Complete Guide To Remote Internships
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the ways we work. Its long-term contribution to the rise of remote working and learning experiences reawakened the long existing remote internships, or a type of internship that allows interns to work elsewhere other than traditional office settings, amid the downfall of other internships.
What put remote internships above other types of internships during this time of global disorderliness, though appear to be perchance, perfectly captures the essence and importance of remote internships themselves.
However, it must not be forgotten that remote internships could spell trouble to those who are so used to in-person engagements since transition from face-to-face interactions to ones that occur virtually. To help you better understand remote internships, we have put together a Complete Guide To Remote Internships!
In this Complete Guide To Remote Internships, we will be covering everything remote internship related from its benefits and challenges to the steps involved in finding and applying for one— and lots and lots more!
If you are short on time and would love to get to the part that piques your interest fast, jump to the section of your liking below!
- Ways To Improve Remote Experiences
- Remote Internships Benefits
- Why Remote Internships Unique
- Challenge Of Doing Remote Internship
- Finding Remote Internship
- Applying Remote Internship
- Tips For Successful Remote Internship
- Conclusion Paragraphs
Ways To Improve Remote Internship Experiences
It is no secret that remote internships can be challenging, sometimes. You could be doing a remote internship and not getting anything worthwhile out of it. Or worse, you could be doing a remote internship and feeling confused, lost, and exhausted if you don’t know how to properly customize it to your working and learning styles!
Although remote internships make for what it lacks with flexible working hours, exposure to cross-cultural cultures, and cost-effectiveness (*note: we will be going into more detail on them in Remote Internships Benefits*), their constraints remain visible.
For that reason, we thought what better way to start our Complete Guide To Remote Internships than how you could transform how you experience remote internships!
And here are some ways in which you can enhance your remote internship experience without having to lose a penny. You will not be needing to install new updates onto your devices or purchasing new software for that matter...
It Could All Go Down The Drain Without A Realistic Goal
You know that you are undergoing this remote internship. You would want to make the most out of this experience because it’s not everyday that you will get a chance to learn from those who are in the profession. You know full well that this is what you should prioritize first.
To avoid misusing your opportunity, sit yourself down and make a list of what you want to accomplish or achieve by the end of your remote internship. Once you have a well thought out plan in mind, you can optimize your time during the internship. If your goals were met earlier on in your internship, you can utilize the rest of your time to request for more mind boggling tasks where you can hone new skills and broaden your professional networks at the same time!
It’s Time To Better Allocate Your Time
Surrounded by distractions and piles of work, it is easy for you to lose track of time and focus on tasks in front of you. To practice good time management, you can choose to make your personal deadlines or to-do lists of when you want to get things done that are different to what have been assigned to you. For instance, you can make yours one or two weeks earlier; and come back to double check your work.
Though remote internships make it seem like you have a lot of time on your hands, your deadlines are set in stone. Sure, it does not help that your internships happen remotely and you are bound to get sidetracked (more often than not). However, it is important for you to focus on the results and the fruits of what you do! Time management means sacrificing time out of your day to carry out your duties.
Practice How You Communicate
Miscommunication is nothing new to companies. When happening offline, the chance of them being quickly resolved is relatively high. Put them online and they could unveil larger issues with the way in which communication occurs internally such as problems with idea generation and the lack thereof; cultural differences; information mishandling. Done properly, communication could boost productivity tremendously.
Means of communication are strictly limited for remote internships. Online communication (email, video conference, or text messages) are more prone to miscommunication. A way to minimize this is for you to be direct and concise with what you are intending to communicate. If you have ideas of how to better operations, put it out there! This could bring up your satisfaction towards your remote internship as a whole.
Another method is to make clear the unclear messages. Being the new intern, you may not be used to the ways things are done in the company. It is always better to double check! When instructions or briefs are clear, you are more likely to carry out those tasks without flaws. Admittedly, that is rewarding in itself!
Don’t Shy Away From Voicing Your Opinions!
Nobody is perfect no matter how hard they try to be. The same holds true for your internship company. With your fresh pair of eyes, you are more inclined to spot how things could operate differently and in a more efficient manner than most permanent employees (since they are so used to the corporate culture!). Communicating your ideas is made even easier with remote internships.
A remote internship eradicates production blocking or the process which emphasizes the failed delivery of fresh ideas due to existing discussion since more than one channel of communication is made available. What’s more is that a remote internship grants you the ability to gather your thoughts before voicing them out. That builds up your reputation and makes you marketable, which might be beneficial if you are looking to better your chances of landing a full-time position at the company.
But let’s be honest, even if you have no plans of turning your internship into a job, your ideas could still contribute to the company positively— and that at the very least would look great on your resumé. Make a statement. Show them that you see more value in their company than your personal gain!
Remote Internship Benefits
Now that we have established the fact that there is always room for improvement for remote internships and how to enhance yours in particular, it is time for us to lay out the benefits of remote internships!
In this section of our Complete Guide To Remote Internship, we will be walking you through the perks of remote internship for you, interns.
Opportunities To Intern In An International Team
Companies could also make use of remote internships to acquire new, skilled employees in a wider pool of talents since they are no longer limited by logistics and other geographical barriers. This makes it easier for them to recruit future employees— they already have a general idea of how they perform, all that’s left is to assess their performances.
As a result, you will have the opportunity to work side by side with international talents where you will benefit from wider networks; cultural knowledge and competency as well as refined creative thinking and problem solving skills.
More Time For You
Undergoing remote internships means that you can attain valuable professional experiences in the comfort of your own home; without having to commute to work. This helps free up time in your otherwise busy schedule for you to develop your skills and further your knowledge.
Flexibility promoted by remote internships also gives you the room to get in touch with your internal selves, take care of your physical and mental wellbeing, or work on your passion projects. Once you find that work-life balance, you can expect to see a surge in your productivity.
Diversities, Variations, And More (Fun)
Since remote internships can take place in any corner of the world, interns vary in race, culture, and nationality. When opportunities arise for collaboration among interns, you can expect a variety of different, and, enticing ideas.
International colleagues and coworkers will more likely than not bring in new perspectives and ways in which certain issues could be approached. When working alongside them, you will for sure have a lot of fun working around a series of problems and setbacks.
Why Remote Internships Unique
Arguably, these perks are not exclusive to remote internships. Certain benefits can be acquired through hybrid or traditional internships. So what exactly sets remote internships apart from other types of internships?
We will be answering that question in this portion of our Complete Guide To Remote Internships!
Unlike hybrid internships where some part of the internship are carried out in person; and traditional internships where skill advancements revolve around physical interaction, remote internships remove all of those interactions. Ironically, what appears to be one of their top-listed disadvantages is also one of its greatest strengths.
Not only do remote internships offer more opportunities for disadvantaged groups to carry out their internships that would otherwise be impossible (if not extremely difficult for them to), they are an attractive option in industries where in-person interactions are secondary. These may include but are not limited to Arts, Graphic Design, Marketing, and Digital Engineering.
Last but not least, remote internships open up opportunities for skilled and passionate individuals to collaborate with one another without having to physically transport themselves across borders. They allow for ideas to be exchanged freely and for projects to be carried out more continually.
Challenge Of Doing Remote Internship
In this following unit of our Complete Guide To Remote Internships, we will be covering problems posed by remote internships!
Minimal Guidance
Although this is not always true, it is safe to assume that remote internships would leave you with the least amount of support and mentorship that you very much look forward to in the first few weeks of the internship. Especially if you are doing your remote internship in a large multinational company.
Unless you are highly independent and enjoy figuring things out on your own, this will be more or less problematic. Without your supervisors or mentors, you will most likely be left in the dark in the unfamiliar and fast paced environment that is typical to remote internships. No matter how mentally stable you like to think you are, that will still put you under an unnecessary amount of pressure and stress!
Technical Difficulties
Being entirely or over- reliant on technology is not always the smartest move. Since remote internships operate solely on Wi-Fi or internet connection, technical issues could make it more troublesome to retrieve or continue the work of remote interns during power outages or times without reliable internet connection.
Disruption or discontinuation of workflow however does more damage down the line. You will have to make time out of your already busy day to deal with the aftermath of it all. You know, to make up for all those time lost and opportunity cost.
Fewer Social Cues
Since all activities— meetings and communication included—- are moved online during remote internships, it becomes increasingly difficult for workers to pick up appropriate social indicators from text messages and camera-off meeting attendees.
The inability to indicate social cues directly results in communication efficiency, which inevitably brings about misunderstandings among employees; increases in their buffer time; and puts a huge toll on the overall production of fresher ideas.
Unmotivated
Remote internships seclude you from the outside world. Although this may not seem to be causing any issues at the beginning of your remote internship, the lack of physical interaction could get to you in a couple of weeks in, and eventually lead to a downward spiral of your long-term drive and motivation to carry out your tasks.
Un-motivation not only rid you off your will to work, it lowers your engagement and slows down your overall performance. And worse, you are more prone to commit mistakes during your remote internships. It, therefore, requires a tremendous amount of self-discipline and diligence to maintain your high standards (... which is easier said than done!).
Finding Remote Internship
Since you have already grasped the full understanding of remote internships: that is their potentials, benefits, challenges, up until their prospective improvements. Let’s dive right into one of the most essential elements of our Complete Guide To Remote Internships where we will be focusing on how and where to look for remote internship opportunities.
You could begin your search for remote internships by industries, that is to plug in on your search engine popular fields, or industries, for remote internships such as Environment, Business, Marketing, Law, or Education.
Despite that, we find that the most convenient and the fastest way to find yourself a remote internship is to go on the internet. Browse your way through the web pages! If you prefer to get in touch with credible sources, we have a few recommendations in store for you!
We highly advise you to look for awarded internship providers like AIP. We suggest you do so, not because of their reputation but to ensure that you gain the best remote internship experience. An internship is more than offering support to your internship company; it could be a once-in-a-lifetime professional experience where you get a chance to recognize your own potential and discover your career aspirations.
Internship providers like AIP would also offer you the chance to work in destinations, industries, and companies of your preference for the duration that is most suitable for you!
These details (the destination, industry, and company in which you carry out your remote internship in) matters because they are essentially your first taste of the real world. This means that they have the influence over the way in which you perceive the working world. If they leave you with a positive impression, you are more likely to view your career path in a more positive light, and vice versa.
However, they are definitely not the only determining factor of whether or not you should carry out your internship with one provider or the other! You should also take into account the steps involved in their application processes.
Applying Remote Internship
To carry on from where we left off in the previous portion of our Complete Guide To Remote Internships, this section will be running you through a couple of steps involved in an application process for remote internships!
Let’s take a look at our example, AIP.
As you will soon see, their application process is uncomplicated. You can get your hands on your remote internship with these 6 easy steps!
Step 1: Choose Your Preferred Internship Option
Here, you will be asked whether or not you would like for your internship to be remote!
Step 2: Select The Destination Of Your Choice
AIP internship programs are available in more than 17 Asian and European countries from South Korea and Singapore to the UK, Spain, and more.
Step 3: Pick The Industries, Starting Date/ Duration, And Package Of Your Interest
Your internship package, the duration of your internship, and choice of industries are not correlated in any way.
Regardless, it is worth mentioning that a typical remote internship lasts anywhere from two or three to six months.
Step 4: Schedule An Interview With AIP Staff
At this stage, they will be asking you a series of questions to better understand your goals and preference in order to provide you with a unique internship experience!
Step 5: Prepare Your Documents
These documents include your CV or resumé, passports, and any other relevant documents.
Step 6: Secure Your Internship And Pack Your Bags!
To learn more about AIP’s international internship opportunities are available on the website.
Tips For Successful Remote Internship
In this part of our Complete Guide To Remote Internship, we will be letting you in our top pick tips and tricks to turn your remote internship experience into an unforgettable and successful one!
You Must Not Forget To Take Care Of Yourself!
With remote internships blurring the lines between workspace and personal life, it is very common for you to overwork yourself. Set boundaries! While it is true that your remote internship does not require you to travel to work, it does not mean that you should sit in front of the computer and work all day!
Take breaks between the day to grab a snack, play with your pet, or water your plants! Pushing yourself too hard is only going to affect you further down your career path— you wouldn’t want that!
Create A Comfortable Environment For Work
Yes, you are at home. For all we know, you could be working in your bed (and there is nothing terribly wrong with that, mind you!). But if you seek to gain a more structured and work-friendly environment, you should make a few changes!
Add plants to your working desks! Give your working desk a refreshing look with colorful greens. Or if you do not currently have a designated working area, make one by reorganizing your room. Not only does this help you feel more relaxed and less pressured but it eases the transition for when you have to switch off from work!
Conclusion Paragraphs
You have now reached the end of our Complete Guide To Remote Internships! Before you go off to pursue the remote internship of your dreams, we would like to restate a few of our key points!
Remote internships are a great alternative to those who are looking to acquire new skills and knowledge while expanding their global networks without having to leave in a non-traditional office setting.
Despite the absence of in-office experiences, a remote internship also equips you with skills that do not exist in other types of internships!
Pause and take breaks. It is easy to forget to take care of your own health and well-being when carrying out a remote internship.
We hope that you find our Complete Guide To Remote Internships helpful. Have an enjoyable and successful remote internship!
If you have not already got yourself a remote internship, this is the time to give yourself a competitive advantage! Apply to AIP for remote internship packages that are completely unique to you!!
