Fashion internships for students provide them with a unique opportunity and conducive environment to gain professional experience. They offer hands-on training in the fashion industry, equipping learners with skills and background information to help them stand out from their mates in the job market. Whether you are applying for a competitive gap year program, workshop, or any other activity to keep you busy during school holidays or after high school, you should familiarize yourself with several fashion internships for high school students before selecting the one you consider more appropriate.
This review will help you analyze popular fashion internships for high schoolers and tactics to help you secure a position in an organization of your choice.
5 tactics to help you get a fashion internship in high school
- Be active on social media platforms. Being active on social media sites can be a useful strategy to help you get fashion stylist internships. Most organizations review candidates’ social media presence and analyze their potential, talents, and suitability for an internship opportunity. Therefore, fashion students interested in becoming successful in the fashion industry should have public social media accounts. Since your primary objective is to attract companies looking for interns, always post relevant content that aligns with your fashion career goals and professional image.
- Send your applications early. Fashion internships for high school students are competitive due to the industry’s popularity. Therefore, you should send applications early to increase your chances of being selected. Besides, this strategy will ensure the recruiting team sees your application before other potential candidates, thus giving you an upper hand. Since every organization has different requirements and selection criteria, it’s always a good idea to begin searching for internship vacancies several months or weeks in advance; you will have enough time to collect the necessary documents, submit them, and prepare for the interviews, in case of any.
- Maintain close relationships with the people you know. Getting a fashion internship in high school may not be as easy as most people think. Since it’s the beginning of your career in the industry, you may need someone to hold your hand. Therefore, you should contact fashionistas who work in different organizations to learn tips that can help you become successful gradually. A network of friends can guide you and provide insights into what different companies look for from potential candidates. In addition, you can contact your school alumni and ask questions related to the position you are applying for. If you know someone who currently works in a fashion merchandising agency, try to be as close as possible since they may help you secure a chance in their firm.
- Organize regular informational interviews. Informational interviews are meetings or conversations between a job applicant and employees working in a particular industry or job that interests them. They can help students secure fashion design internships by ensuring they are conversant with a company’s expectations. These arrangements allow you to seek insights into the career path of your choice. During an informational interview, you are free to ask as many questions as possible about an organization’s standards, practices, and expectations from interns and permanent employees. Besides enabling you to determine your suitability for an internship position, you can understand critical aspects that the human resource department may look for in the actual interview. Looking for fashion internships may not be easy as most people think. It requires time to research the expectations of different companies and strategize ways to secure a chance. Therefore, high schoolers interested in such opportunities should manage their time well. If you are not in a position to handle your essays, proposals, coursework, reflection journals, and other assignments while trying to look for a place, you can seek help from Custom Writings, an online paper writing service providing homework assistance. The website has experienced writers who dedicate their time and resources to ensure learners have a smooth academic life.
5 best fashion internships for high school students
- Intern Abroad Fashion Marketing Remote Internships. This remote internship opportunity exposes students to an environment where they acquire practical experience from working with Italy-based designers, showrooms, and reputable brands. It’s ideal for recent high school graduates looking to gain skills for surviving in the fashion industry. So, if you reside in Chicago, Washington DC, or any other state across the United States, you should consider enrolling in this virtual 12-month education program as you prepare for college.
- Rhode Island School of Design Pre- Collegiate Program (RISD). RISD is offered by the Rhode Island School of Design, one of the premier learning institutions providing online fashion internships for high school students. The program involves six weeks of in-person learning and virtual training on fundamental design skills during the summer and the school year. Although RISD doesn’t specifically focus on fashion, it equips pre-high schoolers with helpful knowledge and ideas they can use in their fashion and design careers. So, if you’re looking for summer fashion internships, you should consider adding it to your priority list.
- Savannah College of Art and Design’s Pre-College Rising Star Program. This program runs for five weeks. It specifically targets young students preparing to enroll for college degrees in fashion and design. Besides this learning opportunity, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) organizes regular career fairs that allow learners to network with experts in the fashion industry. It could be an excellent opportunity to grow your job portfolio if you reside in Atlanta.
- Belk Internship. This internship opportunity is offered by Belk Inc, a popular departmental store dealing with men’s and women’s accessories, cosmetics, shoes, and clothing. The organization assigns interns to mentors who help them complete various projects focused on enhancing innovation and growth. The program involves ten weeks of professional development, group projects, networking, and on the job learning.
- The New School Parsons Summer Intensive Study. The New School Parsons Summer Intensive Study targets high school students in New York City (NYC). Although it mainly focuses on hands-on training, participants attend regular field trips and interact with renowned fashionistas as guest speakers, which helps them to grow their portfolios. Learners who sacrifice their time and money for the three weeks learning opportunity emerge successful designers.
Final thoughts
If you’re a high school student looking for an opportunity to increase your knowledge in the fashion industry, internships are great and fascinating ways to get started. Besides helping you to jumpstart your career, they enable you to narrow your academic interests, provide hands-on training, and increase your chances of securing job opportunities in future applications. So, if you’re passionate about becoming a successful fashionista, you may consider applying for a full-time or part-time position in any of the programs in this review.
