Exploring Internship Opportunities in Boulder

Boulder, Colorado, a city known for its active lifestyle, access to nature, and innovative spirit, offers a diverse range of internship opportunities for students and young professionals. These internships span various fields, from environmental sustainability and social justice to government and community services, providing valuable experiences and skill development.

City of Boulder Internships

The City of Boulder itself provides numerous internship opportunities across its various departments. The city recognizes that careers are shaped through many pathways, and values the perspectives and talents that come with them. The city welcomes candidates with a wide range of lived experiences and professional backgrounds - including those historically excluded or underrepresented in government and especially encourages applications from Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and others whose voices haven’t always been heard in public service.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted online through the city's secure system. To maintain fairness and transparency, the city is unable to accept paper applications or resumes in place of an online submission. Be sure to apply by the deadline listed in the job posting. If you don’t see if, check your spam or junk folder. If you need an accommodation to complete your application, see the Equal Opportunity section below. Your application information is stored securely and is accessible only by authorized city staff. The city will be in touch with applicants selected to move forward in the interview process. While the city is unable to respond to individual status requests, they truly appreciate your interest and excitement. The process typically includes an initial phone or video screen, followed by interviews with the hiring team.

Benefits of Working for the City of Boulder

The City of Boulder offers competitive pay, comprehensive benefits and time to recharge, so you can do your best work for our community. The City of Boulder promotes civic engagement through advisory committees, public meetings and volunteerism. The city knows that local government works best when the community participates. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. The City of Boulder is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities.

Common Application Questions

Can I apply for more than one role at a time? Yes. The city encourages you to apply for any roles that match your skills and interests. Each application will be reviewed individually and at times by different hiring managers.
What happens if I’m a current employee and apply through the external careers site? If you apply externally, you’ll receive a decline notification and be redirected to reapply through the internal careers’ portal. This ensures your application is processed correctly as an internal candidate.
Are there volunteer opportunities? Yes, the city offers volunteer opportunities. Please visit the city’s Volunteer Page for more information and to see current opportunities.
When is the deadline for submitting my application? All deadlines are posted on each job posting. Each deadline is set for 11:59 PM Mountain Time on the date. The city advises all applicants to apply as soon as possible.
When will I hear back after applying? Timelines vary by role and the hiring manager’s interview plan, but most applicants should receive an update within 2-4 weeks of applying.
How do I check the status of my application? Please login into your Workday account that was set up when you applied with us, and you can review under the Candidate Home>My Applications
I want to edit my application. I can only Withdraw the application. Once I do that, I tried to re-apply for the position, but I can’t. Why not? The system does not allow editing of applications. Once submitted, you cannot add a resume, cover letter, or make changes to the application. If you accidentally hit the Withdraw Application button, the city can help.
Do you provide accommodation during interviews? Yes.
I’m having trouble submitting my application. What should I do? Try using a desktop browser instead of mobile and clear your cache.
How do I see my Offer Letter? On the City of Boulder Careers web page, in the top right-hand corner, you can log into your Workday account by clicking on the Sign-In link. There, you will find the Candidate Home tab, where the Offer Letter will be located.
I can’t see my Offer Letter in my portal - what should I do? First, clear your browser cache and be sure you are using a desktop browser. The mobile version may not display all available options.
I’m not able to log in to my Workday account. What should I do? Please note that if you were previously employed with the City of Boulder, you should not log in through the internal Workday account. Instead, use the External Workday Login Link. Conversely, if you are a current employee, please be sure to log in through the internal Workday portal.
I keep getting an error message submitting my application, and I don’t know why. Can you help?

CU Public Interest Internship Experience (PIIE) Program

The CU Public Interest Internship Experience (PIIE) Program, established in 2006, connects students interested in civic engagement with paid internships at nonprofits and government agencies. PIIE was the first of its kind among public universities in the nation and has become increasingly competitive since its first summer. Now in its 21st year, PIIE has provided more than 200 internships in fields ranging from animal welfare to education, health, law, sustainability and more.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible for a CU PIIE internship, a student must:

Be a full-time undergraduate at CU Boulder. Student must also be continuing enrollment (study abroad counts) for the following fall semester after the internship takes place.
Be in good academic standing with a GPA of 2.5 or higher.
International students are not eligible to apply.

Program Components

Interns are matched with a mentor (typically a CU staff member) who provides support throughout the summer.
Interns participate in professional development activities with Career Services to learn more about skills they are gaining and reflect on their experiences
Interns are awarded a total of $5,000 if chosen for the PIIE program. Payment is distributed in the form of a recognition award from CU PIIE, and direct payment from the host organization. The internship requires completion of 250 hours over the course of 9-12 weeks. This equates to approximately $20 an hour. Recognition Awards are considered "Other Financial Aid (OFA)" and, consequently, must be reported to Financial Aid. on February 8.

Application Materials

One completed PIIE application.
An updated resume. The quality of your resume affects your application.

Application Timeline (Example for Summer 2026)

Applications for Summer 2026 have now closed. Please check back in January for Summer 2027 positions and internship opportunites.
Jan. 14: PIIE Applications Best Practices Virtual Presentation. Register on Handshake. This presentation is optional but a great way to learn more about the application process.
Jan. 19: Applications open
Feb. 19-Mar. 13: Applications reviewed by PIIE and host organizations. Interviews conducted during this time and offers will be made.
Mar. 20: Deadline for students to accept or decline received offers.

Once students submit their full application, they will be initially reviewed by the PIIE board to identify potential candidates. Successful applications will then be sent to host organizations. Employers will then contact candidates to set up interviews. By the end of March, all PIIE internships will have offers made and accepted. The CU PIIE director will work with applicants who do not receive an internship offer by providing resources that may help them in their future.

Boulder County District Attorney's Office Internships

The Boulder County District Attorney’s Office offers a limited number of law clerk positions each semester for law school students, and internships for undergraduate students.

Law Clerk Positions

Law Clerks assist county court DAs with plea bargaining at arraignments and drafting appeal briefs. Law Clerks will also assist both county and district court DAs with legal research, drafting motions, and trial preparation. Law Clerks will have the opportunity to observe trials and participate in training opportunities when available. Law Clerk positions are offered during the fall, spring, and summer semesters.

Pre-Law Undergraduate Interns

Pre-Law Undergraduate Interns assist the many units contained within the District Attorney’s Office. Interns are provided the opportunity to work with each unit/division of the office on various case management tasks and needs. Interns attend office events, court hearings, jury trials, and a variety of events with both Law Enforcement agencies and Judicial Court staff. This internship is in person only. Applications for the Summer semester internship will open on April 13, 2026.

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EXPAND Internship Program

Located in Boulder, Colorado, EXPAND is dedicated to help people of all abilities enjoy life, focusing on:

Physical fitness and sports
Independence and self-confidence
Building community
Safety within programs and in the community
Emotional well-being and appropriate expression of emotions
Cognition skills such as decision making, understanding rules and sustained attention
Leisure awareness, leisure education and having FUN!

EXPAND accepts up to nine interns studying Therapeutic Recreation per year; three during each semester (fall, winter/spring, summer). Interns are supervised by one of the EXPAND staff members and will get a chance to work with all of us. They strive to have you involved in all aspects of our jobs so you leave understanding what it takes to be a community-based recreational therapist. Their internship meets all NCTRC standards so you too can take the test and become a CTRS!

Internship Schedule

Fall: early September to mid- December
Winter/Spring: early January to mid- April
Summer: end of May- early September

Other Internship and Volunteer Opportunities

Eco-Cycle: Internships related to recycling and waste management. Eco-Cycle is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and workplace.
Earthjustice: Legal internships with a focus on environmental law. Earthjustice is the nation’s premier nonprofit environmental law organization. They take on the biggest, most precedent-setting cases across the country. They wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health; to preserve magnificent places and wildlife; to advance clean energy; and to combat climate change.
Environmental Center: Hiring for several positions to start before the end of the Spring semester. Most positions continue into the fall semester, some have summer work potential. They are seeking students with a passion for sustainability, climate action and social justice.
Kilt Farm: Positions related to regenerative agriculture and sustainable food systems. Kilt Farm manages over 80 acres spread across three properties in Boulder County growing over 60 different varieties of vegetables with a focus on soil health and nutritional density. They have many positions available for the 2023 Season and believe that in order for us to take care of the environment, we must take care of ourselves and support each other.
Resource Central: Opportunities for those who love working outside and are interested in conservation. Resource Central is looking for conservation heroes to join their team.
RMFI (Rocky Mountain Field Institute): Environmental Leadership Internships. This is an exciting opportunity to join the RMFI team as an Environmental Leadership Intern for the 2023 season!
Teen Naturalist Team: Open to teens ages 13 to 18 interested in environmental sciences, ecology, and nature. The club will meet once a week for an activity focused on nature, art, environmental stewardship and policy, professional development, or other related topic.
YOP (Youth Opportunities Program): The YOP offers Boulder youth opportunities to impact their own lives and those of other youth through peer outreach and representation of youth voice in local government and community projects and initiatives, and funding of individual and community grants.
Courier Volunteer: As a courier volunteer, you will go to a grocery store donor, sort out perishable food they have set aside for us, compost what is non-edible, and bike or drive the quality food to the designated recipient site. We have over ten shifts per day, including weekends. A shift typically takes 1-2 hours.
Yellow Barn “guardian”: Helping to hold the container of the farm as an incubator, demonstration site, and community center.

Youth Opportunities Program (YOP)

Since 1994 the YOP has:

Hosted 30 students for paid internships with the City of Boulder to help youth develop leadership skills and promote youth civic engagement.
Honored more than 200 Outstanding Youth Volunteers for their service in the local community.
Supported access to cultural, educational and recreational activities for more than 100,000 youths through an annual grant program.
Funded youth-serving or -supporting programs in more than 150 schools and organizations.
Compensated young people for contributing more than 55,000 hours of volunteer service to the community.

The YOP strengthens the community through:

Empowering youth
Providing opportunities for youth
Encouraging youth civic participation and volunteer work
Advising city government

The YOP facilitates:

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Young people educating each other how to prevent risky behaviors.
Programs that help improve attendance, academics, health and well-being.
Youths finding their voices.
Critical thinking, writing, interviewing and other professional skills.

The YOP does this work through the Youth Opportunities Advisory Board (YOAB), which is made up of 16 students from four local public and private high schools.

Past YOAB Projects

Coordinating the Youth Climate Change Summit.
Providing outreach to youth to increase awareness of Census 2020.
Contributing youth perspective to the master plans for Transportation, Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP), Parks and Recreation and the Boulder Police Department.
Creating a video about the achievement gap.
Conducting a survey about youth needs among City of Boulder youth.

The YOP maintains a list of many different local civic engagement programs that middle or high school students can become involved in. Many of them tend to be longer-term commitments than the volunteer opportunities listed in the Youth Volunteer Information booklet, also published by the YOP, which contains a list of local youth volunteer opportunities organized by age. The 23-24 YOAB was engaged in the Situation Analysis phase of the child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI), which involved gathering insights from various sources. This began with selecting criteria with community input and proceeding to gather feedback from youth and those who interact with them. Their assessments covered areas like youth safety in neighborhoods and their sense of community involvement. YOAB members took training to facilitate community discussions effectively, enabling them to host events like the Teen Town Hall and participate in programs like the Youth Service Initiative (YSI) and the Youth Equity Council (YEC). Through these initiatives, they administered assessments and facilitated conversations to gather data, which they then contributed to larger initiatives like the Child Friendly City Initiative. Additionally, they participated in events like What’s Up Boulder? to interact with youth directly and gather their perspectives on city life. Another significant aspect of their involvement was in intergenerational workshops and the formation of a Youth Council, which played a crucial role in directing funds assigned for community initiatives like the CFCI. This approach highlighted the importance of data collection in guiding future actions.

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