Internships in High School (Blogging Through the Alphabet)

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Homeschool Coffee Break helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you!

After so many years of homeschooling, I've had plenty of opportunities to try curriculum and explore all kinds of resources, so during this Blogging Through the Alphabet tour, I'm highlighting some of the many homeschooling resources that have been stand-outs. Sometimes it will be a walk down memory lane as I share something we enjoyed many years ago, and sometimes it will be something we're using currently. Sometimes I'll focus on a specific curriculum, and sometimes on a subject area. And I imagine I'll have to be a bit creative with a couple letters of the alphabet! This week I'm featuring a helpful resource for students who would like to earn high school credit for an internship.

During the summer, we got a chance to review a workbook from Apologia Educational Ministries that guides high school students (and their parents!) in understanding internships and how to successfully use them for high school credit and for a jump start to a career. Internship for High School Credit explains how internships work and can benefit students, and gives practical help for getting the job and keeping the necessary records. Author Sherri Seligson demystifies the process of seeking out and applying for internships, and offers step by step help in planning and completing a successful internship in the student's chosen field.



Part I: Getting Started helps the student choose the type of internship to pursue; write a resume and letter of introduction; and prepare for the interview and first day on the job.

Part II: Information for Parents is written directly to the parent and explains labor laws, transcript documentation, and determining credits and grades for an internship.

Part III: First Semester and Part IV: Second Semester contain worksheets for documenting and evaluating the entire intern experience, along with explanations for how to use them effectively.

Part V: Course Wrap-Up does just what it says - guides the student in a final writing assignment, thank you notes, letter of recommendation, and updates to the resume when their internship ends.

Practically speaking, homeschool students are in a great position to pursue internships because they often have a fairly flexible schedule. An important benefit of an internship is the opportunity to learn about what is required in the day-to-day experience of a particular job or business. Sometimes what sounds like an ideal career involves all kinds of things that a student hadn't counted on, or the reality is so different from what the student had pictured that it's not a good fit after all. How much better to find out that they might want to change their college major before putting a lot of time and money towards a degree that isn't what they are best suited for!

Our daughter has been narrowing down her choices for a career that involves music. She's very interested in teaching music, but does she want to teach private lessons or in a school setting? Would she prefer to teach band or chorus if she was in a school? Or does she want to do something less academic - perhaps tune and repair instruments while working in a music shop, and also take some private students? Getting a little experience as an intern could help her narrow down her options even more, so this book sparked some possible ideas. She had already applied for an intern position in the Children's Chorus, but other possibilities she could pursue include job shadowing or short-term interning with a piano tuner or at a music shop that sells and repairs guitars.

Turned out Kennady was accepted as a Director's Assistant intern with the Children's Chorus, and since this position has already been established, we don't need all of the worksheets and documentation help in Internship for High School Credit but we have the book to help us make sure we're doing it right! We want to make sure it looks right on the transcript, especially if it does lead directly to her college major and future career choice.

The book also includes valuable and practical instruction on how to write a resume and letter of introduction, and how to prepare and handle a job interview. As homeschool parents, we shouldn't assume our kids know this stuff! Many of them don't, and they should learn it and be well prepared.

There's a chapter written directly to parents with a lot of helpful information about our role in helping our student choose an internship location and all the questions that we need to have answered before accepting a position. Complying with child labor laws, properly documenting the experience for a transcript, and determining course titles and credits and grades for an internship are addressed. 

The chapters containing the worksheets have clear instructions to the student about how to use the worksheets to define their goals, chronicle their experience, track their hours and performance, and evaluate the skills and experience gained. And finally, when the internship comes to an end, there is a brief chapter outlining the importance of doing a final writing assignment summarizing the experience, writing a professional thank you to the employer, and updating the resume. Often an internship ends with a job offer, but even if it doesn't, the student has gained valuable experience that puts them closer to their career goals. And practically speaking, a letter of recommendation from the employer can make a positive impact for college entrance, scholarships, and future employment.

Read our full review here: Internship for High School Credit - from Apologia (A Homeschool Coffee Break Review)

(We've been able to review many other resources from Apologia too: The Ultimate Homeschool Planner by Debra Bell - read our review HERE;  Exploring Creation Field Trip Journal - read our review HERE; iWitness books - read our review HERE; Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms by Mary Jo Tate - read our review HERE; and Journeys of Faithfulness by Sarah Clarkson - read our review HERE.)

Blogging Through the Alphabet again? Yes, I'm taking the challenge, along with several other Crew members, including our three co-hosts for this round - Amanda at Hopkins Homeschool, DaLynn at Biblical Womanhood, and Kirsten at DoodleMom's Homeschooling Life. The link is open from Thursday to Wednesday each week, so join in if you'd like!

This post is linked at Blogging Through the Alphabet for Week 9, Letter I.

This post is also linked at Homeschool Blog & Tell at The Homeschool Post.

 Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to Homeschool Coffee Break by Email!

©2006-2017 Homeschool Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author.http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/