Updated October 2026
TL;DR
Business internships for high school students in Georgia offer opportunities to explore how organizations understand customers, develop services, and manage their work. Depending on the placement, students may contribute to marketing or research projects, apply career-pathway coursework, or explore business and finance with a professional mentor. Ladder Internships offers fully remote startup internships where students contribute to real company projects with coaching.
How does a business know what its customers actually want? The Small Business Administration explains how market research helps businesses understand customers and improve their ideas. Practical experience lets you connect those questions to the decisions people make at work. An internship can help you explore whether the research, communication, or organizational side of business interests you.
We selected options offering business-related work or career exploration for high school students in Georgia through local placements or remote participation.
For a wider search, explore these business internships for high school students. If you’d also like to explore learning opportunities beyond internships, take a look at these high school business programs.
Why should you do a business internship?
A business internship can help you test your interest in how organizations reach customers, plan their work, and make decisions. Applying classroom ideas in a workplace can make your career interests more concrete. Explore Ladder Internships for remote startup projects supported by a coach.
What skills can you pick up in business internships?
Business internships can build your ability to research a market, organize information, and clearly communicate a recommendation. Interpreting customer needs helps you connect evidence to business decisions. Depending on your role, you may also practice planning tasks and responding to feedback, skills that help teams turn ideas into useful work.
How do you choose the right option?
Consider several factors before applying, including your grade level, location, academic background, schedule, and budget. Also check requirements related to citizenship, residency, coursework, or GPA, as these can vary significantly!
|
Program type |
Top programs |
Cost / Stipend |
Best For |
|
Virtual Programs |
Ladder Internships (fully remote), Fulton County Schools Gifted Internship Program (in person, hybrid, or remote) |
Cost |
Students interested in remote startup work or business and finance career exploration through a gifted-school placement |
|
School and University Placements |
Fulton County Schools (Career, Technical & Agricultural Education) – Work-Based Learning, Young Dawgs Program (UGA), Internship Forsyth (Work-Based Learning) |
Cost |
Students who want to connect business coursework or career interests with sustained experience at a local employer, university, or community site |
|
Government and Public Transportation |
Gwinnett County Government Internship Program, MARTA Internship Program |
Cost |
Students interested in how business functions support local government, public services, and transportation |
|
Company and Local Employer Summer Placements |
Microsoft Discovery Program, Cherokee Summer Internship Program |
Cost |
Students seeking paid summer experience with interests in technology products, marketing, communications, or employer operations |
1. Microsoft Discovery Program
Location: Atlanta, Georgia; Redmond, Washington
Stipend: Paid, amount not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 1–2%; 100–150 students
Dates: July 6–31
Application Deadline: Rolling review
Eligibility: Graduating seniors/rising college first-year students; Atlanta applicants attend Atlanta Public Schools, DeKalb, Fulton, Cobb, or Gwinnett schools; pre-calculus or equivalent completed by program start
You work in a small team on a product-group project, identifying customer needs while gaining exposure to product management, UX design, and software engineering. The four-week paid internship combines hands-on project work with mentorship from Microsoft employees and professional-skills development.
Who is it best for: Students who want to explore how customer needs, product management, design, and technology come together inside a major technology company.
2. Ladder Internships
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies according to program; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 10%; ~70 students
Dates: Multiple cohorts: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Application Deadline: Rolling by cohort
Eligibility: High schoolers, gap year students, undergrads; 5–10 hrs/week for 8 weeks
Ladder Internships pairs you with a real startup in fields like AI, marketing, consulting, journalism, and more. You'll work on live projects that directly contribute to the company, from growth strategies to research or content development. Each internship includes a Ladder Coach who guides you throughout the process. You’ll also get to present your work to startup leadership at the end of your internship. The program is fully remote and flexible, making it ideal if you want to build career-ready experience alongside school. Apply now!
Who is it best for: Students who want remote startup experience and can apply business skills such as growth strategy, research, or content development to live company projects.
3. Fulton County Schools (Career, Technical & Agricultural Education) – Work-Based Learning
Location: Fulton County, Georgia
Stipend: Paid or unpaid placements
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not stated
Dates: School year; schedules and work hours vary by school and placement
Application Deadline: School-specific application through WBL coordinator; deadlines vary by campus
Eligibility: Fulton County students ages 16+ in 11th or 12th grade who are actively pursuing a defined career pathway
You complete supervised work hours at an approved jobsite aligned with your career pathway, earning school credit while applying classroom learning in a professional setting. Depending on your school and placement, business pathways can include marketing, entrepreneurship, and financial services, with a WBL coordinator monitoring your progress with the employer.
Who is it best for: Students who want to connect business coursework with credit-bearing experience at a local employer while building practical workplace skills.
4. Fulton County Schools Gifted Internship Program
Location: Fulton County Schools program; placements may be in person, hybrid, or remote
Stipend: None; Georgia graduation credit awarded
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; nearly 500 students
Dates: Fall or spring; semester-long internships
Application Deadline: February 6
Eligibility: Rising juniors or seniors in the FCS Gifted Program; minimum unweighted GPA of 90; strong attendance and behavior; schedule space for internship course; reliable transportation
You spend 5–7 hours each week with a professional mentor in a semester-long placement matched to your career interests, earning graduation credit rather than pay. FCS specifically seeks Business/Finance internship sites alongside technology, communications, law/government, engineering, and medicine.
Who is it best for: Students who want a competitive, mentor-led business or finance placement for school credit and prefer semester-long career exploration.
5. Young Dawgs Program (UGA)
Location: Athens, Georgia
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not stated
Dates: Fall and Spring Academic School Year intakes; Summer Science cohort also offered
Application Deadline: Not specified; contact the Young Dawgs coordinator for the deadline for your intended semester
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors from public, private, or home schools; minimum 3.7 GPA (3.8 for the Fall Academic School Year); at least 110 internship hours
You are matched to a UGA or community placement tied to your interests and complete at least 110 internship hours. Past business placements have included UGA’s Terry College of Business and Entrepreneurship Program, where a Young Dawgs intern created graphics and digital content. This experience can help you build workplace communication skills and explore business-related career paths in a university setting.
Who is it best for: Students who want a substantial university-based internship and hope to explore business, entrepreneurship, marketing, or related career interests through a mentor placement.
6. Gwinnett County Government Internship Program
Location: Gwinnett County, Georgia
Stipend: $15/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not stated
Dates: Workshops May 9 and 16; internship: June 1–26
Application Deadline: March 16
Eligibility: Ages 15–21; Gwinnett County resident or student; reliable transportation; age 15 requires work permit
You work four 40-hour weeks in a county department and attend two paid career workshops covering financial literacy, resume preparation, interviewing, and business etiquette. Recent assignments have included branding and design, administrative support, Total Rewards, and roles in elections, business management, and Financial Services. This experience can help you understand how business functions operate in local government while building leadership and teamwork skills.
Who is it best for: Students who want paid exposure to public-sector operations and business functions through a full-time summer placement.
If you live outside Gwinnett County or don’t want to commute every day, consider Ladder Internships that pair you with startups to work on real projects in a fully virtual format.
7. Internship Forsyth (Work-Based Learning)
Location: Forsyth County, Georgia
Stipend: Paid or unpaid placements
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not stated
Dates: August–May; full-school-year commitment
Application Deadline: January 30
Eligibility: Age 16 by September 1; enrolled at a Forsyth high school; related pathway coursework; reliable transportation
You leave campus for a paid or unpaid local-business placement aligned with your career pathway, earning course credit while applying what you have learned in class. The application specifically includes Business Management and Administration, Finance, and Marketing among its eligible pathways.
Who is it best for: Students who want a school-year business placement that turns pathway coursework into supervised local work experience for credit.
8. MARTA Internship Program
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Stipend: Paid and for-credit opportunities available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not stated
Dates: Summer, semester-long, or annual placements; dates vary by opportunity
Application Deadline: Position-specific applications; no program-wide deadline
Eligibility: Age 16+; high-school certificate or authorization to work; placement-specific requirements may apply
You join a MARTA team on hands-on projects, with business-related internship areas including accounting, marketing, sales and business development, and community outreach. MARTA offers paid and for-credit internships on summer, semester-long, and annual timelines, with interns authorized for up to 30 hours per week.
Who is it best for: Students who want business experience inside a major public transportation organization and are interested in accounting, marketing, sales, or business development.
9. Cherokee Summer Internship Program
Location: Cherokee County, Georgia
Stipend: Paid, amount not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; ~23 students
Dates: Six-week summer program
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Cherokee County rising juniors or seniors; employer-specific role requirements may apply
You’ll be matched with a Cherokee County employer for a paid placement focused on career readiness, professional communication, teamwork, and real workplace responsibility. The program includes business-facing work in sports marketing, social media marketing, public relations, government administration, and human resources and records management. You can build practical workplace skills while exploring business careers with local employers.
Who is it best for: Students who want paid, in-person experience with local employers and are especially interested in marketing, communications, HR, administration, or related business functions.
Can a business internship help with your college applications?
A business internship can give you concrete experiences to reflect on when explaining your academic interests in college applications. Supporting a marketing project or exploring financial services can help you describe how classroom ideas connect to organizational decisions. Focus on your responsibilities, what you learned, and how your interests developed.
How do you apply for a business internship?
Start with each program’s official instructions for eligibility, deadlines, and required materials. Prepare examples that show your business interests, such as a class project, club budget, or campaign you helped organize. Leave time for any requested documents, interviews, or school approvals, since the process varies by program.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Do the business placements require related school coursework?
Academic prerequisites differ across the list: the two work-based learning options require a defined career pathway or related coursework. The technology company placement specifies pre-calculus or an equivalent course, showing that relevant preparation can include mathematics as well as business studies.
2. Could I explore business outside a private company?
Yes, the list includes business-related experience in county government and public transportation, alongside university or community placements. Depending on the placement, public-sector opportunities can include accounting, marketing, sales, or business development, giving you another setting to explore your business interests.
3. Will I earn money, receive school credit, or pay a program fee?
The list includes paid internships, unpaid placements for school credit, and a remote startup option with a program fee. Some school-based placements may be paid or unpaid, so the financial arrangement depends on the placement. For a remote startup option with financial aid available, explore Ladder Internships.
4. How much of the school year or summer would I need to commit?
Commitments range from four-week summer internships to semester-long or full-school-year placements. The county government option involves four 40-hour workweeks and two workshops, while the gifted school internship lists 5–7 hours per week, illustrating the different weekly schedules.