Interns work in companies of all sizes. Some are brand names you may recognize, but many are not. The most important aspect of your internship is the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and learn more about an industry or profession. In our experience, smaller or lesser known companies often make the best internships, especially for high school students. We cannot guarantee placement at a specific company, however you can see our internship industries and internship guarantee pages for examples of some of the companies we have worked with in the past.
Interns are typically notified of their internship placement within 8 weeks of admittance into the program. However, there are some factors that may result in a different notification timetable, including time of year, your industry preferences, and others that are beyond our control. Your internship placement is customized to your specific interests, skills, and goals. We don't simply "slot" you into a postition at a company that is looking for an intern - that would be a disservice to you and our partner companies.
No. We guarantee placement in one of your top industry choices, but we cannot place you at a specific company. If accepted into Discovery Internships, you will receive a customized internship placement plan that will outline our placement objectives based on your specific skills, interests, and goals in conjunction with other factors such as the date your application was received and the requirements of our partner firms. Your final internship placement will reflect the specifications outlined in your placement plan and is non-negotiable. We've been making internship placements for high school students far longer than anybody else. Your final internship placement will be the best one available for you. We guarantee it.
No.
We offer internships in almost every professional industry. Unless you are interested in something totally obscure - like beekeeping - we probably can make a match for you. If you don't see an industry listed, request more information and tell us what you're interested in. The chances are good that we have an internship in your chosen industry even if it's not explicitly listed.
Certain industries are more competitive than others, for instance, sports management, finance, or journalism, and may require early application, previous work experience, or both. We guarantee placement in one of your top three industry choices, but apply early for the best opportunities.
We try our best to match every one of our students with an internship in their first choice industry. While we can guarantee you a placement in one your selected industries, we typically cannot guarantee placement in your first choice industry. We have more flexibility with early applicants, so if you have a very specific career interest, we encourage you to apply as early as possible. Please note that we do not guarantee placement with a specific company or companies. If accepted into Discovery Internships, you will receive a customized internship placement plan that will outline our placement objectives. We will match you with the most appropriate firm for your specific skills, interests, and goals in conjunction with other factors such as the date your application was received and the requirements of our partner firms. Your final internship placement will reflect the specifications outlined in your placement plan and is non-negotiable. We've been making internship placements for high school students far longer than anybody else. Your final internship placement will be the best one available for you. We guarantee it.
You are not alone. Discovery Internships is a great opportunity to gain perspective on the range of professional opportunities you will have available later in life. You will have a personal Internship Coordinator (IC) that will help you determine the best internship opportunities for your interests, skills, and goals. We will work with you during the application process to understand what kind of internship might be a good fit for you. Think of Discovery Internships as a way to test-drive a career before you buy. In the end, you may learn that the industry you explored is not the right one for you, and that information is every bit as valuable as an internship that confirms your career interests.
Discovery Internships conducts an admissions interview with every applicant. Most of our internship providers don't require interviews for high school students. However, some employers occasionally request a phone interview before confirming an intern.
This can vary from industry to industry, but in general we try to place you in an internship with regular 9 to 5 business hours, with some variation. It is rare for interns to work more than 40 hours per week and under no circumstances will we place you at an internship where you are required to work more than 40 hours per week. However, some of our interns enjoy their internships so much that they stay at the office after the work day has concluded or work a few extra hours on a project from the residence hall. Some of our internships are only 30 hours per week. This is the minimum number of hours that we can guarantee you will have as an intern. Some interns have Fridays off or a half day on Fridays.
In each city, our housing is centrally located to minimize the amount of time interns must spend traveling to their internship. All interns are given a monthly public transit pass. We spend time during orientation learning the city and the public transportation system so that every intern feels comfortable getting to and from their internship and moving around the city in general. (NOTE: In Los Angeles, interns are driven to their internships by van.)
The dress code varies by industry and company. We will let you know the dress code for your company when we notify you of your internship placement.
No. In the unlikely event that you are not happy at your internship, we will work with you and your internship supervisor to understand what can be done differently to make the experience a more positive one for you. In our experience, an internship can be incredibly valuable even if, once at your internship, you discover that a particular career path is NOT for you. Learning basic skills like professionalism, workplace etiquette, and how to interact with colleagues will help prepare you for the future, no matter what career path you choose.