Felicia, 20, is among a growing number of students taking on virtual internships — positions that don't require students ever to set foot in the office. Internships .com, which lists more than 8,000 virtual positions, reports a 20 per cent increase over the last year. Its survey of 303 employers found that a third offer remote internships or plan to this year.
Remote internships often entail working on research projects or social media efforts, for which only a laptop and an Internet connection are needed. They make sense in a world of global companies and virtual work forces labouring from afar. Traditional companies, too, find in interns the youthful knowhow to manage a Twitter feed or YouTube account.
"The idea of work is changing for a lot of people," said Brie Welzer, 28, a marketing associate at Green Seal, an environmental nonprofit in Washington that uses virtual interns. "Telecommuting is becoming much bigger. It's less expensive and in many ways more productive than working in an office ." Among requirements for Green Seal's virtual intern: ability to work independently, clarity in writing and Skype account (webcam "preferred" ).
The upsides are plentiful. Students have more opportunities , especially during the school year, and they don't incur commuting and housing expenses. Remote interns enjoy flexible hours, allowing them to juggle class schedules and even parttime jobs. Ms. Fitzpatrick works 12 to 15 hours a week, for college credit, and sometimes finds herself managing Do Something's Facebook page late into the evening.
But while the experience may well prepare students for the new workplace order that Ms. Welzer describes, remote internships don't always provide the crucial lessons that can come from being in the thick of things, like insight into professional expectations, corporate culture and office etiquette.
"While these options can provide today's students with valuable experience, they are not accompanied by a training component that teaches them how to become better workers," said S. Shyam Sundar, a director of the Media Effects Research Lab at Pennsylvania State University , who studies how people interact and behave online.
"They are on their own," he said, "as they figure out how to succeed in the work force." He warns that remote interns run the risk of being forgotten by overburdened program coordinators , and that successful interns must be proactive in communicating with an employer and soliciting feedback.
Also, before even signing on, students should vet the company . Some red flags: a gmail or hotmail address or an office operated out of a home.
Felicia, who hopes to someday have a job in digital marketing , says that she is learning how to run social media campaigns and juggle Web-oriented tasks, and doesn't think she needs to be physically in the office (she spent last summer there in a traditional internship).
She did, however, have pangs over missing out on Do Something's holiday party. "I wish they had a webcam so I could pretend I'm there," she said. "Other than that, it feels the same. NYT NEWS SERVICE
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