Internship, Craftsmanship (Fall 2025)

What To Expect
Consider before submitting an application:

This position is expected to start around August or September 2025 and continue through the Fall term (ending approximately December 2025) or continuing into Winter/Spring 2026 if available and there is an opportunity to do so. We ask for a minimum of 12 weeks, full-time and on-site, for most internships. Our internship program is for students who are actively enrolled in an academic program. Recent graduates seeking employment after graduation and not returning to school should apply for full-time positions, not internships.

International Students: If your work authorization is through CPT, please consult your school on your ability to work 40 hours per week before applying. You must be able to work 40 hours per week on-site. Many students will be limited to part-time during the academic year.

Internship Program at Tesla

The Internship Recruiting Team is driven by the passion to recognize and develop emerging talent. Our year-round program places the best students in positions where they will grow technically, professionally, and personally through their experience working closely with their Manager, Mentor, and team. We provide an experience that allows the intern to experience life at Tesla by including them in projects that are critical to their team’s success.

About The Team
Craftsmanship is the perception of quality that a customer has about a product, derived through sight, touch, sound, and scent. The Tesla Craftsmanship team is responsible for ensuring that all Tesla products have the highest level of perceived quality so they are utterly compelling in the store and provide a faultless experience during use.

How do we do it? At the early stages we work with the Product Management teams to quantify the required product content, the Design Studio to identify and resolve any issues relating to the concept, the Engineering and Dimensional teams to develop achievable, world-class gap and flush targets, and the Manufacturing and Quality teams to identify and prioritize issues during pre-production and launch.

What You'll Do
Unique aspects of an internship in the Craftsmanship team include:

Broad vehicle exposure – We get involved in the design and engineering of all customer-facing systems, from seats to interior trim to exterior systems. Embedded in the Engineering team, this broad exposure makes for a huge variety in projects, cross-functional interaction, an ability to have a broad impact to the end product, and accelerates understanding of the design detail of multiple systems across the vehicle

Target Setting, Communication and Validation – We set measurable engineering targets that will deliver world-class craftsmanship through competitor vehicle benchmarking and data analysis; validate those targets through physical models, mockups, and using digital visualization tools; communicate and negotiate those targets with the wider Engineering and Studio teams, ensuring that they are achievable; and support the Engineering and Manufacturing teams in meeting those targets

Quantification of Customer Feeling – Much of what the Craftsmanship team does is turning subjective customer perception into objective engineering targets by quantifying the premium look, sound, or feel of a system, and identifying all the sensory inputs that will deliver a “wow” experience. For instance, the premium feeling of an armrest that is not too soft or hard, not too thick or thin is quantified with an engineering specification graph that defines force and deflection

What You'll Bring

Currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design or a related field

Strong communication and influencing skills

An inherent attention to detail and an understanding of the factors that create a perception of exceptional quality in the mind of the consumer

An understanding of the fundamentals of good design and user experience, as well as the engineering fundamentals that facilitate delivery of the design

An appreciation for the impact and contribution to dimensional variation in assemblies

Some understanding of statistical analysis would be advantageous

An appreciation of how subjective data can be measured or quantified to develop robust, representative Craftsmanship targets

Good level of numeracy, literacy and logical reasoning skills

Benefits
Compensation and Benefits
As a full-time Tesla Intern, you will be eligible for:

Aetna PPO and HSA plans > 2 medical plan options with $0 payroll deduction

Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits

Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans. Both have an option with a $0 payroll contribution

Company Paid (Health Savings Account) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High Deductible Medical Plan with HSA

Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

401(k), Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits

Company Paid Basic Life, AD&D, and short-term disability insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Sick time after 90 days of employment and Paid Holidays

Back-up childcare and parenting support resources

Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, theft & legal services, and pet insurance

Commuter benefits

Employee discounts and perks program

Expected Compensation

$20.00 - $50.00/hour benefits

Pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

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