Virtual Internships in the Time of COVID19: The New Normal

Internships are the students’ chance to experience work in the “real world,” making them both an exciting and terrifying experience. Unfortunately, the pandemic has canceled a lot of people’s schedules, including students’ internship plans. As internship plans are put to a halt, students do not know how to proceed or what to do next. Thankfully, more and more opportunities emerge for them because of virtual internships! 

The Virtual Internship: What is it?

An internship is a paid or voluntary career-based learning experience where a company hires potential employees, or interns, to work at their firm for a fixed period. The virtual internship is how you gain your internship experience, but remotely and online. 

This type of opportunity has been gaining popularity even before COVID-19 happened. The improvements in technology and the widespread use of the internet gave it stability, but it is becoming even more in-demand because of its practicality. People find it easier to look for opportunities as companies find it easy to connect to people daily on various platforms.

Through virtual internships, a student can get their professional work experience while staying at home. As long as they have access to a decent internet connection and have a computer to work on, they are already good to go.   

The Benefits of Remote Internships

As a student, you might be questioning if applying for virtual internships is the right one for you. With that, we give you these advantages you will get from remote internships.

• It offers flexibility—no need to adhere to the traditional office-internship schedule.
• It teaches accountability. You need to meet your deadlines within a given period.
• It is highly convenient. Meetings are done online through video calls or chats, on a schedule that works best for all team members. 
• If your schedule permits, you can apply for multiple internships. 
• You save money from not needing to commute for work or move to new cities.
• It is an excellent opportunity for people with a busy school schedule or those who cannot afford a full-time internship.
• There is diversity in people and ideas.
• No more doing of menial stuff such as fetching coffee. Instead, you will be engaged in specific projects that will help you grow. 
• You get valuable experience.
• It lets you continue working on your international career while staying safe at home. 

While there are many benefits, there are also drawbacks. Because there is no definite structure to it, it is not designed for everyone. Not all have the right mentality to be a remote worker, but your internship’s success depends on you and how well you work without direct, physical supervision. Companies need to adjust their structure, too, to work with their remote employees successfully. 

Conclusion

With or without a pandemic, virtual internships are always beneficial. You can be wherever you are and still get the work experience you need. They may present unique challenges, but they give students the flexibility and opportunity to demonstrate their work abilities, which is excellent preparation for the actual work demands. 

Whether you are a company setting up home-based paid internships or a student looking for international work from home internships, we are your website. We offer high school and university internships, giving more students across the world the same opportunity. Find the right program for you here at Virtual Internships.