Unveiling the Benefits of Virtual Internships: A Foundation for Future Success

Internships stand as invaluable experiences, particularly for high school students navigating their academic and professional paths. They serve as a powerful tool to make your resume stand out to admissions committees and future employers. Beyond resume enhancement, internships demonstrate a student’s proactive engagement in exploring their passions and acquiring crucial skills applicable to their chosen fields. The rise of virtual internships, accelerated by technological advancements and the shifts in the workforce, offers a flexible and accessible avenue for students to gain these benefits.

The Allure of Virtual Internships

Virtual internships are not a new concept. But technology accessibility, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, make them a suitable option nowadays. The flexibility afforded by a virtual internship is attractive to many students and is not without responsibility. Accountability, self-discipline, time management, patience, resourcefulness, and proactiveness are among the values needed for this setup to work.

Overcoming Scheduling Challenges

Virtual internships solve scheduling issues facing students. Calendars quickly fill up with classes, extra-curricular activities, family obligations, and jobs. When you intern remotely, you can often work at your convenience.

Exploring Global Opportunities

If you want to explore international companies or organisations, a virtual internship is a great option. Gain international work experience and build your resume - from your laptop. Are you a self-motivated and independent student looking to become a global citizen? Want to gain professional work experience without traveling far?

Key Benefits of Virtual Internships

Here are the top five benefits of joining a virtual internship:

Gain real-life, work experience with an international organization.
Broaden your global perspective and ability to collaborate with international teams and professionals.
Develop key 21st-century skills necessary to be successful in the internet age.
Boost professional resume and credentials.
Work anytime, anywhere. At the same time, increase your employability and future success.

Building a Foundation for Career Success

It’s never too early to gain work experience. For high school students, internships offer the chance to ‘try out’ a career before committing to a higher education path that takes them into that field or industry. As designed, a virtual internship lets you apply what you learned in school to a workplace setting. Besides experiences, you gain skills and develop qualities from being an intern. You’ll grow in teamwork, leadership, communication, listening, decision making, and problem-solving.

Networking and Professional Development

Networking is another big benefit to be taken from an internship - and it’s great to start early. Stepping from the classroom into a professional environment at a young age provides an early glimpse into what real working life could be like. It might answer some huge initial questions about preferred career fields, directing students sooner before deepening learning and skills at higher education level.

Personal Growth and Initiative

Remember, not all growth should be with a student's career or future work life in mind. Personal growth and learning, figuring out who they are as individuals, what strengths and weaknesses they have, how they respond to feedback and teamwork at high school age, is extremely important for the next generation of professionals. Taking on an internship shows initiative, and universities/colleges love seeing students who have shown a drive to learn.

Spotlight on Virtual Internship Programs

Several organizations offer structured virtual internship programs designed to provide meaningful experiences for students.

Virtual Internships Foundations

The Virtual Internships Foundations is a program specifically designed to give 14-18 years old the opportunity for career exploration and professional development remotely. Students will work directly with companies to complete projects designed to support the company and nurture their own professional skills.

Read also: Mastering Virtual Events

Ladder Internships

Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars. In the program, students closely with their managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present their work to the company. This highly flexible program is designed to be accessible to a wide range of students. You will complete your internship remotely, from anywhere in the world, and there are internships available throughout the year, so you can easily plan around your other commitments-you can expect to work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students and gap year students!

Forage

Forage connects students with virtual work experience programs, allowing them to learn about and grow their skills at major businesses.

United Planet

United Planet is a global non-profit with the mission of fostering a global community through volunteership. United Planet takes Work-Based and Project-Based Learning to another level with real-life projects, supporting both organizations and schools from around the world, and creating opportunities for students to work directly to serve nonprofits and social enterprises in over 25 countries. Students over the age of 16 can intern in the fields of global health, environmental sustainability, and children and education. United Planet takes Project-Based Learning to another level with real-life projects with both organizations and schools from around the world, creating opportunities for students to work directly on important projects to serve nonprofits and social enterprises in over 25 countries.

EnergyMag’s Internships

Looking to help make the world a better place? Through EnergyMag’s internships, open to high school and college students, you’ll gain experience working in the renewable energy sector.

Stanford University’s Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging

In this two week virtual internships, students partner with Stanford University’s Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging to solve real problems in medical fields through innovative uses of AI. This project-based internship offers a chance for students to hone their technical skills in coding, math, and statistics, while working alongside some of the foremost researchers in the world. The program typically accepts just 25 students, so be prepared for some stiff competition. Program fees have recently been introduced, but scholarships are available for students with financial barriers to participation.

Read also: Virtual Tour: Howard University

NASA’s High School Internship Programs

NASA offers high school internship programs to students year-round. Many of these internships are in-person at one of NASA’s many centers countrywide, but some of them can be completed virtually. This high school internship program allows students to work on a variety of different projects, and there is no prior experience required to apply!

Department of State’s Pathways Internship Program

Department of State’s Pathways Internship Program provides students with paid opportunities to explore various Federal career paths. One current position is the Pathways Internship Student Trainee with the Department of Health and Human Services.

George Mason University

Students interested in STEM research can apply to work one-on-one with George Mason University faculty for an eight-week summer internship. Participants will hone their science writing and communication abilities, explore STEM careers, develop creative skills for groundbreaking research, and cultivate a relationship with a faculty mentor at GMU. Some students even end up with their names in scientific journals or in research conferences! Keep in mind that participants must be at least 15 by the time the program begins, and that faculty will list on their applications whether their internship is virtual, hybrid, or in-person.

Smithsonian Office of Internships

The Smithsonian Office of Internships provides high school students the opportunity to gain experience in the world’s largest museum, education, and research institution.

Johns Hopkins University’s Neurology and Neurosurgery Department

Juniors and seniors are invited to apply for a competitive internship with Johns Hopkins University’s Neurology and Neurosurgery department. Virtual interns will attend educational presentations, learn lab techniques, participate in professional development, and form relationships with mentors in the medical field.

FPRI

FPRI has three internship seasons in the fall, winter, and summer. Each 3 month internship offers the opportunity to engage deeply with the foreign relations community through work with policy experts and renowned think tanks. Students are paired with a professional in the field and spends their internship developing general occupational skills, as well as honing the talents crucial to success in foreign policy careers. Stipends are available on a limited basis and are offered first to students with demonstrated financial need.

Seaside Sustainability

Students wanting to get involved in environmental advocacy should consider the offerings of Seaside Sustainability, which allows student interns from all over the world to join the fight for climate action. From writing and editing newsletters, to researching climate adaptation strategies, to devising strategies to improve environmental literacy, there are ways for everyone to get involved in saving our planet.

Micro-Internships: A Stepping Stone

Micro-Internships are short-term, paid, professional assignments that are similar to those given to new hires or interns. These projects enable Career Launchers to demonstrate skills, explore career paths, and build their networks as they seek the right full-time role. Unlike traditional internships, Micro-Internships can take place year-round, typically range from 5 to 40 hours of work, and are due between one week and one month after kick-off. Interested in a micro-internship or want to learn more about how a micro-internship can advance your career?

The Global Impact of Virtual Internships

Global Virtual Internships offer a plethora of benefits, not only enhancing the “classroom to career” journey by allowing for the exploration of diverse fields across global settings, but also equip students with 21st century skills and innovative agility to address challenges that we still might not even be able to imagine today.

Real-World Application and Global Citizenship

There are vast opportunities to apply classroom learning to real-life projects, to make an important difference. What better way to inspire, cultivate, accelerate learning, engage students, and deepen impacts, while developing students as global citizen-leaders committed to understanding and supporting local and global communities? When students apply their learning to “real-life” circumstances to make a difference, work towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and build partnership and collaboration across the world, they not only build soft skills, 21st century skills, global competency, and become more engaged learners, but they also do better academically.

Student Testimonials

“My experience was great. United Planet matched me with Akwaaba Volunteers in Ghana. With them I researched and created educational materials in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and nutrition. This allowed me to explore, to my satisfaction, my interests in biology, global health and public health as well as participate in brightening the youth’s future through assisting in research and the creation of educational materials. When asked whether the Virtual Quest program supported her social, psychological, and political learning as an AP student, Alison Barczak said, “Socially, it was great to connect with others who were in different countries to learn about the cultures. Psychologically, it was a safe internship to try things and learn since the staff was really willing to work with you when you had questions. “I thought it was a great opportunity for me to grow and test my flexibility,” said Virtual Intern, Emma Chambourova, supporting a community organization in the Philippines. “While coordinating and planning with a large group of people can sometimes seem challenging when you manage to achieve your goal efficiently, it is very satisfying! I got to work with people from all over the world, from Vietnam all the way through Japan and the Philippines. It was also regarding a variety of topics that I truly found compelling and very relevant to current day events. It was a very interconnected event all the while still providing independence and self-management.

Tips for Finding Virtual Internships

Since the shifts to the workforce that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, looking for an internship may require adapting your preferences to opportunities that better align with working remotely. While it may be difficult to find opportunities in a field you’re interested in, it’s important to not give up hope and try to be resourceful when finding opportunities. Ask your teachers, counselor, and family members whether they know someone in your field of interest. Getting an internship doesn’t always have to mean working at a big company. Another benefit of working for local businesses is the ability to really make an impact. A lot of times, there aren’t even listings for internships at small businesses online.

Mastering the Virtual Interview

As a high school student, interviews can definitely be intimidating. However, the more you practice on your interview skills, the more prepared and confident you will feel when the opportunity arises.

Developing Essential Skills for Virtual Success

The virtual environment is very different from the face-to-face environment. How do you follow up on requests firmly and politely? Video conferencing: How do you remain focused while others are speaking? How do you voice out your concerns and suggestions? The flexibility afforded by a virtual internship is not without responsibility. Accountability, self-discipline, time management, patience, resourcefulness, and proactiveness are among the values needed for this setup to work.

Internships: Figuring Out Your Path

Interning helps you figure out a lot of things. Do you want to pursue a career in your field of study, develop a specialisation, or explore other paths? From business to fashion, virtual internships give you a taste of a practitioner’s work.

The Viget Internship Program: A Case Study

I was in Boulder this week to welcome our five summer interns. I had just finished describing what our internship program offers: real work experience, personalized mentorship, professional relationships, exposure to proven tools and techniques. I also made clear what we don’t offer: no low/no-cost busywork, no errands, no wasted time. And no billable work, either.

🧡 It reinforces our culture.✨ It spreads good energy. Intern enthusiasm is contagious.🧠 It sharpens our thinking. Interns ask great questions and bring fresh insights, ideas, and influence.🪴 It grows our managers. Each intern gets an advisor.💪 It strengthens our alumni network.✅ It’s a long-term investment. Nearly a dozen interns have joined Viget full-time after college.

We’ve welcomed nearly 100 summer interns over the years, and I’m always impressed by their talent and grateful for their impact. We’ve invested thousands of hours into the program, and I’ve never questioned the return on that investment.

The Enduring Value of Internships

Extracurriculars are extremely important in the college admissions process, especially to selective colleges. In fact, extracurriculars are almost as important as academics at many schools. To learn the strength of your extracurriculars, check out our free admissions chances calculator. Global Virtual Internships offer a plethora of benefits, not only enhancing the “classroom to career” journey by allowing for the exploration of diverse fields across global settings, but also equip students with 21st century skills and innovative agility to address challenges that we still might not even be able to imagine today. It appears the option to work remotely is here to stay.

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