Internship Program

Program Overview

The goals of the West Covina internship program are to provide people interested in public service, college students, and Veterans entering the civilian workforce with meaningful real-world experience, help the City meet short-term needs for extra assistance, and lure new talent to the organization. This program provides interns with the opportunity to gain both academic and practical experience working in local government. The City offers paid and unpaid internship opportunities to learn about the City of West Covina and the exceptional services it provides to the community.

The Value of the Internships

Internships provide the following benefits:

  • A full and realistic view of the world integrates academic preparation with practical application and skill development in the workplace.
  • An opportunity to network with professionals in a field of interest and a chance to explore career options, while developing transferable skills.
  • The opportunity to gain valuable work experience.

Qualifications for Internship

To be considered for an internship, candidates must be at least 18 years old and interested in learning about careers in local government while obtaining related work experience. The selected candidate must be able to pass a background investigation and pre-employment physical examination. Candidates must commit to working up to 20 hours per week. Interns are placed in assignments based on their training, education, experience, and areas of interest.

Internship Program Operational Titles

  • Administrative Intern - Recent graduates or students currently enrolled in a Bachelor's degree program in a freshman or sophomore standing, or enrolled in graduate-level courses with a focus/emphasis on finance, business administration, management, public administration, or human resources.
  • Engineering Intern - Recent graduates or students currently enrolled in a Bachelor's degree program with a focus/emphasis in civil engineering or computer science, in a junior, senior standing, or enrolled in a graduate-level program.
  • Planning Intern - Recent graduates or students currently enrolled in a Bachelor's degree program with a focus/emphasis in planning in a junior, senior standing, or enrolled in a graduate-level program
  • Information Technology Intern - Recent graduates or students currently enrolled in an Associate of Arts or Bachelor's degree program in information technology, information systems, or a related field.
  • Web Intern - The City of West Covina is looking for a self-motivated individual to work with the Division of Information Technology and assist with the city's web-related needs. This position will offer unique opportunities to gain an in-depth, hands-on experience with website production related to local and regional operations.
  • Social Media Intern - This internship provides a great opportunity to gain practical work experience in public affairs, communications, social media, graphic design, multimedia, and community outreach. Interns will provide various support functions that will help increase the City's online presence and citizen engagement through the City's social media channels and website.

Note: not all applicants are required to be college students.

Student Level Definitions

For consistency purposes, the City uses the California Post-Secondary Education Commission definitions of student levels:

  • Freshman - Refers to a first-year undergraduate student. At the California State University, freshmen refer to students who have completed fewer than 30 semesters or 45 quarter hours. At the University of California, freshmen refer to students who have completed between 0 and 44.9 quarter units (0 to 29.9 semester units).
  • Sophomore - At the California State University, student level sophomore refers to students who have completed 30 to fewer than 60 semester or 45 to fewer than 90 quarter credit hours. At the University of California, a sophomore refers to students who have completed at least 45 but not more than 89.9 quarter units (30 to 59.9 semester units).
  • Junior - At the California State University, student level junior refers to students who have completed 60 to fewer than 90 semester or 90 to fewer than 135 quarter credit hours. At the University of California, junior refers to students who have completed at least 90 but not more than 134.9 quarter units (60 to 89.9 semester units).
  • Senior - Refers to students who have completed 90 or more semesters or 135 or more quarter credit hours.
  • Graduate - A graduate is a student who has completed the requirements for a bachelor's degree and who is enrolled in a master's or higher degree program in a post-secondary institution.