Your teenager mentions they want to do an internship this summer. Your first thought might be: will they just be fetching coffee and filing papers? Or worse - is it one of those resume-padding experiences where they shadow someone for a week and walk away with nothing but a line on their college application?
Those concerns are fair. A lot of so-called internship programs for high schoolers are exactly that. But the good ones are neither coffee runs nor resume filler. The good ones change how your teen thinks about work, learning, and what they are capable of.
Here is what you need to know.
Why Internships Matter Now More Than Ever
The landscape has shifted. College admissions offices no longer just want to see a list of extracurriculars. They want evidence of initiative, impact, and real engagement with the world outside the classroom. A student who spent six weeks contributing to a real company project tells a more compelling story than one who listed fifteen clubs.
The job market is shifting too. Employers are increasingly hiring for skills over credentials. Practical experience and demonstrable abilities outweigh where someone went to school. The earlier your teen starts building those skills, the further ahead they will be.
But this is not just about getting into college or getting a job. An internship is often the first time a teenager works alongside adults on something that actually matters. Being trusted with real responsibility reshapes how they see themselves.
What a Quality Internship Program Looks Like
Not all internship programs are created equal. Here is how to tell the difference between one that will genuinely develop your teen and one that is mostly marketing.
Real projects vs. make-work. In a quality program, your teen works on projects the company actually needs done - marketing research that informs real strategy, tools the team will use, findings presented to actual decision-makers. If the program cannot tell you specifically what kind of work students do, that is a red flag.
Mentorship vs. supervision. There is a difference between someone making sure your teen shows up and someone actively teaching them. A strong program pairs students with mentors who provide feedback, explain context, and help them grow. Supervision keeps teens safe. Mentorship makes them better.
Deliverables vs. attendance. Ask what students produce by the end. A quality program can point to concrete deliverables - a completed project, a presentation, a portfolio piece. If the main requirement is just showing up for a certain number of hours, the bar is too low.
Structure with room to grow. The best programs have a clear framework - onboarding, milestones, check-ins - but also give students enough autonomy to figure things out. If every minute is scripted, your teen will not learn to take initiative. If nothing is structured, they will flounder.
What Teens Actually Learn
Parents often assume internships are about learning industry-specific skills. And yes, your teen might learn about marketing analytics or software development or business operations. But the most valuable learning is broader than that.
Professional communication. Your teen will learn how to write emails that get responses, how to ask good questions in meetings, and how to present ideas clearly to people who do not know them. These skills transfer to college interviews, group projects, and eventually every job they will ever have.
Project management. Working on a real project with deadlines teaches teens to break big tasks into smaller ones, prioritize, and manage their time without someone hovering over them. This is dramatically different from the homework cycle they are used to.
Teamwork with people who are not their friends. School group projects usually happen with classmates they already know. An internship puts them on a team with other students and working professionals they have never met. Learning to collaborate across different working styles and personalities is a skill most adults still struggle with.
Presenting to stakeholders. When a teen has to present their work to company leadership - not a teacher, not their parents, but executives who care about the outcome - the stakes feel real. That builds confidence no classroom exercise can replicate. At Nova School's LEAD Internship, Javier interned at SDVerse and presented his team's work to the CEO and over 50 professionals. That is not a simulation.
Handling feedback. In school, feedback comes in the form of grades. In the workplace, feedback is direct, specific, and sometimes uncomfortable. Learning to receive constructive criticism without taking it personally - and then actually improving based on it - is one of the most important skills anyone can develop.
Common Concerns Parents Have
Let us address the questions that are probably already on your mind.
"Is my teen ready? They are only 15/16/17."
Readiness is less about age and more about willingness. If your teen is curious, can follow instructions, and is open to learning, they are ready. The whole point of an internship is to grow into it. No one expects a high schooler to show up fully polished. What matters is that they show up willing to try.
That said, the right program matters enormously. A well-structured program designed for high schoolers will meet your teen where they are - with onboarding, clear expectations, and support systems that a typical adult internship would not provide. Your teen should not be thrown into a company and left to figure it out alone.
"Will they be properly supervised?"
This is non-negotiable, and you should ask about it directly. A quality program will have dedicated staff or mentors who are specifically responsible for the student interns. Ask about the mentor-to-student ratio. Ask who your teen contacts if they have a problem. Ask what the daily or weekly check-in structure looks like. If the program is vague about any of this, keep looking.
"Is it safe?"
Ask about the physical environment and safety protocols for in-person programs. For virtual programs, ask how they verify partner companies. A reputable program will be transparent about its safety measures and happy to answer your questions.
"What if they do not like it?"
This is actually one of the best possible outcomes - seriously. If your teen discovers that marketing is not for them, or that they do not enjoy working at a desk all day, that is incredibly valuable information. They just saved themselves from choosing the wrong college major or career path. The goal of an internship is not to confirm what your teen already knows. It is to expose them to reality so they can make better decisions.
"Is it worth the investment?"
Evaluate it like any other investment in your teen's future. What is the alternative? Another unstructured summer? An unpaid internship with no mentorship? A camp that is fun but forgettable? The right program gives your teen skills, confidence, professional connections, and tangible work they can point to for years. Compare that to the cost of a single college course or SAT prep package.
How Internship Experience Strengthens College Applications
Admissions officers read thousands of applications that look the same: good grades, test scores, a list of clubs. What stands out is a student who can write about a specific experience where they contributed to something real, faced a challenge, and grew from it.
An internship gives your teen that story. Not a hypothetical one - a real one, with specific details, real stakes, and measurable outcomes. When Nathan interned at GetHelpDesk AI through Nova School's LEAD program, he worked on a specific project, collaborated with a team, and delivered results the company used. That is what makes a college essay vivid and an interview memorable.
For a deeper look at how this plays out in the admissions process, read our guide on how internship experience strengthens college applications.
What a Well-Structured Program Looks Like in Practice
To make this concrete, here is how Nova School's LEAD Internship is designed - as an example of what to look for in any quality program.
Students are placed in teams of three to four at real startups and companies - not simulated environments. Over six weeks, students go through onboarding, work alongside company mentors, hit project milestones, and present their final deliverables to company leadership.
Jack did AI research that informed a real company's strategy. Riya worked on a project at Lundquist with tangible outcomes. Javier's team at SDVerse presented directly to the CEO and more than 50 professionals. These are not cherry-picked success stories. This is what the program is designed to produce.
The structure matters too. Students receive mentorship from both company supervisors and Nova School staff. There are regular check-ins, feedback loops, and skill-building sessions that run alongside the work experience. It is a full summer program, not just a placement.
If you are evaluating any internship program, use this as a benchmark. Ask: What companies do students work with? What do the projects look like? What support exists? What do students deliver at the end?
The Bottom Line
A high school internship is not a luxury. For many students, it is the experience that bridges classroom learning and real-world capability - where they discover what excites them, what they are good at, and how to operate professionally.
But quality matters more than the fact of doing one. A poorly designed internship teaches your teen that work is boring and their contributions do not matter. The right program does the opposite: it shows them they can contribute meaningfully, that adults take them seriously, and that the skills they are building right now actually matter.
If your teen is ready to take that step, explore the LEAD Internship program or apply directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age should my teen be to start an internship?
Most structured programs accept students ages 15 through 18, though the sweet spot is 16 and 17 - old enough to engage meaningfully with professional work, but early enough that the experience shapes college applications and career thinking. Nova School's LEAD Internship is designed for high school students in this range. If your teen is younger but motivated, the AI Entrepreneurship Program is a great starting point - it teaches entrepreneurial thinking and AI skills with strong mentorship and structure.
How do internships differ from volunteering or job shadowing?
Volunteering is valuable but rarely involves structured professional development. Job shadowing is observation - your teen watches someone else work. An internship means your teen is actively contributing to real projects and receiving feedback on their performance. The learning curve is steeper, and so is the growth. In Nova School's LEAD program, students are embedded in company teams and responsible for deliverables, not sitting in the corner taking notes.
What should my teen do to prepare for an internship?
Three things. First, make sure they understand basic professional norms: responding to emails promptly, showing up on time, and asking questions when they do not understand something. Second, have them think about what genuinely interests them - not what they think looks good. Third, remind them that the goal is to learn, not to be perfect. The teens who get the most out of internships approach the experience with humility and curiosity, not trying to impress everyone from day one.
Can an internship help if my teen does not know what they want to study in college?
Absolutely - this might be the single best reason to do one. An internship exposes your teen to real work in a real industry. They will quickly discover whether the work energizes or drains them. That direct experience is worth more than any career aptitude quiz or college brochure. Even a negative discovery ("I definitely do not want to do this") saves time and frustration down the road. Many students enter Nova School's summer programs unsure of their direction and leave with a much clearer sense of what they want to pursue.