Car Dealership Internships

by Chris
(Waco, TX)

Question: I'm a freshman in college and I was wondering how I could get a car dealership internship or a part time job at a car dealership.

I'm currently pursuing a business degree and I haven't decided whether I would like to get a degree in professional sales, real estate, finance, or entrepreneurship.

I can also double major in any of these areas, as my school is known for having a broad range of courses that tie in with one another.

What tips do you have for getting an internship? Also, how would this look in the future for job applications and interviews when I graduate? Thank you.


Answer: That's a very interesting question and one that I haven't heard before. As far as getting some sort of car dealership internship, I would think it would just be a matter of approaching a dealerships General Manager or possibly even the owner themselves.

I would think a lot of dealers would be open to this as the dealer would get free labor in exchange for a free education. Only hang up I can see is insurance issues the dealer might encounter.

We actually did something like this at my dealership with a young woman that wanted to learn more about the service side of the business. She shadowed our service writer for a few months and learned quite a bit about the process of writing up vehicles for service, customer service and upselling.

I know we've also done things like this with the detail department as well. I believe this was an arrangement agreed upon between the local Community College and the owners of the dealership.

Will all dealers do this? No. But it's worth a shot to ask. As I mentioned it is free labor for them. Another question would be whether or not the dealer would be willing to work around your schedule. The hours in the car business can be a bit brutal.

If you found the right dealer and they allowed you to do this, then I think it would be an excellent thing for a future resume.

It would show you were motivated to learn and to excel. It may even set you up with a nice job with this dealer once your schooling was complete.

I wish I could give more advice here, but I think it's really going to come down to you doing some leg work and making some calls to see who is willing to consider something like this. Better yet, wear your Sunday best and go pound the pavement (meaning meet with them in person).

Professionally dressed, well groomed and eager to learn will go along way in making a positive impression.

Hope this helps,
Justin