For many aspiring professionals, university students, and fresh graduates, internships are the stepping stone from the academic to the professional working world. An internship allows you to gain practical experience in the workplace, build vital professional contacts, and solidify –or even revitalize– your career choices. However, in the post-COVID world, workplaces have expanded from offices to being located almost anywhere with internet connectivity. As a result, today’s virtual workplaces are redefining how teams collaborate, supervise, and make business choices.
But, how can you, as a fresh graduate, get ready for this rapidly shifting professional landscape?
Remote internships, online internships, virtual internships; whatever you call them, they all mean the same thing. It is the ability to gain real-world professional experience with no need to relocate or travel, all you need is a laptop and an internet connection. For employers looking to hire graduates, internship experience is one of the deciding factors between two equally qualified candidates.
If that wasn’t reason enough to think remote internships are worth it, read on! We’ll break down exactly what a remote internship is and why now is the perfect time to get this experience.
A remote internship is exactly what it sounds like – an internship done entirely virtually via emails, video calls, online chats, phone, and by using a variety of online tools and programs. Offering a great deal of flexibility, remote internships eliminate the geographical barrier, letting students work for companies across the globe. Without the need to travel or commute, suddenly the scope for who you can work for and what types of industries and cultures you can gain an insight into expands!
Remote internships, also called virtual internships, are an incredible way to take your knowledge from books and classrooms and put it into practice in a real-world work environment. Much like traditional internships, virtual internships enable students to gain practical work experience in career fields like finance, engineering, computer science, healthcare, marketing, NGOs, and plenty of other industries capable of remote operations.
Whilst working remotely is a relatively new concept, it doesn’t prevent businesses from operating at the same or even improved capacity. In an office environment, you may never get to work with the founder or c-suite member, but companies embracing the remote lifestyle are much more open to inclusive cooperation where everyone can offer up ideas.
That is just one of the many benefits of a virtual/remote internship.
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed not only our understanding, but our openness and appreciation of remote learning and working, and the opportunities it provides.
More and more companies are now taking operations online and recruiting remote workers from around the world. Whilst we were once limited by where we lived, grew up, or went to university to find a job, we now have the pick of the world.
However, that also means that competition for jobs has increased, especially so as us Gen-Z and Millenials embrace the freedom that remote jobs afford to simultaneously travel and work. Now, when applying for a remote role, you have competition from all over the world. That’s why gaining remote working experience through a virtual internship provides the opportunity to set yourself apart and show employers that you are already experienced in this new way of working.
Remote internships’ professional and personal benefits cannot be overstated. Offering the same if not more networking opportunities and hands-on experience, virtual internships get you ready for the future.
Here’s why thousands of students are applying for remote internships every year and why you should too.
On a tight budget and can’t afford to move to the US for the summer, but still want to intern at a fast-growing tech company in San Fransisco?
The answer? Remote internships.
Virtual/remote internships are an incredibly cost-effective way of gaining incredible work experience without the hassle of relocating or travelling. Moreover, since you’ll be working from home, you’ll also save a fortune on daily commutes, coffee, and out-of-office meals, not to mention the costs of flights and arranging visas should you be entertaining an in-office internship in another country.
Furthermore, conducting business in another country or continent entailed planning lengthy and expensive visits that rarely involved interns. However, these same meetings, seminars, and discussions are now carried out virtually, allowing the entire team, including interns looking to gain insight, to work together on a global scale with little to no expense.
It’s for this reason that over 70% of interns work directly with a founder or c-suite member at their host company!
One of our students’ favorite aspects of a remote internship is increased flexibility. You do not need to hustle to beat traffic and be on time every morning. Instead, your office is wherever you choose it to be!
With a more relaxed morning routine, you can stay stress-free and dedicate your complete attention to work. Better yet, you can design your day around life admin, social events, or your studies.
Our virtual internship program allows you to choose the length of your internship (between 4 and 12 weeks), your weekly commitment (between 10 and 30 hours), and your start date (every 2 weeks) so that you can optimize work/life balance.
Becoming a great leader is all about learning to be autonomous in your daily work, and remote internships naturally afford you a higher level of independence to build these skills.
Having more accountability and responsibility to manage your own time and work independently on a virtual internship may sound overwhelming at first. But, when you reach the end of your internship, you’ll see how important the skills you have developed are and how applicable they are to the professional world.
There’s nothing more vital than relevant professional experience, whether you’re a fresh graduate looking for an ideal job or an experienced professional looking to break into a new area. And what’s the best way to gain this real professional world experience? Virtual internships.
Virtual internships give you real-time access to an industry’s inner working experience. Furthermore, the industry experience and background certified by virtual internships add more weight to your CV/resume when applying for a full-time position, whether remote, in-office, or hybrid.
One of the most significant advantages is that you will gain hands-on, real-world experience that will improve your digital literacy and make you stand out in a competitive job market.
Choosing a career is a huge decision that will affect every aspect of your future. But, with so many options, how can you be sure if an industry is right for you?
The answer is simple: remote internship.
A virtual internship is like a trial drive before you finally make the biggest decision of your career. Providing you exposure to multiple departments, an online internship will enable you to test a career and see if the path for you, or if there’s something else that’ll interest you more.
One of the most prominent benefits of an internship, be it virtual or in-office, is the opportunity to build a valuable professional network. Remote interns take the networking stage one step further by collaborating directly with cross-functional teams and managers across borders.
Now, for those who chose our virtual internship program, there is an additional networking bonus. Not only do we match you with a hosting company in your ideal career field, but we also bring together top talents, professionals, and mentors from around the world to deliver frequent webinars that help cohorts of interns diversify their global professional connections.
Interns also enjoy the guidance of our dedicated intern-support team and access to our vast alumni network, many of whom now work for some of the world’s top companies, such as Amazon and Facebook.
Since the turn of the 21st century, digital literacy has become one of the most in-demand skills for the workforce. Especially in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, the necessity of digital and technical skills has soared in demand.
Moreover, digital natives, like Gen-Z, are inherently more competent at a variety of online and technology-based jobs. So, one of the most obvious perks of a remote internship is the exposure to learning and adapting to new software.
Interning remotely will also help improve your time management, problem-solving, and communication skills. Furthermore, a remote working experience will teach you to be more accountable for completing tasks on time without the need for any micromanagement from your supervisor.
In a nutshell, a remote internship will provide you with a plethora of valuable skills and transform you from a fresh graduate to a future-ready employee.
There are many more perks to remote internships than those listed above. But, we’re confident that we’ve covered the big hitters.
Flexibility, sustainability, independence, and affordability are unwavering aspects of being a successful employee in the twenty-first century. A remote internship equips you with all these skills and benefits and so much more.
So, what are you waiting for? Over 6,000 students have already embarked on the journey to becoming future-ready employees with our dynamic virtual internship programs. Now, it’s your turn.
Take the first step towards your bright future. Apply for a virtual internship today and you will be matched with a hosting company in six weeks or less!