Virtual internship
A virtual internship is a work experience program where the participant (intern) gains experience while working in a remote professional setting and is not physically present at the job location.
Virtual interns communicate with their employer online through various means including email, Skype, WhatsApp, instant messaging, phone conversations, webinars, project management tools, SMS messaging, etc.
Virtual internships are undertaken by both students and graduates, usually some form of white-collar work, often within fields suitable to remote work such as information technology, media, creative arts, or public relations.
According to career experts, although virtual internships are currently rare, they are growing in popularity due to improving technology and the growth of social media.{{cite news|last=Marte|first=Jonnelle|title=An Internship From Your Couch|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704471504574441132945681314|accessdate=17 February 2012|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=29 September 2009}} A rise has been reported in virtual internships — most of which are unpaid — especially from small ventures and start ups seeking additional help. Larger companies are also starting to explore offering these types of internships.{{cite web|last=Damast|first=Alison|title=Virtual Internships In Rising Demand|url=http://www.businessweek.com/business-schools/virtual-internships-in-rising-demand-01182012.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121012301/http://www.businessweek.com/business-schools/virtual-internships-in-rising-demand-01182012.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 21, 2012|accessdate=17 February 2012}} They are presently most popular among small to midsize companies and online businesses.{{cite web|last=Braathe|first=Robert|title=Internships|url=http://www.braatheenterprises.com/education/internships/|accessdate=17 February 2012}}
Virtual internships have been criticized for not providing the supervision and guidance that internships are meant to provide.{{cite news|url=http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/blog/unpaid-interns-bank-on-skills-not-money|title=Homepage |date=16 August 2022 }} Despite this, virtual or remote internships are a viable option amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, where travel options are limited.{{Cite web|last=News|first=The PIE|title=Real-life learning, remotely: adapting internships during Covid-19|url=https://thepienews.com/analysis/real-life-learning-remotely-internships-during-covid-19/|access-date=2020-10-09|website=thepienews.com|date=13 August 2020 |language=en}} They may rival and sometimes exceed what traditional internships offer.{{cite journal |last1=Rivera |first1=Sandra |title=How to Create a Successful Virtual Internship Program |url=https://hbr.org/2021/04/how-to-create-a-successful-virtual-internship-program |journal=Harvard Business Review |date=28 April 2021 |access-date=3 May 2021}}
Expertise
The most common virtual internships include information technology, software development, marketing, social media, research, writing, journalism, media, pre- and post-event planning, video creation and editing, human resources, graphic design, search engine optimization and marketing, non-profits and government internships, political internships, engineering internships, and public relations internships.{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Dreama|title=President|url=http://www.internprofits.com/virtualinternshipwhitepaper/|work=(888) 291-9098|publisher=Efficient Enterprises, Inc.}} Students who do internships online underestimate their contributions when employers rate them as valuable.{{cite news |last1=Severn |first1=Chloe |title=Impostor syndrome can strike even in virtual internships |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/impostor-syndrome-can-strike-even-virtual-internships |access-date=3 May 2021 |agency=Times Higher Education.}}
Programs
= Africa =
The West African Academy of Public Health operates a virtual internship program with mentoring cascade for recent graduates interested in working in global health. The "WAAPH VIP" as it is called, engages youths in health information advocacy to expand their health information literacy, core leadership skills and community engagement capacity to work in public health issues.
= North America =
The United States Department of State operates the Virtual Student Foreign Service program.{{cite web|title=Virtual Student Foreign Service|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/vsfs|work=The U.S. Department of State|accessdate=21 February 2012}} As of 2012, 343 virtual interns have worked with US diplomatic posts in 97 countries.{{cite web|last=Ross|first=Alec|title=Keynote Address: Alec Ross, US State Dept|url=http://new.livestream.com/smwnychange/TeamObamaTalksDigitalVision|work=Social Media Week NYC|accessdate=21 February 2012}}
= Europe =
Preaсtum{{Cite web|url=https://v.preactum.ru|title=Preactum. Virtual Internship|access-date=2021-09-30}} is the first company in Russia to do a virtual internship{{Cite web|last=Fedotova|first=Elena|url=https://www.vedomosti.ru/management/articles/2021/09/02/885004-ekonomist-konkursi|title=How an Economist and a Physicist Organize Youth Contests for PepsiCo and Russian Post|work=Vedomosti|date=2 September 2021 |access-date=2021-09-02}} Currently, they have launched a program to train retail business managers for Otkritie FC Bank{{Cite web|url=https://www.vedomosti.ru/press_releases/2021/09/13/bank-otkritie-budet-nanimat-menedzherov-roznichnogo-biznesa-s-pomoschyu-virtualnoi-stazhirovki|title=Otkritie Bank will hire retail business managers with the help of a virtual internship|work=Vedomosti|access-date=2021-09-13}} and an introduction to the various departments of Russian Post. Also, a virtual internship for Rosneft will be launched in 2021.