Summer during high school can feel short, but it’s often one of the first chances you get to step outside school routines and experience something more independent. For some students, that means earning their own money for the first time. For others, it’s more about gaining experience, building confidence, or figuring out what kinds of work they actually enjoy. Summer employment opportunities for high school students can help with all of that while also teaching skills that stay useful long after high school ends.

You might spend your summer working in a local business, helping at a startup, assisting with social media content, tutoring younger students, supporting administrative work, or taking on customer-facing roles where communication matters every day. Some jobs are more creative, others more structured, but almost all of them teach you how to manage responsibilities, work with people, and adapt to professional environments outside school.

What kinds of summer employment opportunities for high school students are there?

Summer employment opportunities for high school students can vary a lot depending on your interests, skills, location, and level of experience. Some students take on traditional part-time jobs in retail, cafes, libraries, or community organisations, while others look for internships, research assistant roles, tutoring work, or creative freelance opportunities.

Students interested in business, media, coding, design, or writing may also find remote opportunities through startups, nonprofits, educational organisations, or digital companies. Some roles focus heavily on customer interaction and teamwork, while others involve research, organisation, content creation, or technical skills.

One important thing to remember is that not every summer job needs to perfectly match your future career plans to still be valuable. Along the way, these programs can act as a foundation for your college journey, giving you an early and genuine taste of academic and professional life at a top institution, in person. 

To help you get started, we’ve curated a list of 15 summer employment opportunities for high school students worth exploring!

For adjacent options, consider summer programs for high schoolers and online programs.

15 Summer Employment Opportunities for High School Students

1. Chicago Youth Works Program

Location: Chicago, USA
Stipend: Paid (varies by posting)
Program Dates: Summer & year-long jobs available
Deadline: Varies by the role
Eligibility: Youth aged 14-24; not open to fully international remote students

Chicago Youth Works is a city-led youth employment program that connects you with paid work opportunities across sectors. You’ll engage in structured job placements with government agencies, companies, and community organizations. You’ll build workplace skills such as communication, time management, and professional conduct. The program emphasizes practical exposure through real work environments rather than simulated tasks.

You’ll apply basic problem-solving and collaboration skills in day-to-day assignments. You’ll also gain exposure to community-focused projects and public service roles. By the end of the program, you will understand workplace expectations, develop employability skills, and gain clarity on career interests through direct experience.

Why it stands out: It combines large-scale public sector coordination with paid, real-world work placements for early career exposure.

2. Immerse Education’s Career Insights Summer School

Location: Cambridge, London, New York, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo
Cost: Varies; financial aid available through our bursary programme
Application Deadline: Multiple summer cohorts; rolling admissions
Program Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Eligibility: Students worldwide aged 13-18 currently enrolled in middle or high school

The Career Insights Program lets high school students explore careers in major global industry hubs. The Summer Research Internship track is designed to introduce you to thorough research environments in your chosen subject area. Participants engage in project-based learning with established companies, attend interactive workshops, and visit offices, factories, and headquarters.

The program also includes in-person weekly 1:1 career coaching sessions and sessions where you will receive personalized feedback on your resume and overall profile. You’ll also present your findings to industry experts at the end of the program. You can find more details about the application here!

Why it stands out: You’ll explore university-level concepts in fields like medicine and psychology, giving you early exposure to the academic pathways behind real careers.

3. NYC Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)

Location: New York City, USA
Stipend: Paid (up to $700)
Program Dates: 6-weeks running throughout July and August
Deadline: 13th March
Eligibility: Youth aged 14-24; must be residents of the five boroughs of NYC and legally allowed to work in NYC; not open to international students

NYC’s SYEP combines paid work placements with career exploration and structured professional training across New York City. If you are younger, the program leans more toward supervised project-based learning, while older students move directly into workplace placements across businesses, nonprofits, and public organizations.

Depending on your role, you might support office operations, community programs, customer-facing work, or administrative projects during the summer. The program also includes workshops on financial literacy, workplace communication, and career development throughout the experience. Since placements happen across different industries and boroughs, the type of work changes significantly depending on where you are assigned.

Why it stands out: The program combines paid work with structured career exploration across one of the largest youth employment systems in the United States.

4. Duke STAR Program (Summer Training in Academic Research)

Location: Durham, North Carolina, USA
Stipend: $4,000; participants cover housing and transportation
Program Dates: June 22nd – July 24th (with pre- and post-program remote components)
Deadline: January 2nd
Eligibility: High school seniors, undergraduates, and medical students; U.S. citizenship or permanent residency required; not open to international students

The Duke STAR Program is a structured research training program focused on clinical and scientific investigation, making it one of the more research-intensive summer employment opportunities for high school students. You’ll examine research methodology through a hypothesis-driven project developed in teams and build skills in literature review, data analysis, and scientific writing under faculty mentorship. The program emphasizes applied research through hands-on work with statisticians, medical writers, and clinical faculty.

You’ll apply statistical tools and research frameworks to analyze real datasets. You’ll also engage in lectures on clinical topics, ethics, and pharmacology. By the end of the program, you will produce a full research manuscript and gain exposure to the academic publishing process.

Why it stands out: It combines mentored, publication-oriented research with structured training in clinical and statistical methods.

5. Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program (HOPP) Summer Student Program 

Location: New York City
Stipend: $1,200
Program Dates: June 29th – August 21st
Deadline: February 6th
Eligibility: High school juniors living within 25 miles of MSK (NY, NJ, CT); must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.; not open to international students

At Memorial Sloan Kettering’s SSP, you work inside a biomedical research lab while contributing to ongoing cancer and medical research projects under faculty mentorship. Depending on the lab, your work may involve cancer biology, computational biology, pharmacology, or translational medicine research. Throughout the internship, you learn laboratory methods, data interpretation, and scientific collaboration while conducting an independent research project connected to the lab’s broader work.

The program also includes seminars and institutional sessions introducing students to biomedical careers and research pathways. Since the internship takes place inside one of the world’s leading cancer research institutions, the environment feels much closer to a professional research setting than a school lab.

Why it stands out: It offers structured, mentor-guided laboratory research within a leading biomedical research environment.

6. SpHERES High School Research Program

Location: Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
Stipend: $2,400
Program Dates: Late May – Late July (includes orientation and research period)
Deadline: March 31st (Priority)
Eligibility: Rising $10th-12th graders residing in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin

SpHERES is a summer STEMM research program where you work on interdisciplinary projects connected to medicine, engineering, neuroscience, physiology, and healthcare innovation. Throughout the summer, you collaborate with faculty mentors and research teams while learning how scientific and engineering concepts are applied inside clinical and medical contexts.

Weekly seminars also introduce topics like innovation, entrepreneurship, clinical skills, and college readiness alongside the research itself. The program ends with a symposium presentation where you formally present your project and findings. Since the research areas cross multiple STEM fields, the experience feels especially interdisciplinary compared to traditional single-subject science programs.

Why it stands out: The program combines medical research, engineering, and innovation within one mentorship-driven summer research experience.

7. Chicago EYES on Cancer Research Program

Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Stipend: $3,100 – $5,000 per year
Program Dates: Two consecutive summers (mid-June to early August) + monthly academic year sessions
Deadline: Applications are accepted from mid-November through mid-January
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, or seniors (minimum age 16); must be residents of specific Illinois/Indiana counties; international students not eligible

Chicago EYES on Cancer is a multi-year cancer research training program focused on biomedical research and oncology. You’ll work full-time in a university research lab across two summers, contributing to projects in basic, translational, clinical, or population-based cancer research. The program emphasizes rigorous research training supported by a cancer-focused lecture series and structured workshops.

You’ll engage in year-round career development sessions and receive mentorship from faculty, researchers, and peers. You’ll also participate in monthly enrichment activities during the academic year. By the end of the program, you’ll present your research at a symposium and gain experience in laboratory methods, scientific communication, and long-term research engagement.

Why it stands out: Offers a sustained, two-year cancer research experience with continuous mentorship and academic engagement.

8. Teen Internship Program – Lawrence Hall of Science

Location: Berkeley, California, USA
Stipend: $3,500
Program Dates: Early May (workshops) – Early August (full-time internship)
Deadline: January 15th
Eligibility: Students entering 11th or 12th grade; open to US citizens and permanent residents

This internship at Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science adds an education-focused option to the many summer employment opportunities for high school students, centering on science communication and hands-on STEM teaching rather than laboratory research. Before the summer begins, you attend workshops where you learn how to teach science concepts, guide younger students, and facilitate interactive learning activities.

During the internship itself, you work in science camp settings, helping run experiments, demonstrations, and exploration-based activities for children. Much of the experience revolves around communication, mentoring, and explaining scientific ideas clearly in real educational settings. You also work alongside educators and staff members who provide ongoing feedback and supervision throughout the summer.

Why it stands out: The internship focuses specifically on science teaching and public science communication through hands-on educational work.

9. Samuels Family LA-HIP High School Internship Program

Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
Stipend: Stipend provided; additional benefits include meals and transportation support
Program Dates: Yearlong program with summer research (7 weeks, full-time) + academic year components
Deadline: February 1st
Eligibility: High school juniors from public schools in Los Angeles County; must be eligible to work in California; international students: Not eligible

LA-HIP is a yearlong biomedical research and college-preparation program where you spend the summer conducting full-time laboratory research connected to pediatric health and medicine. Research areas may include cancer, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, and other biomedical science topics, depending on your faculty placement. Alongside lab work, the program includes SAT preparation, college counseling, biology instruction, and structured academic workshops throughout the year.

You also learn laboratory documentation, research methods, and scientific communication while preparing for a final symposium presentation. Since the program combines both research and college readiness, the structure feels more comprehensive than a typical summer internship alone.

Why it stands out: You combine intensive biomedical research with long-term academic preparation and structured college counseling support.

10. HIP IMO

Location: Moffitt Cancer Center, University of South Florida (USF) campus, Tampa, FL
Stipend: $1,000 scholarship
Program Dates: June 8th – July 31st
Deadline: February 1st
Eligibility: Students age 16+ by program start; enrolled in grade 11 or below; H4 visa holders not eligible; international students: limited (housing not provided, must arrange own stay)

HIP IMO introduces you to interdisciplinary cancer research through projects focused on mathematical oncology and computational analysis. During the internship, you work with faculty mentors on an individual research project while learning research design, data interpretation, and analytical reasoning methods. The program includes lab meetings, mentor feedback sessions, and scientific discussions throughout the summer.

You also document your work formally through research journals, presentations, and written reports connected to your project findings. Since the internship emphasizes computational and mathematical approaches to cancer research, the work feels more data-driven than traditional wet-lab programs.

Why it stands out: The internship focuses specifically on mathematical oncology and computational cancer research through mentor-guided independent projects.

11. Summer Research Internship – Florida International University

Location: Miami
Stipend: $1200 award
Program Dates: June 12th – August 7th
Deadline: March 20th
Eligibility: High school juniors, graduated seniors committed to FIU, or accepted FIU transfer students; age 16+; minimum 3.0 GPA; only open to exchange students

FIU’s Summer Research Internship focuses on cardiovascular health research through a combination of coursework, workshops, and mentor-guided laboratory experience. Throughout the eight-week program, you work in a faculty research lab while participating in journal clubs, scientific discussions, and structured workshops connected to biomedical research methods.

The internship also introduces responsible research practices, experimental design, and scientific communication through presentations and abstract writing. Since students spend at least 15 hours per week inside research labs, the experience balances formal instruction with practical research involvement throughout the summer.

Why it stands out: You combine cardiovascular research experience with structured scientific coursework and mentor-guided laboratory work.

12. Pediatrics Internship Program at Stanford (PIPS) – Stanford Medicine

Location: Stanford University
Stipend: Free; stipend up to $3,000 based on financial need
Program Dates: June 8th – July 24th
Deadline: February 23rd
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors living in the Bay Area; international students: Not available (must live locally)

Stanford’s PIPS program stands out among summer employment opportunities for high school students by introducing you to pediatric and biomedical research through a structured seven-week internship focused on medicine and maternal-child health. During the summer, you work on a guided research project while learning foundational research methods, scientific inquiry, and data interpretation skills.

The program also includes mentorship from Stanford researchers and healthcare professionals alongside discussions about medical careers and research pathways. Since the internship is designed as an entry point into biomedical research, much of the focus stays on understanding how scientific research functions inside healthcare settings.

Why it stands out: The program works as an accessible first research experience while introducing you directly to pediatric and biomedical science environments.

13. High School Intern Program (HIP) – University of California, San Francisco

Location: San Francisco
Stipend: $4,500 stipend upon completion
Program Dates: June 8th – July 31st
Deadline: February 8th
Eligibility: Current high school juniors enrolled in SFUSD or SF public charter schools; international students: Not available

This is an eight-week biomedical research internship conducted through the Science and Health Education Partnership. You’ll examine core concepts in biomedical science by completing an original research project under a scientist mentor. You’ll build skills in experimental design, data analysis, and scientific communication. The program emphasizes intensive, full-time research with a structured weekly commitment.

You’ll apply laboratory techniques across fields such as neuroscience, immunology, and molecular biology. You’ll gain exposure to scientific collaboration and professional environments. You’ll also participate in college counseling, including writing workshops and advising sessions. By the end of the program, you’ll produce and present research while developing practical lab and communication skills.

Why it stands out: Full-time, mentor-led biomedical research with strong integration of college advising and scientific training.

14. Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) – Department of the Navy

Location: Multiple Department of the Navy laboratories across the United States
Stipend: $4,000 new, $4,500 returning
Program Dates: 8 weeks during the summer
Deadline: November 1st
Eligibility: High school students (grades 10-12); age 16+ by start; U.S. citizens only (some lab-specific exceptions); international students: Not available

SEAP places you inside the Department of the Navy research laboratories, where you work directly with scientists and engineers on applied STEM research projects. Depending on the lab, your work may involve engineering systems, computer science, physics, robotics, materials science, or other defense-related research areas.

Throughout the apprenticeship, you learn research methods, technical analysis, laboratory collaboration, and scientific problem-solving while contributing to ongoing projects. Since the program runs inside federal research environments, you also get exposure to how government-funded scientific research operates professionally. Selection is competitive and based on academics, recommendations, and STEM interests.

Why it stands out: You work directly inside active federal research laboratories on real engineering and defense-related STEM projects.

15. SCA High School Summer Internship Program (SIP)

Location: New York City School Construction Authority, New York City
Stipend: Paid ($17/hour, 30 hours/week)
Program Dates: July 6th – August 14th
Deadline: March 6th
Eligibility: NYC public high school students only; must be authorized to work in the United States (not open to international students)

The SCA SIP places you inside architecture, engineering, and construction-related departments connected to New York City’s public school infrastructure system. During the internship, you support professional teams through office-based assignments, project coordination, technical work, and supervised construction-related activities depending on your placement. Some interns also gain exposure to tools like AutoCAD and construction documentation workflows throughout the summer.

The program includes weekly workshops, panel discussions, and OSHA safety training connected to engineering and construction careers. Since placements happen inside active public infrastructure departments, you also get a practical look at how large-scale construction and facilities systems are managed across the city.

Why it stands out: You gain direct exposure to architecture and construction management work inside New York City’s public infrastructure system.

Using Early Employment to Explore Careers

Your first summer job can teach you things school rarely tests: punctuality, teamwork, communication, initiative, and handling responsibility.

The summer employment opportunities for high school students listed here can help you experience research labs, community projects, public service, education, healthcare, or construction.

Those early roles can reveal what kind of work suits you, which skills feel natural, and which careers deserve a closer look.

Want to connect your summer experience with future goals? Visit our Career Exploration blogs for career paths, industry skills, study routes, and next steps.