Imagine: You’re sitting on your sunny deck with an iced tea in hand along with your trusty MacBook. Instead of browsing Pinterest for hours, you’re gaining valuable real-world experience through a virtual internship. How amazing is that?
1. You can create your own schedule. Flexibility is a huge perk of virtual internships. Most employers are willing to work with students and their schedules too. Especially if you need to balance your internship with a part-time job, remote internships offer the flexibility you need.
2. You don’t have to leave your house. Another great benefit of virtual internships is that you don’t have to relocate unless you want to. No commute. No in-person meetings. No office hours. And if you want, you can work at a coffee shop for the afternoon. Virtual internships give you the flexibility to work from any location you desire.
3. You’ll build valuable connections. While it’s very likely you’ll never meet your boss in real life, you will have the opportunity to build relationships with professionals in your field. These connections will play a huge role in your career and discovering future jobs.
4. You’ll save lots of moo-lah. Finding an internship can be super expensive, especially if it’s unpaid. If you’re tight on cash, a virtual internship is a great option, seeing as you don’t have to worry about the cost of commuting, finding temporary housing or buying new clothes for work.
5. You have more options. The opportunities are practically endless for remote internships. In fact, you could work for a company across the world if you really wanted to. Resources such as Muse Jobs, Levo League and InternMatch make it easy to find remote opportunities. As long as you do your research and only apply for positions at reputable organizations, you’ll be able to find a valuable virtual internship that fits your needs.
6. You’ll gain real experience. Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you won’t gain valuable experience. In fact, a virtual internship can offer just as much (if not more) experience than a traditional internship. You can expect to be assigned real-world projects and have the opportunity to build an outstanding portfolio.
7. You’ll learn how to manage your time. When you work from home as an intern, your employer will expect you to be independent and responsible. The skills you gain from this remote position will transform you into a more confident professional and teach you how to be an accountable employee.
Have you ever had a virtual internship? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
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