15 Small Business Internships for High School Students

Every successful business starts with someone willing to take initiative, solve problems, and turn ideas into action. As a high school student, you don't have to wait until college to develop those skills. A small business internship allows you to work alongside entrepreneurs and growing companies, where you'll see how real business decisions are made and contribute to meaningful projects from day one. You'll also expand your professional network by connecting with founders, mentors, and industry professionals. 

You can check out other business internships available for high-school students here!

Why should you do a small business internship in high school?

These internships do much more than strengthen your resume. They help you build practical skills in areas like marketing, finance, operations, customer relations, and project management while improving your employability and helping you discover which areas of business interest you most. To get hands-on experience, learn from experienced mentors, and understand how successful small businesses operate, an internship is one of the best places to start. 

We have compiled 15 best small business internships for high school students, focusing on opportunities that offer hands-on projects, strong mentorship, and valuable insight into entrepreneurship and business operations.

Key takeaways

• This list gathers 15 small business and entrepreneurship programs for high school students, spanning local chamber-of-commerce placements, city-run youth employment programs, and student-led venture incubators, with hosts spread across cities and counties nationwide.

• Most of these are paid, with hourly rates commonly ranging from $15 to $20, while a couple of the entrepreneurship-focused programs, including one global competition, are unpaid but don't charge fees either.

• A few of these are structured around building your own student venture from scratch rather than interning at an established small business, giving students interested in a more entrepreneurial, hands-on experience an alternative to a traditional placement.

• Nearly every entry here is tied to a specific city or county, since these are largely local workforce and economic development programs, while one global competition and Ladder are the only options open regardless of location.

• A few of the earliest deadlines fall in February for two of the municipal youth employment programs, so it's worth starting applications well before spring given how quickly local government programs can fill.

1. Emerging Entrepreneurs Academy; Career Ready Berks; Small Business Resource Association – Emerging Entrepreneurs Academy

Location: Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania
Stipend: $5,000 tuition per student; scholarships are available / No stipend
Dates: June 8 welcome picnic; program June 15 – July 31
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Students enrolled in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade at a Berks County high school, including public, private, charter, cyber, and home school; completion of a customized entrepreneur skill assessment before the program begins

In this program, you alternate three weeks of classroom workshops on the Penn State Berks campus with three weeks of hands-on internship work in local Berks County small businesses. You cover market analysis and competition, forming a legal business entity, financing and projections, risk management, advertising, digital media, brand building, sales, and hiring staff. Your internship placement is matched to the industry you are interested in, and you submit three papers answering questions you drafted in class and posed directly to the owner hosting you. You learn from practicing local entrepreneurs who teach sessions, sit on panels, and host the internships. You close the six weeks with a Dream Pitch Presentation Day and an Expo and Banquet.

2. Ladder Internships

Location: Remote
Stipend: Cost varies depending on the program type; full financial aid available / No stipend
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, winter, spring, and fall
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the cohort
Eligibility: High school students who can work for 10–20 hours per week for 8–12 weeks

Ladder Internships is a structured professional program designed to connect you with emerging startups and small businesses for hands-on project experience. It covers diverse industry topics like technology, finance, marketing, and artificial intelligence. During the program, you will collaborate directly with founders, attend regular supervisor meetings, complete defined project milestones, and produce a tangible real-world deliverable. A unique feature of the experience is direct mentorship from industry leaders with backgrounds at top firms and universities. Through this engagement, you will learn essential skills such as strategic problem-solving, project management, professional communication, and technical data analysis. Apply now!

3. Jones Valley Teaching Farm High School Internship

Location: Birmingham, AL
Stipend: Paid hourly, rate not disclosed
Dates: Academic year or summer
Application Deadline: Varies by cycle
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors in Birmingham City Schools

The Jones Valley Teaching Farm Internship introduces high school students to the business side of food systems and entrepreneurship through hands-on experience at a working urban farm. You'll grow and harvest produce, prepare it for sale, and help operate student-run farm stands, gaining firsthand experience in pricing, inventory management, marketing, customer service, and sales. Along the way, you'll participate in community events and educational programs that highlight the connection between small business operations and social impact, while developing practical skills in teamwork, communication, and business management.

4. Pelham Together – Summer Internship Program

Location: Pelham, New York
Stipend:$17 per hour pay
Dates: Leadership training: July 20–22; placements: July 20–August 14
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Pelham residents entering grades 10–12 in fall; mandatory training and weekly check-ins

In this internship, you are matched with a local professional, small business, nonprofit, civic group, school, or other community organization based on your interests and skills. You complete leadership and professionalism training, meet your mentor, carry out a mentor-designed project, and attend weekly check-ins with Pelham Together staff. Depending on the placement, your work may involve event planning, social media content, research and presentations, or qualitative and quantitative data organization. You receive a stipend for 30 hours of work while gaining direct exposure to how a local workplace or small business manages projects and serves its community. The experience develops communication, teamwork, reliability, project execution, and workplace confidence within a short, supportive local placement.

5. CEOs of Tomorrow – These Teens Mean Busine$$ Summer Internship

Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Stipend: Up to $1,800
Dates: June 17 – August 28
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: High school students who have completed a qualifying business course, club, or prior CEOs of Tomorrow program

In this internship, you will learn the mechanics of running a small business by working alongside a local Madison entrepreneur. You will dedicate up to 144 hours to applying business development and operational principles in a commercial setting. Before your placement, you will complete job readiness training to refine your professional communication and presentation skills. Throughout the summer, you will manage entrepreneurial workflows, assist with marketing, and analyze customer engagement to support the enterprise. By completing the hands-on work and mandatory weekly coursework, you can earn an employability badge, high school credits, and college credits. You will ultimately present your professional growth and business contributions at a formal celebration showcase.

6. Futures and Options – Internship Program 

Location: New York City, New York
Stipend: At least $17 per hour
Dates: September – June; summer program: six weeks in July and August
Application Deadline: Open until full
Eligibility: Enrolled as a junior or senior at a New York City high school; valid working card required for applicants under 18; legally eligible to work in the United States

In this internship, you take a paid, mentored placement at a New York City small business, nonprofit, government agency, or corporation. You interview with site supervisors, work five to 10 hours weekly during the school year or 20 to 30 hours across six summer weeks, and submit timesheets like any employee. Career readiness workshops build communication, interviewing, financial literacy, and resume writing skills, and career exploration field trips have visited employer partners such as BlackRock and Infor. A Futures and Options coordinator matches you individually to a site and meets with both you and your supervisor throughout the placement. Your application ranks career interests such as business, entrepreneurship, retail, and marketing, which guide that matching.

7. San Mateo County YEEE! partnership – Youth Empowerment, Entrepreneurship, and Employment! Summer 

Location: North and Mid San Mateo County, California
Stipend:$20–$23 per hour
Dates: June 8 – July 31
Application Deadline: Open until filled
Eligibility: Rising 9th graders through age 24 attending eligible North and Mid San Mateo County schools; historically marginalized background

In this internship, you complete three weeks of paid professional development followed by five weeks of paid work-based learning at an internship site or career academy. You can rank pathways including Arts, Media, Entertainment & Entrepreneurship, while placements are supported by a countywide partnership that includes small businesses. You earn a competitive stipend while completing practical training and workplace experience. You also join college and career tours, receive one-to-one coaching, pursue workforce-readiness certifications, and take on leadership opportunities. These experiences build job-readiness, communication, professional conduct, career planning, and workplace problem-solving skills while giving you structured exposure to entrepreneurship and local employers.

8. Boston Private Industry Council, City of Boston and local employers – Boston PIC Summer Internships Program

Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Stipend: $15–$18 per hour
Dates: July – August
Application Deadline: Open until filled
Eligibility: 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade at a Boston Public School; 16 years old by July 1; authorized to work in the United States

In this internship, you will gain hands-on experience working alongside professionals at private sector companies, including small businesses across Boston. You will develop practical administrative workflows, assist with digital content creation, and support the day-to-day operations that keep small businesses running efficiently. Throughout the summer, you will handle essential office responsibilities like providing customer service, managing databases, and organizing schedules. You will also participate in job shadows, work readiness workshops, and career panels to refine your professional communication, time management, and problem-solving skills. Through collaboration with the Boston Private Industry Council, you are placed in an employer-paid role at one of over 200 local companies to build your professional network.

9. City of Alexandria, Virginia – Summer Youth Employment Program

Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Stipend: $12.77 per hour
Dates: June 22 – July 31
Application Deadline: February 14
Eligibility: Ages 14–21; enrolled in middle or high school; resident of the City of Alexandria; authorized to work in the U.S.; income eligibility via SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, or free or reduced-price school lunch, or household income at or below 130% of the federal poverty line, with an IEP accepted as an alternative

In this internship, you work a six-week paid placement at an Alexandria worksite, including locally owned brick-and-mortar businesses spanning industries such as retail, food service, real estate, construction, and professional services. You begin with career-readiness training before moving into your placement, where you take on short-term projects that add capacity for the host business, practice professional communication, solve workplace problems, and receive supervisor feedback. You are onboarded as a City of Alexandria employee, paid hourly, and supported throughout by an assigned Youth Advisor. Career-focused field trips and a closing ceremony round out the six weeks.

10. City of Richmond – YouthWORKS Work Experience Program

Location: Richmond, California
Stipend: Up to$19.18 per hour
Dates: Begins July 1
Application Deadline: First-come, first-served basis
Eligibility: Richmond residents ages 16–21; in-person intake, orientation, workshops, and training

In the YouthWORKS Work Experience Program, you complete up to 100 hours of paid work with a local business, city department, government agency, nonprofit, or community organization. Before placement, you complete an in-person intake, orientation, and required workshops and training focused on workplace readiness and financial literacy. If matched with a small business, you gain direct exposure to its daily operations while contributing to host-assigned work or short-term projects. The program combines paid work experience with personalized career counselling and preparation rather than offering a classroom-only introduction to employment. You develop professional communication, reliability, teamwork, problem-solving, money-management, and career-planning skills with support from YouthWORKS staff.

11. The Possible Zone – High School Programs

Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Stipend: None
Dates: Fall, Winter, and Spring terms: Approximately 10 weeks each Fall, Winter, and Spring terms: Approximately 10 weeks each Exact program dates not stated
Application Deadline: Rolling basis (historical)
Eligibility: 10th-grade students living in or attending school in Boston, requiring English Level 3 or above 

In this program, you engage directly in the foundations of entrepreneurship and small business development. You work alongside educators and local entrepreneurs to develop a business plan, conduct market research, and prototype products. Throughout the process, you utilize makerspace tools like 3D printers and laser cutters to create physical prototypes, while also learning digital workflows for basic financial tracking. You operate in an authentic small-business incubator environment where you design, iterate on, and pitch your own viable commercial products. This experiential learning environment equips you with the essential professional skills needed to manage projects, understand customer needs, and navigate the early stages of enterprise development.

12. School Enterprise Challenge 

Location: Worldwide; delivered online
Stipend: None
Dates: Timeline 1: registration May–June; Business Idea July 23; Business Plan August 27; Annual Report November 30. Timeline 2: registration August–September; Business Idea October 6; Business Plan November 17; Annual Report February 16
Application Deadline: Rolling registration; first submission due July 23 (Timeline 1) or October 6 (Timeline 2)
Eligibility: Pre-primary, primary, secondary, and technical/vocational schools in any country; universities not eligible; registration completed by a teacher or headteacher, who forms one or more student business teams; learners from pre-primary through the end of secondary can participate

In the School Enterprise Challenge program, you work with a teacher-led team to design, launch, and run a real small business inside your own school. You start by surveying your school and local community for available resources and unmet needs, then select a feasible idea and decide how the profits will be used. Next, you conduct market research, interview potential customers, study competitors, and build a full business plan covering budgets, cost and income estimates, marketing channels, and role allocation. You then trade for two to three months with real customers, recording income, costs, and profit in an Annual Report submitted through the ElevatED platform. Free step-by-step materials, weekly live question-and-answer sessions, and certificates support you throughout.

13. Cass County CEO — Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities

Location: Cass County, Illinois
Stipend: None
Dates: School year program
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors in Cass County during the academic year

In the Cass County CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) program, you learn how small businesses operate by working with local owners and community experts throughout the school year. You help create a class business, develop a business plan, secure funding, and manage marketing, projects, and money. In the second half of the program, you build your own venture with guidance from a local business mentor and present it at a public trade show. Through more than 40 business visits and 40 guest-speaker sessions, you examine daily operations, growth decisions, branding, time management, and financial planning. You strengthen communication, teamwork, problem-solving, professionalism, pitching, and practical decision-making while building a local business network.

14. The City of Jersey City – JC Next

Location: Jersey City, New Jersey
Stipend: $17 per hour
Dates: July 6 – August 21
Application Deadline: Open until filled
Eligibility: Residents ages 15–24

In the JC Next program, you engage directly with local commerce through paid placements at Urban Enterprise Zone-registered businesses across Jersey City's neighborhood commercial corridors. You complete a pre-placement readiness assessment to match your career goals with participating small businesses and local enterprises. Throughout the summer, you gain significant real-world work experience by taking on daily operational, administrative, or customer-facing responsibilities within these local companies. This initiative represents the largest youth employment mobilization in recent city history, intentionally designed to build a pipeline of homegrown talent for the local economy. By collaborating with community leaders and small business owners, you build professional connections while preparing for long-term career pathways.

15. Port Arthur Economic Development Corporation – Youth Employment Program 

Location: Port Arthur, Texas; some placements in nearby Southeast Texas communities
Stipend: $10–$17 per hour
Dates: 8 weeks during summer
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Residency in the City of Port Arthur; graduating high school senior or recent high school graduate; authorized and eligible to work in the United States

In this internship, you take an eight-week paid summer placement inside a local Port Arthur business, city department, or community partner matched to your field of study. Working alongside credentialed professionals at a local host business, you handle entry-level assignments and see how a small Port Arthur employer runs day to day. You meet weekly with your business supervisor to discuss progress and present ideas, and you submit written progress reports that both the host business and the EDC evaluate. You practice workplace communication, time management, leadership, and ethical responsibility. You are paid a stipend for a schedule capped at 40 hours per week.

Questions students often ask about these internships

1. Do I need business experience already to apply to these small business internships?

No, most of these are designed as entry points and don't expect prior experience. A genuine interest in how businesses operate matters more than a resume packed with prior roles.

2. A few of these programs don't guarantee a small business placement specifically. How do I know what I'll actually be doing?

Check each program's placement process closely, since a few place students across small businesses, government offices, and nonprofits without guaranteeing which type you'll land. If working specifically at a small business matters most, prioritize the programs that explicitly focus on that.

3. Some of these are more about building my own venture than interning with an existing business. Which type is right for me?

It depends on what you want to get out of the experience. If you want to see how an established business runs day to day, look for the placement-based programs, while the venture-building options are better if you want to develop and pitch your own idea from scratch.