Aviation Internships - How to Pursue an Aviation Career

An internship with an airline is a great way to getexist in safety engineering, marketing, and finance
some practical experience in your chosen field. Notareas of the company.
only will you have the opportunity to see for yourselfAnother option for finding an internship with an airline is
how the company is run on a daily basis, but thethrough the school you are attending. For example,
internship may open some doors for you when itstudents attending the University of Illinois' Institute of
comes to being considered for a permanent position.Aviation can apply for internships at TWA, United
An interesting bonus to being an intern with an airline isAirlines, and American Airlines. These one-semester
that during your internship, you may be able to fly forflight officer internships are competitive and the
free!applicant's grade point average is an important factor
To find an internship with an airline, visit the web site ofwhen choosing interns.
the company you are interested in working with. YouOver the 16-18 weeks of the internship, the student
will find information posted there about the types ofhas the opportunity to spend time in flight simulators
internship opportunities available, along with when andand travel in the jump seat of the cockpit of the
how to apply for them. Not all airline internships are forairline's flights. United Airlines guarantees that its interns
aspiring pilots; internships are also available for peoplewill receive a job interview for a pilot position at a
interested in engineering, finance, marketing, and travelfuture time, but they do not promise that a company
management areas as well.intern will receive a job offer on graduation.
Southwest Airlines offers paid internships toStudents attending Rocky Mountain College can be
approximately 40 individuals each year. Depending onplaced for internship opportunities with regional and
the time of year, the internship period lasts either threenational carriers. The school regularly works with
or four months. Prospective interns may be hired inSouthwest Airlines, Delta Airlines, the National
corporate safety and maintenance, flight operations,Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Skywest Airlines,
marketing, public relations, dispatch, or engineeringAlaska Airlines, and other carriers. Rocky Mountain
departments.College will work with students and airlines to
A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required to be consideredcustomize an internship program to meet the students'
for one of these opportunities, and the companyneeds. Preference is given to airlines where students
accepts resumes on an ongoing basis.have a good chance of being considered for available
Flight operations interns at Northwest Airlines arepositions after graduation.
recruited for the company's Operations TrainingYou may also find listings for internship positions on
Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. These unpaid internshipsInternet job boards, such as Monster and Careerbuilder.
are open to students enrolled in an aviation orNo matter what strategy you use to find an internship
aeronautical science program, who will earn a collegewith an airline company, be sure to read the
credit for their participation. For every 30 days ofinstructions for applying and follow them carefully.
service, the interns earn one ticket on the airlineFailure to do so may result in your application being
(subject to space availability).discarded without being read. You will want to impress
Choosing to intern at America West airlines alsoon the company that you are able to take direction
means free airline travel. If you are chosen as one ofwell; this trait will help you, no matter where you work
the 5-10 interns the company hires each year, you willafter graduation.
be given two discount travel passes. Opportunities