How to find environmental internships

 Written By Evelyn "Evie" Quehl:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelyn-quehl-b27311232/

Environmental internships are a great way to dip your toes into the workforce, build your network, and figure out what type of career you are seeking. Internships can help you get a leg up on other applicants when it comes to applying for full-time jobs because they provide real world experience that school does not teach. However, internships can be very competitive with applicants. This means you have to be diligent with your search.  Finding these opportunities can be a daunting task, so here are a few tips on how to find them!

First, figure out what you are interested in 

In the environmental world, there are an infinite number of job types. Typically, you’ll end up working in the private sector, government, or non-profit. There is no wrong sector to work in. If you end up somewhere that you did not expect, that can be a good thing leading to new skills, experiences, and possibly even an exciting career path you never thought of. 

If you don’t know what your interests are just yet, aim for something that will allow you to enhance your skill set.  Consider what parts of the environment you are passionate about. Do you prefer learning about renewable energy or wildlife? Do you want to work with people or by yourself? Do you want to work in the field, desk job, or a mix of both? These types of questions can help you figure out what types of jobs you might lean towards applying for. 

Internship Examples

Wildlife Conservation Internship: These internships involve you being outside and working with wild animals. You may be monitoring populations, performing habitat assessments or supporting species recovering programs. 

Environmental Consulting Internship: These internships have you helping businesses to comply with certain environmental regulations. You may perform site inspections, collect samples and help create certain environmental reports. 

Environmental Policy Intern: In these roles, you may be working with a non-profit or governmental agency to create environmental legislation. You could be reviewing bills and researching legislation in different locations. 

Sustainability Internship: In this position, you may be helping corporations, businesses, universities, or cities create or implement sustainability practices. Some potential tasks are tracking emissions, creating educational materials, or helping to achieve different sustainability certifications. 

Application Tips

• Have an up-to-date resume that shows your experience and skills.
• If you create a base resume, you can tailor it to different positions you apply for.
• You should also have a base cover letter that you can tailor. 
• Cover letters can be time consuming to write from scratch, but if you create a general template, they become quick and easy to modify.
•  Highlight:
•  Computer or ArcGIS Pro skills for technical positions.
•  Field work skills for positions that are centered around outdoor work.
•  Political science courses taken for policy-based positions.

The Job Search

If in your research you come across companies that interest you, check out their careers page. You might be able to find an internship opening. If you don’t see one listed but you feel like you would be a good fit, try cold emailing the hiring team if their email is provided or the info email on the website. You can also do some digging on LinkedIn to connect and message people at that company. 

Environmental Job Boards

Here are a few job boards that include internships that may be helpful:

Green Job Board

Conservation Job Board

EcoJobs

Also, check out the ENVIROLocity Mapper on our website! This is a great tool to search by location and other filters to find connections in that area. This is a great source for networking and getting your name out there to potential employers. 

Finding the right environmental internship takes time and effort, but with the right approach, you can land an opportunity that sets you up for success. Try to find positions that align with your interests and skills, have a solid resume and cover letter that can be molded to meet your needs, and use resources that are available to you online.  Stay diligent with your search, and you'll be well on your way to gaining valuable real world experience that will help you build your network and get a leg up when applying for full-time positions in the environmental field.