Teaching Career Development

Industry Partnerships: How Private Schools Partner With Employers to Expand Internship Opportunities

Private elementary, middle, and high schools are strengthening their focus on real-world learning. Families increasingly expect schools to offer experiences that help students explore careers, build practical skills, and understand the workplace long before college. In 2025, internships and industry partnerships have become essential components of a well-rounded private school education.

This updated guide explains how private schools collaborate with employers, why these partnerships matter for students and families, which models work best, and what effective programs look like today. It also offers practical guidance for parents, educators, and school leaders who want to evaluate or improve internship opportunities.

1. Why Internship Partnerships Matter

Internships help students connect academic learning with practical skills. For younger students, early exposure builds confidence and motivates future academic choices. For high-school students, internships support college essays, demonstrate initiative, and help clarify academic or career interests.

For employers, partnerships with schools provide an opportunity to support their local community, develop future talent, and introduce students to growing fields such as advanced manufacturing, healthcare technology, cybersecurity, and environmental science.

For schools, internships strengthen curricular relevance, enhance college-counseling efforts, and help families understand the school’s commitment to student development beyond classroom instruction.

Internships also benefit students from a wider range of backgrounds when programs intentionally incorporate access, preparation, and mentorship. Schools that offer structured work-based learning can help level the playing field for

Career Pathways After Private School: Data and Insights for 2025

When families invest in a private school education, the long-term goal is clear. Parents want their children prepared for college, career exploration, and meaningful choices after graduation. Private schools provide strong academic foundations, individualized advising, and robust extracurricular opportunities that shape those next steps.

Yet the landscape beyond high school has become more complex. Rising program variety, evolving workforce expectations, and shifting college costs mean that families benefit from understanding the full range of postsecondary options, including how different routes affect long-term outcomes. This article updates the conversation for 2025, offering private school parents a style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt;">Private School Review’s mission is to help families make confident, well-informed decisions. The insights below focus specifically on private school students and the decisions they face as they move toward college and early-career preparation.

Why Postsecondary Outcomes Matter for Private School Families

Parents of private school students typically focus on four-year college enrollment, selective admissions, and academic preparation. These remain central. However, today’s postsecondary environment also includes:

• More varied credentials offered by colleges and career-training institutions
• Greater emphasis on skills that connect directly to labor-market demand
• Expanded dual-enrollment and early college opportunities within high schools
• Rising interest in short-term or flexible programs that complement a bachelor’s degree
• Increased attention to early career exploration during grades 9 through 12

Understanding this wider landscape helps families reinforce the strengths of a private school education.

The Private School Survival Guide for Teachers (2025 Edition)

Teaching in a private school can be immensely rewarding. Small class sizes, supportive families, and the opportunity to shape a school community are powerful draws for many educators. At the same time, the role comes with unique expectations—balancing high parental involvement, rigorous academic standards, and often a broader teaching load than in public schools.

This updated 2025 guide offers practical strategies to help teachers not just survive, but thrive, in today’s private school environment.

Understanding the Private School Context

Private schools serve about 10% of U.S. K–12 students as of 2024, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. While tuition ranges widely—from under $10,000 at some parochial schools to over $60,000 at elite boarding schools—families increasingly expect a return on that investment.

That means teachers are often seen not only as classroom instructors, but as mentors, advisors, and role models. Many schools also expect faculty to contribute outside the classroom through coaching, residential life, or extracurricular programs.

“Private school teaching demands flexibility. You’re not just teaching English or math—you’re helping build a culture,” notes Dr. Sarah Williams, Director of Faculty Development at a leading independent school in New England.

Managing Workload and Expectations

Private school teachers often enjoy smaller class sizes—averaging 15 students per class compared with 24 in public schools—but the trade-off is a heavier overall workload. Many faculty wear multiple hats, from

When you apply for a teaching position, the technical and soft skills you offer are high on the list of prerequisites. We'll cover technical skills in another article. But first, look at soft skills and learn why they are the backdrop against which you will be assessed both as a teacher and an individual. Listing your soft skills on your resume identifies you as a candidate who will be a good fit in the classroom and the larger school community.

The importance of soft skills

Soft skills are crucial in an interview because they are the traits that can set you apart from others with similar technical abilities. After all, you will not be the only applicant for the position you have applied for. Your soft skills can and should drive you to the top of the list. Why? Because schools want to know that a potential teacher has the following soft skills:

1. work well with others
2. communicate effectively
3. adapt to new situations

Soft skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and leadership can make you stand out in an interview. These skills can also demonstrate your ability to handle stress, work under pressure, and think critically. In many cases, your soft skills can be just as essential as your technical skills regarding hiring decisions. That's why it's always a good idea to focus on developing your soft skills alongside your technical abilities.

What are soft skills?

Soft skills are those personal attributes, habits, and social behaviors

In all the years I have written about private schools, I have never written anything about what a teacher does. This year after the pandemic, I feel that it is even more critical than ever to encourage and attract people to the profession. Let me preface my remarks by noting that teaching in a private school is somewhat different from teaching in a public school. The only exception to that statement that I can think of would be teaching in rural schools or other places where the school district is very small. Private schools are free-standing entities. There's no such thing as a district of private schools. As a result, a small PK-6 private school could have twelve teachers or less and a correspondingly tiny administrative staff. So, if small-sized schools appeal to you and prefer being in a situation where your voice can be heard, I recommend that you explore teaching in a small school. Of course, there are large PK-13 private schools with 1,000 or more students. Explore working in one of those if that's your thing.

Something which may appeal to those of you thinking about becoming a teacher later in life is that most private schools will accept your credentials without a teaching certificate. They will generally insist that you earn your teaching certification within a fixed period of a year or so. Most private schools focus on the quality of your tertiary education. So, if you did a bachelor of science