This unpaid internship can be fulfilled virtually from anywhere around the globe; currently all in-person opportunities are on hold.
Duration Requirements:
Whether the internship is for credit or not, National STEM Honor Society (NSTEM) hires interns for a minimum of 240 total hours with no maximum, and a 4 month (15 hour/week) minimum. We have had interns with us now for as long as two years and are still part of the organization.
24 Hour Company:
At NSTEM, we operate 24 hours a day and allow you to work based on your own schedule to complete projects and meet deadlines. However, interns need to be aware that they need to attend any synchronous meetings as requested by management. NSTEM meetings are typically held between 8 AM – 5:30 PM EST. While we know we have interns from across the globe who join our organization, we cannot guarantee to accommodate all NSTEM meetings based on all time zones.

Management & Leadership Opportunities:
There are many opportunities to take on a leadership position in NSTEM to lead small and large teams on a myriad of projects. We have two main roles, Directors and Project Managers (PM’s).
- Directors lead divisions or departments that consist of projects, PM’s and team members.
- Project Managers lead individual projects and teams of interns and take a more defined role into each individual project. In some instances, new interns are promoted directly to Director or PM roles however in most cases, interns are promoted from within to fulfill these leadership roles.
Two Types of Internships:
There are two types of internships that NSTEM offers, Accredited and Volunteer Internships:

Volunteer Internship:
NSTEM offers a “Volunteer Internship” option in addition to our official internship for academic credit. If an individual is interested in interning with NSTEM but is not tied to formal education, the internship will be classified as a “Volunteer Internship.” This option is offered for individuals who are not interested in receiving academic credit but rather the experience at NSTEM.
Accredited Internship:
NSTEM works with colleges and universities to provide an experience that is directly related to desired learning outcomes and will complete all necessary paperwork. NSTEM provides this accredited opportunity by supporting interns in meeting program requirements and agrees to provide written documentation of work performed, recommendations, and evaluations for interns (according to performance standards).
In order to offer an internship that complies with federal labor laws, NSTEM adheres to the following conditions:
- The intern clearly understands that there is no expectation of compensation; this is an unpaid internship opportunity
- NSTEM internships provide training similar to that given in an educational environment
- This internship can be tied to intern’s formal education programs by the receipt of academic credit
- NSTEM internships accommodate intern’s academic commitments and provide significant educational benefits
- The duration of this internship provides beneficial learning for a specified amount of time
- Intern’s work complements, rather than displaces, the work of paid employees
- Internships are conducted without entitlement to a paid job at the conclusion of the internship
Intern Goals & Learning Objectives:
An intern working for the National STEM Honor Society can expect to meet their academic and learning goals, career exploration, and industry knowledge led by a committed staff providing an experience to meet them:
- Increase knowledge of the industry
- Grow leadership skills and learning to manage large projects
- Gain experience in adapting to changing roles and environments
- Conduct research and practice analytical/quantitative skills
- Assertively engage at work, conduct research effectively, write and present professionally, and make business decisions
- Assertively engage at work, conduct research effectively, write and present professionally, and make business decisions
- Understand and implement the roles and responsibilities of Project Managers, which include:

- Track team members’ schedules, tasks, needs, and interests
- Gain proficiency with tools such as G Suite, Trello, SmartSheet
- Provide a constant flow of work for team members
- Establish and use effective communication channels with team members
- Treat team members with kindness, understanding and respect
- Organize project materials to achieve outcomes efficiently
- Learn to ramp up quickly on new projects
- Lead by example, which means rolling up your sleeves and diving into the project!
Supervision & Mentoring:
All interns working for NSTEM will be mentored and supervised by our staff. Directors and Project Managers offer diverse educational backgrounds and expertise within their respective fields. Staff members provide opportunities for interns to work on projects that align with their learning goals with evaluation and constructive feedback along the way. NSTEM believes that successful internships go hand in hand with enjoyable internships. Staff will personally check-in with you throughout your internship experience and make adjustments as necessary in order to ensure that you achieve your internship goals. Our team is constantly available for interns that work in the office as well as those that work virtually. Staff works with the requirements of colleges and universities in order to provide written feedback according to their specific policies. We work tirelessly to ensure all of our interns get the attention they need in pursuant to their internship goals. Interns also have the opportunity to learn from each other as there is much collaboration between both local and remote interns.
They work in diverse teams with other interns, either in the office or through virtual connections. Because of the cooperative nature of NSTEM’s projects, interns are encouraged to form continuing networking relationships with each other. Team building is supported in order to set interns up to thrive in a collaborative environment. After interning at NSTEM, interns have valuable and applicable skills for finding meaningful and productive environmental work gaining valuable work experience in the process.
Market Research Weekly Work:
We are helping as many students across the world as possible to instill STEM excitement and learning beginning in Kindergarten. In order to fulfill our mission, we need to communicate with educators who are passionate about helping their students in STEM. To meet our weekly goals of outreach to these educators, all NSTEM interns are required to spend no more than 2-hours a week collecting this critical and game changing information. When you are researching these educators, you are literally selecting the people who will be changing the lives of their students by taking part in the National STEM Honor Society. This role is one of the most important parts of working here at NSTEM. You will gain so many useful skills such as how to be a more effective researcher and how to remain organized all while playing a key role in expanding the size and scale of NSTEM. As Interns join NSTEM’s leadership, they take on increasing responsibilities and are not required to do weekly information collection.
Our leadership team here at NSTEM wants to create a positive working environment for you to learn and thrive. To meet this end, we strive to ensure:
- Family, health and school are most important – let us know what your needs are to ensure your physical and emotional wellbeing
- Team members engage fully in their work – always ensure you are in the right projects for you and your goals
- Team members work to capacity – you are here to get the most out of your experience, and that goes both ways, let us help you

President’s Volunteer Service Award:
The National STEM Honor Society is a certifying organization for the “President’s Volunteer Service Award” for eligible Department Managers and Directors. This award was created to, “recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity. This award is a great achievement to include on resumes and applications by honoring individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too.” Eligible NSTEM Department Managers and Directors interested in receiving this award should get in touch with their supervisors and HR over the course of their internship.