Student Internship Program - information for students
The Student Internship Program is designed to nurture the educational and professional development of promising job candidates. Student Interns assist professional and technical employees in the performance of their duties under close supervision. The student intern’s specific tasks vary depending on the Agency/Department to which they are assigned. Student interns can be used throughout the calendar year depending on the needs of the department.
Student eligibility
To qualify for the student intern classifications, a student must meet the following requirements:
- Have a legal right to work in the United States
- High school students under eighteen will require a work permit, which may be obtained through the high school counselor or the Employment Development Department (EDD)
- Be enrolled in an accredited institution or a school licensed by a state agency, or have graduated from such an institution or school within the last six months
- Have an overall grade point average of at least 2.5 on a four-point scale
- Submit a completed County job application for employment, official/unofficial transcript, and proof of enrollment or course schedule for the current school session
- May be required to pass a Live Scan background check
- May be required to pass a physical examination
Applying for student internship
Interested in becoming a County of Santa Clara student intern? Submit your online application together with your most recent transcript under the appropriate student intern recruitment below. The levels of Student Intern classifications are based on four educational levels.
Student Intern - Level I
You must be
- a high school student enrolled in regular high school classes, or
- enrolled in an alternative vocational high school, or
- a student working toward high school equivalency.
There is no current posting for this level; however, you may:
Sign up for email alerts by clicking on the Student Intern, Level I job title and clicking the subscribe button.
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You can also reach out to County departments directly to express your interest in their future internship opportunities. Departments can contact our team for assistance if they are interested in hiring you.
Student Intern - Level II
You must be
- a freshman or sophomore year college student, or
- a community college student, or
- a vocational school student who have completed high school.
Apply for Student Intern, Level II here with your transcript and proof of enrollment/class schedule.
Student Intern - Level III
You must be
- a junior or senior year college student, or
- a degree-holder student working on your secondary degree or professional certification.
Note: Student interns hired in this level must perform duties related to their field of study.
Student Intern - Level IV
You must be
- a professional or graduate school student, or
- a degree-holder student working on your secondary degree or professional certification.
Note: Student interns hired in this level must perform duties related to their field of study.
Apply for Student Intern, Level IV here with your transcript and proof of enrollment/class schedule.
Note: Applications are reviewed on an as-needed basis as departments submit requests. After six (6) months, the application is inactivated, but you may re-apply to the program. If additional information is required or your application is accepted, you will receive an email.
Department specific internship opportunities
If you are interested in interning with a specific department, you may reach out to them directly.
- Office of the District Attorney
- Behavioral Health Internship Program
- Public Health Department
- County of Santa Clara Parks
List of other County Agencies and Departments
For further information, contact the Student Intern Coordinator, at [email protected].
Pay structure
The Student Intern classifications are established on a five-step salary. Refer to the County of Santa Clara’s Salary Information for the most current salary information. When you click on the salary information link, you'll open up a current salary plan report as a pdf. Click "CTRL + F" to open a search window in your browser. Then enter student intern as the search term. You can then navigate to pay details for the different internship classifications we employ.
Entry-level career options
Have you recently graduated and already passed the 6-month eligibility requirement of the Student Internship program? Below is a link of entry-level jobs that you can consider for your future County career.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
The PSLF Program allows people who work in government and in many nonprofits to have the remaining balance of their student loans forgiven after 120 payments. Find more information on Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Federal Student Aid.