What You Need to Know About a Virtual Internship

What You Need to Know About a Virtual Internship There was a time when the only way you could experience an internship was to be physically present at the employers location. Now that the Internet is available everywhere, virtual internships are becoming more popular. In a virtual internship, you can work remotely while still gaining that valuable experience. However, as with traditional internships, there are pros and cons to doing an internship primarily on your own. Read on to find out what you must know about such an arrangement. Competition for Positions May Be Stiffer In a traditional internship, the applicant pool generally consists of candidates who live within commuting distance of a business. When a company opens up an opportunity for a virtual internship, applicants may live almost anywhere. In that case, its likely that youll be competing against far more qualified people. You May Not Win a Full-Time Position Companies with lower budgets may use virtual interns to staff short-term or small projects. That might mean the company doesnt need you 40 hours a week. Of course, if your plate is full and you dont need to get in a certain number of hours, this could be a good thing for you. Youll Have to Cover Your Own Expenses One benefit of a traditional internship is that you go to a physical location and use the companys own resources, such as computers and printers. If youre doing an internship from school or home, youll most likely be footing the bill for those items yourself. Moreover, if your computer crashes, its your responsibility to get it fixed ASAP. Virtual Internships Only Work in Certain Industries A virtual intern can fill any job that a fulls of common fields include: Graphic design Social media management Editing Software and web development Research Accounting Obviously, any profession that involves working with people or equipment, such as healthcare, would not be open to virtual interns. Networking Wont Come Easy If youre not working at the companys physical location, you wont be making many new in-person contacts. Sure, youll be emailing or Skyping the people you work with directly, but you wont meet people from other departments in the hallway or the kitchen. If you crave social contact, you might find a virtual internship depressing. On the other hand, youll be able to connect online with people- possibly all over the country or the world- through intranets, LinkedIn, and other channels. You May Not Learn Much About the Company When you spend most of your internship in your own personal environment, you wont witness the operations of the company. Its possible that you wont get a good feel for what goes on daily at such a business. When its time to search for a full-time position, having to dress up, commute, and deal with co-workers may be a bit of an adjustment. You Need to Be a Self-Starter If you always relied on your roommate to wake you up for your class, or you tend to be a daydreamer, you may find it extremely difficult to stay on task with a virtual internship. People may check up on you via phone calls or emails, but most of the time, youll need to be able to complete the work yourself without a lot of supervision. Virtual Internships Offer Plenty of Benefits While there are negatives you must consider, virtual internships work very well for the right people. You can fit work in around another part-time job, family commitments, and other activities. You wont have to commute, so youll be safer, save money, and save the environment. More companies are hiring full-time employees with the understanding that the employees will work from home. As this trend continues, youll be well prepared to start a telecommuting career after completing a virtual internship. You wont be micromanaged. If youre an introvert or somebody who simply chafes at the idea of having a boss, less contact may be more comfortable for you.