is always looking for high school students to join their crew in a variety of roles. They believe that in a world where everything about the lives of students is changing rapidly, you should have a chance to be involved in strategizing and decision-making in an organization that is dedicated to creating useful resources for your future.

One such opportunity is the Building-U writing internship with the Blog Squad. Selected interns will focus on writing articles for the Down to U blog and speaking with experts on topics like land-based education and its importance for both indigenous and non-indigenous communities (for the Down to U Discussions podcast). Interns will work on real-world team projects and build writing, reporting, teamwork, and communication skills.

Gaining the Most from Your Internship

To maximize your internship, decide what you want to get out of it. What are your goals? Is there a particular skill set you want to acquire? Is there an editor you want to meet? A career path you want to explore? Make a list of everything you want to have accomplished by the end of your experience.

Networking and Mentorship

Building your professional network is one of the most valuable benefits of completing an internship. Take advantage of it by building strong relationships with mentors who can continue to guide you as you develop your career.

Transforming Internships into Job Offers

Keep in touch with the connections you make during the experience. When it comes time to apply for jobs, a great internal recommendation from your internship supervisor will set you apart.

Additional Tips

Talk to people: Discuss your interests with those closest to you.
Look locally: Local organizations and businesses may have opportunities.
Check online resources: Explore professional online resources for internships.
Consider remote opportunities: Adapt to remote opportunities, which have become more prevalent.
Don't give up: Be resourceful and persistent in your search.
Ask for help: Seek guidance from teachers, counselors, and family members.
Getting an internship doesn’t always have to mean working at a big company: Another benefit of working for local businesses is the ability to really make an impact. A lot of times, there aren’t even listings for internships at small businesses online.

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