EVERYTHING ABOUT VIRTUAL INTERNSHIPS AND PART TIME JOBS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS
By Devesh Arora
‘VIRTUAL INTERNSHIPS’ The term itself is self-explanatory. Breaking it into two- Virtual and Internship, virtual means something performed from remote location over this vast grid of Internet without in-office presence. Internship is the same old potato that we all college students hanker for. Thanks to corona virus, everything has taken a shift from office cubicles to the unkempt bedroom, from buttoned up formals to the mismatched old stained T-shirt with boxers and from early morning traffic rush to an hour of extra sleep. The most common terminologies that are heard today are- remote jobs, work from home internships and part time jobs. But, Virtual Internships are not a consequence of this pandemic breakout. Their existence is as old as the ludo game set that was tucked in the store room before lockdown, but the pandemic just made it compulsive to go for. People living in tier-2 cities or suburbs often resorted to Virtual internships and remote jobs to pad their CV because of unavailability of mega corporations in those towns.
Virtual Internships are usually of two types- First, which are very similar to conventional ones where one is selected for the position after resume review and interview over video or telephonic all, and the work starts after you are selected. You are in contact with people from the organisation and you are doing the work assigned to you, just like any regular internship. The only difference is that it is over the internet. Assignments are mailed and conversations take place on call/chat. Second, virtual Internships that are just a simulation of the real life work of an intern. You just register for such role on a very few sites that offer this on the internet like any other online course. There is no CV check or interview, nor are you in contact with any person of the organisation, and neither is your work being used by the organisation in its day to day functioning. You are assigned a few tasks that are usually assigned to an intern at similar role which have to be submitted in a stipulated time. Every person registering for the program will get the exact same assignments as you get. On successful completion of the assignments an e-certificate is issued to the intern. Consulting giants like KPMG, BCG, PwC etc. also offer the second type of virtual internships. Link to the same has been attached at the end of this post. Access it after reading the full article.
Now, that we have understood the type of virtual internships, there a certain aspects of virtual internships that are often seen with a sceptical mind. Firstly, and most importantly, does a virtual internship hold same value as a regular internship? Is it worth pursuing?
The answer is absolutely YES. Virtual internships are equivalent to a regular internship and are worth going for. It’s just that the work is over the internet than physical presence. The thing that I feel that virtual internships lack is that it provides lesser number of networking opportunities. At a virtual internship, you are in contact with only a handful of people of the organisation who are in your team and are managing you. While, at a regular internship, you can always reach to people of the organisation during chai breaks or lunch time which helps you build a vast network within the organisation. Another, negative aspect of virtual internship is that all profiles are not available to be performed by a virtual intern. Several profiles like supervisory roles are available for in office work only. One more thing is that while at a regular internship, one gets to experience the office culture during his/ her student life which itself is a big exposure. Shifting from casual Marvel T-shirts to a white collar shirt itself arouses the sense of going to work in many people. If you are a college fresher and are going to work in formals for the first time, then you must have clicked photos with your mum and dad at home before leaving. Such small things don’t have a productive aspect, but are definite to bring a smile on the beginning of the day.
Another aspect that I wish to draw light upon is that virtual internships, allow you to work more freely. Flexibility has been observed while you are a virtual intern. One can always catch up a Maggi break while working without letting anybody know. Apart from this people differ as Early birds or night owls. Thus, most students have the option to work at a time that is most suitable to them.
One thing that I personally feel is that Virtual internships and remote jobs allow you to go international. One can always look for internships in international domain and with World organisations that don’t have an active office that hires interns in India like the World Bank or UNESCO. One can even look for Internships with B-schools abroad if you are a commerce student. The Harvard Business School has a collaborative branch in Mumbai, but one can always apply for a virtual internship with HBS in its Headquarters in Massachusetts, USA.
If I talk about skills, then both Virtual and Regular Internships help you polish your skill set. The skill building is very much same in both the cases. One cannot conclude that virtual internships don’t let you build the skillset that a regular internship can. A very good aspect of Virtual Internships is that they have helped many students get practical exposure. Big giants and mega corporations had cancelled internships due to the recession. However, many have been given virtual internships instead of their regular internship.
Stipend is another thing that many students are concerned about. People often wonder about whether virtual internships offer same stipend as any other in-office regular internship?
The answer to this question differs as per the organisation. Usually, it is a little less than in-office internship as there is no travelling expenditure an inconvenience caused due to the intern. But, some organisations offer similar stipend to virtual interns as they offer to in-office interns.
Another important question that arises is that in what fields one can get a virtual internship??
Virtually internships are available in most domains. Yes, some are more popular like content writing, digital marketing, social media management, fundraising etc. and some are less likely to be offered as physical presence is rudimentary to the internship due to the nature of work like management interns in NGOs etc.
Talking about part-time jobs for college students, India is a country where this culture is not much encouraged. This is majorly because our very perspective about part time jobs is incorrect. Part time jobs are not restricted to working in cafes, as newspaper boy or as delivery boy. One can always work as a research assistant, content writer, network marketer or in any other field of your choice. Yes, it is a little difficult for college students to find part-time jobs in technical areas, but one can always work hard to develop hard core skills, build confidence and do some networking to get a part time job.
To conclude, ‘Virtual Internships’ is something that will definitely add to your experience, will help you build your hard core skills and get you relevant experience to build your CV. A chance to prove yourself and equip for the future is waiting for you.