Educators: Creating Virtual Internship Opportunities

Entry by Pat Patterson

In the June INTERNnetwork, we included an article about virtual internships, employers hiring an intern to work outside of their organization’s office. As an educator, when recruiting employers to offer internship opportunities for your students, it would be wise of you to discuss the possibility of such employers offering virtual internships.

A virtual internship may be an ideal situation for an employer who may not have the office space for a student. Just yesterday, I visited an intern who is interning for an advertisement agency in downtown Indianapolis. The student’s supervisor mentioned that the only challenge she encountered was finding office space for the student. A virtual internship eliminates the need for more space or additional office equipment.

Another reason why employers may be hesitant to host an intern may be the lack of personnel that they have available to supervise the student. With a virtual internship, a student is able to work remotely while checking in periodically with an employer, lessening a supervisor’s time commitment.

Virtual internships may also be ideal for organizations that need more help during the school year. Most internships take place during the summer because students are able to live outside of their school campuses. However, with a virtual internship, students are able to work for an organization from any location. If you do not already have a webcam and Skype account for your Career Services office, it may be a good idea to invest in such resources – students will then be able to intern virtually during the school year and check in with their supervisors via web conferences through your office.

Just because an employer does not have the space or staff for a traditional intern does not mean they cannot have an intern. With organizations moving more and more towards web-based platforms, virtual internships may create more learning/working opportunities for your students – it wouldn’t do any harm to at least discuss the possibility with employers you work with.