Internships are crucial for gaining the necessary skills and experience to embark on your professional journey. Not only are internships a key milestone during college, but they also represent a unique opportunity to gain experience when changing careers or reentering the workforce. Although COVID-19 has changed the face of traditional internships, remote ones have opened new possibilities. ‍

Expanded Talent Pipeline‍

Because of their virtual nature, hosting remote internships directly broadens recruitment search. Since the programs are not bound geographically recruiters are now able to access talent like never before. This summer over 60% of Symba’s customers scaled their programs to include more interns than originally expected, a trend seen across industries in companies like Chewy, Robinhood, and UnitedHealth Group. ‍

Access to Opportunities 

Traditional internships often require participants to relocate and cover additional living expenses, what's worse many are unpaid and create a deep divide between those who can afford to work without pay and those who can’t. This disparity translates into a lack of access at the entry-level, where those who can’t afford unpaid internships and relocation expenses have no choice but to pass out on critical professional experiences. Remote internships, especially paid ones, are bridging this gap. Not only are companies making an active effort to diversify their talent pool, but they are also creating a unique learning environment from within

‍More Inclusive Workplace‍

Hosting remote internships reframes the very idea of employee participation within physical headquarters. Remote interns have an added advantage of a “virtual” seat at the table. Regular virtual meetings within teams encourage interns to actively participate in discussions, while many internship programs are setting aside time for virtual face-to-face time with executives. The bottom line is remote internships provide more opportunities to meet colleagues virtually and foster professional connections with the click of a button.‍

Gain New Skills ‍

Not only do remote internships create more access to opportunities, but they also offer a unique set of skills. Thanks to their remote nature you are positioned to gain self-reliance and optimum time-management, as well as agile communication and enhanced digital literacy. The future of work is remote, thus taking part in a remote internship today will prepare you for the workplace of tomorrow.

Our team at Symba is on a mission to #openuptheworkforce by supporting both employers and interns. You can sign up here to join our free community of interns and receive access to our curated remote internship job board and other key remote internship resources.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, this past summer over 70% of companies hosted some or all of their internships remotely. There is still much uncertainty around reopening offices. As companies continue to prioritize the health and safety of their employees, many internships will likely remain remote throughout 2021, as is the case for internship programs like Google’s.