Helping Your Teen Prepare for a Summer Internship

If your teen has the desire and the foresight to plan a summer interning instead of lounging by the pool with his or her friends, than by all means, help them prepare!

Most teenagers look forward to a summer of laziness. A summer of being free to sleep in, hang out with friends, and spend countless hours at the movie theaters, beach, pool or ball fields. A few of the more ambitious look forward to getting that infamous, high paying, summer job, with the hopes of building up their bank accounts, or more realistically, spending money on clothes, cd's and a car.

Those teenagers, who look forward to a summer internship, are a rare and special breed. They are giving up part of their free time as well as time that could be spent making money. They understand the value of an internship program, and the education and experience that it can provide. If you are lucky enough to have such an ambitious teenager, it is important that you encourage them to pursue their desire.

But, what can you do to help prepare them for this internship? If your teen has never worked a job before, this will be a brand new atmosphere. There are a few things one can do, to help prepare their adolescent for their stint as an intern.

ENCOURAGE SOME RESEARCH ABOUT THEIR JOB.

Once your teen decides where to intern, take them to the library to get some books about their job. I encourage the public library in lieu of the internet for many reasons. The internet allows for easy distractions and takes the focus away. How many times have we been working on something, only to see an ad or get an idea to check something else, and be gone for an hour doing just that? After reading some books, allow them to surf the internet and do some research on that job field. The internet is invaluable, but so are our library systems.

TAKE YOUR TEEN TO WORK WITH YOU ONE DAY.