Location: St. Louis

Employees: 2,000

Number of interns: 238 currently, looking to hire an additional 60 to 90 interns

Length of internship: Two school semesters

Internship program created: 1997

What it does: Scottrade is a privately-held online brokerage firm with 340 branch offices across the nation. The firm offers a full line of investment products and online trading platforms to its clients.

Description of internship: Interns work at branch offices nationwide, assisting stock brokers and customers, opening new customer accounts, and learning about the business of online trading firsthand -- including face time with clients every day. At Scottrade headquarters in St. Louis, interns have the opportunity to work in every department.(paid)

Notable perks: An abundance of internship positions are available, and despite the large numbers at the company, interns still learn the business by working closely with full-time employees. Scottrade also has a training program for interns who want to become brokers. The company starts reaching out to interns early, talking to them about opportunities available when they graduate. If an intern wants to work in another state, the company will help the student move and pay a relocation fee, which includes a bonus for interns who go to hard-to-fill branches. Full-time employment is common, with about 20 percent of branch managers having started as interns.

Why interns? For a fast-growing company like Scottrade, recruitment manager Caroline Dybala says, interns are a business necessity and the program is a good way for students to get acclimated to the profession. There is also the comfort in knowing that if they like the experience, there are constantly more positions opening up and opportunities to work throughout the company.

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