Discover careers in natural resources, environmental sciences, and city government.

8-week internships available with Environmental Services from mid-June through mid-August

The City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services invites high school students entering 11th or 12th grade in the fall and current spring high school graduates to apply for one of eight internship opportunities with the bureau. The student cohort is an 8-week paid internship that includes office work, field work, trainings, and professional development. This is a great opportunity to learn more about careers in the fields of natural resources, environmental sciences, pollution prevention, and public service.

Intern with Environmental Services and empower yourself to advocate for the environmental health of your community. We encourage students of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, and abilities to apply.

What you can expect

You will be matched with one Environmental Services mentor for the first four weeks  and a second mentor for the last four weeks. We will match you with mentors as best we can based on your areas of interest. The internship provides students with an opportunity to spend one day per week as a group, touring city facilities, learning about city government, and building new friendships within your cohort. You also will develop some entry-level work skills in the office and field and gain knowledge about a range of career options in environmental fields. The internship pay is generally at minimum wage or above.

What you’ll learn

While working with their mentors, students will learn about career paths, field data collection and/or office work. Students will be able to develop or improve skills in public speaking; resume development; interviewing; and software programs like Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Depending on placement, interns may also learn specialty software programs such as GIS or database management.

Requirements

• Have an interest in natural resources, environmental sciences, pollution prevention, or public service careers.
• Must be entering 11th or 12th grade in the fall or a current spring high school graduate.
• Must be available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. four days a week either Monday–Thursday or Tuesday–Friday for about 25-30 hours per week. The cohort starts in mid-June and runs through mid-August.
• Must be available the first AND last week of the internship with no more than 3 planned absences.
• Must live in the City of Portland.
• Be able to travel to/from a work site downtown or North Portland. The City will provide a bus pass.
• Be prepared to work in both a professional office environment and outdoors in the field—rain or shine!