If you are still in school, the best option would be a school administrative internship. Essentially an intern is a trainee who is still pursuing studies but is interested in the particular work being covered in the internship. As an employee is paid wages, an intern is paid in learning and training while on the job.
If you are still in high school, there are many internships in the administrative area of school operations. Topmost on the list would is junior headmaster. In this role, an intern is able to get an up-close, firsthand look at what the principal does while at school. The second possible internship would be any of the junior vice principal positions. These include vice principal for discipline, for finance, and for administration. Each of the particular internships in the school would focus on a particular part of school operations. As vice principal for administration, one would oversee the physical facilities of the school and all other administrative duties; as vice principal for finance, one would learn about the monetary and economic activities of the school; and as vice principal for discipline, one would get hands-on experience in decision-making for the cases brought up in the school. These school internship jobs would be the best way to learn about the educational system and its operations.
Learning, however, should not be confined to schools and classrooms. Even off-campus internships can be undertaken. What is needed is proper certification and guidance on the work requirements for the student and proper guidelines for internship credit to be given at the school. This has proven to be a successful entry point for many high school students to obtain references for other job applications. Common jobs for internships include management trainees in office work or production assistants in media outfits. Not only are the jobs financially rewarding, but they are credited as school internships. In this venue, the students are exposed to real-world experiences when they feel they are part of the larger labor force. The learning curve would be much higher in this area as high school is the start-up point for eventual higher learning. And school internships would certainly help in the process of decision-making for the major to be chosen in college.
Many lessons can be learned in applying one’s self to internships. The first one, especially if one is engaged in a school internship job, is a better appreciation of the work that school administrators do to keep schools up and running. The second lesson is appreciation for work itself. Internships are usually gofer jobs—a term to designate basic tasks like “go for this” and “go for that.” This is usually the case in internships in the private sector because, since the intern still lacks the basic skills, they become drones to be ordered around. That is why the valuable lesson learned here is the appreciation of the work itself. A third lesson learned in internships is self-realization and actualization for future use. It is in these early stages of development that one can see the future endeavors to be undertaken. And finally, school internships provide students an understanding of the skill set required to get their dream job. Having a sneak peek could help an individual choose a major as a basis for a future career.
Having a school internship is not the same as a summer job or the other menial jobs one gets as a high school student. The internships in the school curriculum are designed not only to hone one’s skills but are set up to provide an insight into the student’s preferences and abilities for determination of future career plans. It is important that one is truly motivated to obtain the lessons and rewards one can readily be provided with in an internship. As it is still considered a school activity, especially if one is engaged in an internship job in the private sector, the school rules, guidelines, and authority still apply.
