Why do internships in high school?
Before we jump into a long list of finance internships for high school students in Chicago, it is important to understand why these opportunities could matter for your future. According to PRISM, a consultancy, 70% of students attending a US News top 50 University have completed at least one internship while in high school. These opportunities serve as a way to distinguish yourself in the admissions process by showing that you have gone out and verified your future goals through experience. Doing internships will help you enter college with a clearer idea of the professional environments you enjoy or don’t enjoy, which will make it easier for you to recruit into a job you love after graduation. Students who have done at least one internship in high school also typically have an easier time recruiting into college internships and pre-professional organizations such as finance or pre-law clubs.
How to Find Finance Internships for High School Students in Chicago
The best way to find finance internships for high school students in Chicago is through online search tools and lists. The StandOutSearch database provides the largest free resource that lists almost every internship program for the high school age group and allows you to search by interest area. MIT Admissions also provides a helpful list of High School Internships.
However, official programs tend to be very competitive, so if you are serious about finding a summer internship in high school, you should also prepare a cold outreach strategy. You can read more about how to form a cold outreach strategy to find a high school internship at the end of this article. We also include email templates to make finding an internship or research position through cold outreach less daunting.
7 Finance Internships for High School Students in Chicago
Most of the finance internships for high school students in Chicago below have an acceptance rate of 20% or lower, given that there are many more high school students looking for internships relative to official programs that provide them. We recommend choosing at least five opportunities to apply to. If you see an opportunity that excites you, take a moment to write the deadline on your calendar!
Ages: 15-19
Location: Virtual
Timeline: Summer, Spring, Fall, or Winter
Deadline: Various Deadlines
StandOut Connect is a program created thanks to investment from UChicago’s Polsky Center for Innovation that matches high school students with internships in their interest area. Students interview with potential mentors who are leaders and innovators within their area of interest until they are hired for a two-month internship. Many students then receive optional return offers to continue with their internship for as long as they would like.
Ages: 15-17
Location: Chicago, IL
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: Contact for deadline
CSBI provides a six-week paid internship program to Chicago high school students each summer. These internships take place at various banks, law firms, accounting and engineering firms throughout the Loop and business districts. In conjunction with a 24-hour workweek, students attend half-day classroom seminars and workshops each week where they learn about the financial markets, attend seminars given by successful business executives, and participate in team-building programs.
Ages: 17-18
Location: Chicago, IL
Timeline: All year
Deadline: Various deadlines
The Genesys Works Student Internship program is designed to offer students access to business technology training and a year-long paid internship with a major corporation during their senior year of high school. Students develop professional skills during an eight-week summer skills training program focused on areas like conflict resolution, communication, and business etiquette. After the successful completion of training, students are placed in a 20-hour per week paid internship as a contributing member of a professional team. The program offers additional classroom instruction, individual college and/or career counseling, and ongoing support through the Alumni Program to ensure students achieve college and career success. Participating students earn $10,000-$15,000 and build an impressive resume while driving meaningful change in major corporations.
Ages: 14-18
Location: Chicago, IL
Timeline: All year
Deadline: Contact for deadline
The Internship and Externship Program at CAIR-Chicago offers students a great opportunity to learn, interact, and grow in a friendly and diverse environment. Our program is career-oriented and based in grassroots activism.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Chicago, IL
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: Contact for deadline
As the signature program for ROTARY/One, JOB1 prepares City of Chicago High School 11th grade and graduating seniors, who are sixteen and over, for the workplace by providing job readiness training, as well as, substantive paid summer internship opportunities with local businesses and not for profits in the Chicago area.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Chicago IL
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: Contact for deadline
As a Student Leader, you will participate in an eight-week paid internship at a local nonprofit organization where you will learn first-hand about the needs of your community and the critical role nonprofits play. In addition, you will learn valuable civic, social and business leadership skills. Each Student Leader will attend the Student Leaders Summit held in Washington, D.C. where you will learn how government, business and the nonprofit sector work together to address critical community needs.
Ages: 15-18
Location: Chicago, IL
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: Not announced yet
With a focus on enrolling traditionally underrepresented students, the Future Leaders in Business program provides continued support to students as they navigate the college prep and selection process. During the program, students will learn about teamwork, leadership, and careers and majors in accounting, finance, entrepreneurship, human resource management, management, marketing and information and decision sciences.
Cold Outreach Strategy for High School Internships
If the opportunities listed above don’t turn out to be a fit, the next step to finding finance internships for high school students in Chicago is to launch a cold outreach strategy. This may seem intimidating at first, but the guide below should make it much more simple. As an added note, please exercise caution when reaching out to professionals you don’t know. It is always safest to interview or meet virtually.
How to Find Companies to Reach Out to for a High School Internship
Use LinkedIn to find small companies where you can help with skills such as social media, coding, content/grant writing, or graphic design. Smaller companies that need more hands on deck will be the most likely to hire high-school-aged students. Try to find personal connections with the professionals you reach out to, such as being from the same state originally or liking the same sports team.
How to Find Professors to Reach Out to for a High School Research Position
You can use online university staff directories to find professors to reach out to for research positions. Note that if you are looking for a remote research position with a professor, you should be aware that these opportunities tend to be harder to come by. Professors typically have high school students help with more manual laboratory tasks such as washing beakers or running equipment and usually do not have very much use for interns at a high school education level within a remote setting. The exception is if you are doing computational research, which generally requires introductory knowledge of Python or R to parse large datasets. You should be able to learn Python or R on your own for free within a few months using resources such as Coursera’s R Programming Course or Python for Everybody.
How to Structure and Send Outreach Emails
For a successful cold-outreach strategy, aim to send at least 50 emails to potential internship providers. Be sure to include a link to your resume, which should be no more than one page while you are in high school. UChicago provides a helpful free resume template and guide. We recommend including your resume as a Google Drive link because including it as a PDF will sometimes negatively impact the deliverability of your email. However, be sure to check that the sharing settings on the document allow anyone with the link to view its contents. It can also be a good idea to include work samples in your resume, such as the link to a website you designed, a social media account you manage, or your GitHub profile.
Email Template for Finding a High School Internship
If you are unsure how to structure your outreach emails to potential internship providers, here are some basic templates you can customize to your needs.
Template for Finding an Internship
Subject: Student Reaching Out
Dear Mr./Ms.____,
I hope you are having a great day! My name is [your name], and I am a rising [grade] at [your school]. I read about your company on LinkedIn and found the concept quite interesting. For context, [briefly state how the company relates to your interests or experience].
I was wondering if you might be looking for interns. I know I would have a great deal to learn from working with you, and I would love to contribute in any way I can. I have included my resume here. Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Template for Finding a Research Position
Subject: Student Reaching Out
Dear Professor/Dr. ____,
I hope you are having a great day! My name is [your name], and I am a rising [grade] at [your school]. I recently read your paper on [restate the abstract] in [name of publication] and was quite intrigued by [part you found interesting]. I was wondering if I might be able to intern for you over this summer. [Elaborate on your relevant skills and experience and why you are passionate about the field].
I have included my resume here. Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Conclusion
Whether you are applying to established programs or launching a cold outreach strategy, the name of the game when looking for finance internships for high school students in Chicago is perseverance. These opportunities can be extremely difficult to secure, but most high school students find it worth it in the end to get a head start on building their careers. If you found this article helpful, don’t forget to save it for later or share it with a friend. Good luck on your internship search journey!
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