If you are considering taking up a remote internship opportunity whether due the current covid-19 situation or because virtual internships offer an opportunity to work for your choice of company without moving cities – this article will help you make the most out of your virtual internship experience.
Virtual internships have up until now always played a second fiddle to regular office internship. The purpose of an internship is to give the student a feel of the real world. Hence, going to office, mingling with other employees over breaks and understanding how to behave and adjust into the office culture are an integral part of the internship experience. To most of us virtual internship just couldn’t offer the same experience. However, with work from home becoming a norm and many companies planning to allow employees to continue doing so in the post covid world – a virtual internship now is a far more real experience!
Below are a few helpful tips that may guide future interns in navigating a virtual internship.
Interning from home can give you a feeling that no one is watching. You might want to work during odd hours or wait till the last minute to submit work. On the contrary, you need to be a lot more proactive and on top of things to make the most of your virtual internship. Act and behave like you are in the office in-person. During the onset of the internship ask your internship head
What’s the best way to get in touch if you have any queries and what would the response time be?
Is there a way to connect with other employees during your internship?
What is the usual business hour?
What is the reporting structure (if they haven’t given you one)?
Having answers to these questions will equip you to get the maximum out of your supervisor without being intrusive. To get the most out of the internship you will need discipline, focus and a passion for learn.
Remember for many companies and supervisors this might be their first time going virtual too. So their internship program might not have the perfect structure which may make things confusing for you. Companies like Pfizer who have never hired a virtual intern previously, hired 389 virtual interns in 2020! They planned their internship program well but the managers had to work hard to get things right to make sure the interns get the most out of the experience.
“The 2020 Pfizer internship may have been unorthodox, but I am confident that both Pfizer and our 389 summer interns learned valuable skills and useful information. When our interns look back on their summer with Pfizer years from now, I hope they will see it the same way as I viewed my own summer jobs: as a foundational experience that will continue to guide them forward.” – Albert Bourla, Chairman & CEO, Pfizer.
This may not be the case with all companies, hence, to make the most of the internship proactively ask questions and take up responsibility.
Focus on Relationships
One of the biggest values of any internship is the relationships you build during your time as an intern. Building meaningful relationship as a virtual intern can be difficult but nevertheless worth the effort. Ask your program head about the key people you should get in touch with during your internship that might help you complete your tasks successfully and others who he recommends based on your goals. Reach out to these people and ask for quick meetings to learn more about their roles. Make sure you have your conversation prepared before the meeting, you don’t want to chit chat aimlessly and waste their time. Over these meeting find the right person to be your mentor to guide you through your career path.
Make sure you stay in touch with the people you connect with over LinkedIn or email well after the internship is over. Remember relations made digitally require more work and effort to remain meaningful.
Communicate Effectively
Communication is different when you’re working remotely. Most will happen through chats, email and comments in project management systems, so you can’t rely on in-person connections to clarify something. As mentioned earlier always have an agenda ready with a list of items you would like to discuss during the meeting. Sending your agenda ahead of time is also a good way to help your supervisor come prepared with the answers you need ahead of the call. Prioritize topics that are time sensitive or urgent to ensure you address those first.
It’s easy to lose track of time and agenda when working from the comfort of your room. From a text message to a pop up everything is out there to distract! So, make a checklist for the day, the week and the entire program. Make sure you knock each item on the checklist daily. This will help you stay on track and give you enough time to work on any last minute issues that may come up.
Breaks and Leaves
Just because no one will know is not a reason to not communicate to your supervisor in advance if you are not available during a certain time of the day or you need a leave for a day. Even though virtual internships and remote jobs allow you the freedom to work at our own time, many projects or companies may require you to be available through office hours. It is unlikely that you will be required by your supervisor for an emergency but it is still a good practice to communicate about your availability. You don’t want to be in the middle of a park when your team expects you to send out some files sitting comfortably on your desktop at home!
Don’t be Overworked
It can often seem like there is no end to the work day when you are working remotely. However, that doesn’t mean the expectation is that you work more hours than if you were working in an office. It is your responsibility to strike the right balance and communicate with your supervisor if you’re feeling overwhelmed and have too much work to do. Ask for feedback from your supervisor, a mentor or other colleagues on how you can be more efficient.
Mark C. Perna, Forbes Contributor talks about how over 70% companies are planning to not offer an on-site internship in the near future.
A virtual internship has the potential to truly give a boost to your career and help you sharpen your skills. Follow the above tips and make the most of the opportunity. Are you looking for virtual internship opportunities? ECA Internships works with over 500 companies and has placed over 6500 students over the years. Check out our internship job board for the latest opportunities.
Why intern in Australia? Student’s love Australian cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane not just because of the great weather, amazing quality of life and the beaches but also because some of the world’s top companies have their offices here. From startups like Canva and Spaceship to financial service giants like Westpac Group and Commonwealth Bank all call Australia home. Let’s look at why Australia is a great place to start your career!
Quality of Life
Everyone’s always talking about how the quality of life in Australia is top-notch but what does that even mean? Really, it’s a combination of things which together make up a fabulous way of living that can’t be compared to other countries and which include the weather, the shorter working hours and more public holidays, the higher wages and better-quality food. These are just a few of the many advantages which improve your day to day standard of living.
Citizens can avail of an efficient healthcare system and a social support system. Apart from this, the population density is very less even in the big cities. At 6.4 people per square mile, it stands third among countries with the least density of people.
Australia has a multicultural society with people from different parts of the world coming and settling here. In fact, 43% of Australians have parents of overseas origin or were born overseas.
The pollution-free air and the temperate climate and the natural ecosystems here make it an ideal place to settle down.
Here is Jashanjeet Kaur’s experience as a student intern in Melbourne
The weather varies from region to region owning to the size of the country but in general most Australian cities enjoy great weather. Depending on which area you live in, you could be enjoying the tropical climate of the North (Queensland), the subtropical weather in Brisbane or Perth or perhaps the temperate weather enjoyed in South Australia, particularly Adelaide.
Laid Back work environment
To say Australians are friendly is an understatement. Perhaps it’s the influence of endless sunshine and surf culture, but Aussies are some of the most friendly, laid back, and welcoming people on the planet. Everyone’s your mate when you intern in Australia.
While every company is slightly different, there’s no doubt this down-to-earth attitude rubs off on the workplace. Sure, there will be internships in Australia that require a nice button-down and slacks, but it’s also not uncommon for more relaxed work settings to feature board shorts and bare feet. Here is an article with some great insight on the Australian Workplace culture
Economy
Australia is the 13th largest economy in the world with the 9th highest per capita income. Minimum wage is high in Australia relative to other countries – while in Australia the minimum wage is as much as $17.70 per hour, in United Kingdom it is just $AU14.66 per hour, in New Zealand $AU14.22 per hour, in France $AU14.98 per hour, in Germany $AU13.17 per hour, in Canada between $AU10.45 and 13.81 per hour depending on the province, and in the United States a far distant $AU10.08 per hour.
This allows anyone with a job to be able to afford rental and food regardless if they are working in a restaurant, retail outlet or if they are a professional.
Here’s Syed Mohammed Talha talking about his experience has an I.T intern in Melbourne
The visa approval process of the qualified migration program takes, on average, 18 months, which is considered fast compared to other countries. If offered a full time role post your internship Australian visa process is far simpler than most western countries.
Cosmopolitan Culture
Australia is not a nation that takes itself too seriously, yet it has long shed the classic image of beach bums, sheep farmers and crocodile hunters. Australia’s flourishing, multicultural cities are hotbeds for arts, food and socializing.
Whether you’re interested in live music, dance, theater or literature, Australia has a new show (and probably a festival) that will be right up your street. The country’s diverse population has created a wonderfully vibrant culture that embraces art and traditions from around the world.
Availability of Internships
Thanks to Australia’s thriving economy, there are always several internship opportunities and jobs openings at any given time. Student’s always have options and can choose the right internship that will support their career growth. Companies in Australia also invest heavily on their interns both in terms of time and resources, hence, the internship experience is unmatched.
Aika Kawasaki, Hotel Accountant at world renowned Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa talks about how they worked with ECA Internships to structure their internship program so their students get the most out of the experience.
Get a feel of the Australian Work Place
If you plan to work and settle in Australia, an internship will provide you with a relatively stress-free environment to understand and learn about the Australian workplace culture. This short term commitment not only helps you get a feel of the career without diving into it but also helps you understand whether you want to work for a start-up or a big corporation. It will give you a deeper insight into how Australian businesses operate.
Many interns get hired by the company they intern for if they are a good fit and hence internship is not just a good way for you to discover the company but also for the company to see if you are a good fit.
The IT and Marketing manager of GENTEC talks about how they end up hiring most of their interns from ECA Internship for full-time rolls
Sara Whiteway, 21, a Data Analytics major from a top university in Sydney was looking for an internship before graduation to get hands-on experience, when she came across www.internships.eca.edu.au/. She logged onto the website and looked for positions in her neighborhood in Sydney. Up popped a posting for a internship at a three-year-old boutique data science firm. Through ECA she sent in a résumé and cover letter. Within weeks she heard from the firm’s founder, who interviewed her via Zoom. “She was very ambitious and smart and she knew how to research what we do online,” he recalls. Sara got the internship and loved it. “It was a great way to utilize the skills I had picked up during my undergrad,” she says. Just like Sara many young graduates from top universities of Australia regularly sign in to similar websites hoping to be bag the perfect internship. Similarly, businesses big and small, today, understand the benefits of recruiting a quality intern and how it can help the company’s hiring process in the long run.
To make lives of businesses easy, here is the list of the top 10 websites from which you can hire your next intern.
1. ECA Internships: With offices spread across the globe, ECA Internship is an Australian Internship Management and student employability program specifically aimed at international students. They manage internship programs for a variety of Universities and Higher Education providers with the aim to increase employability after graduation. As they work with some of the top universities of Australia and have a pool of high performing students it is good platform to recruit your top interns.
2. Australian Internships: The platform has a global presence and is a perfect solution for a small business looking for a first time intern. However, due to it’s size the platform might seem daunting and filtering interns because of the sheer number of applicants may become a task. However, the platform attracts students from several countries and is good to explore especially if you just want to test the waters.
3. GradConnection: Grad Connection is a popular job listing platform which also has a section for hiring interns. It is a convenient and popular platform and can be used to recruit your next paid or free intern. Many businesses have paid profiles with GradConnections for job listing and hence find it convenient to list their internships too. One downside of using GradConnection as your primary way to recruit interns is that you receive tons of spams from job seekers.
4. Seek: Seek is the parent company of GradConnection. Infact, the group owns several several websites for recruitment. SEEK has a massive base of 2.9 billion people, more than 51 million students and learners and a presence in 18 countries including China and across South-East Asia and Latin America. More often than not the internships are cross posted on all platforms owned by SEEK which gets your program more applicants.
5. The Intern Group: The Intern Group like ECA Internships focuses solely on internships and can help you hire the right intern for your business. They can not only help you hire quality interns but also help you through the hiring process if you are new.
6. Linkedin:A great place to recruit interns and employees is Linkedin. If your team has the time this is by far one of the best ways to form a connect, understand the candidate and evaluate the candidate that will fit your organization. If you are short on time you can always use Linkedin’s job listing platform and put up a paid advertisement to receive quick responses to your listing. The quality of interns via advertisement will surely be better than generic websites like seek and indeed but not as curated as the ones from ECA and The Intern Group.
7. Intern NZ OZ: A New Zealand based website that now offers opportunity in Australia too, Intern NZ OZ has a select student base from colleges in New Zealand and America. They help students from colleges like Drexel university relocate and intern in Australia. They can help small business start an internship program and hand hold you through the process. Intern NZ OZ provides around 400 interns per year.
8. Student Internships: This is an internship listing platform. The quality or quantity of interns coming from this platform is probably not going to fill the vacancy. However, it is good second platform to use to improve visibility of your internship opportunity. The site is owned by Student Services Australia Pty Limited. The company owns several websites that are student focused and divert traffic and impressions for your listing via these sites.
Regardless, of the platform you choose, it is imperative to have a robust internship program for your company. Interns provide companies with an array of perspectives and benefits they’ve likely never realized. One of the biggest perks is getting access to quality talent without sifting through hundreds of resumes and holding tons of interviews for candidates that may or may not be qualified. If you’re on the fence about implementing an internship program, consider the many benefits your company will receive and register as a host today. Work with one of the specialist firms above to get the hand holding you may require.
Click here to have a no obligation one-on-one consultation with our Internship Program Expert to see how you can become a host company and start recruiting interns for your business.
What makes Australian work culture unique? Australian employers value diversity, work life balance, the wellbeing of their employees, and dedication. Working or interning in Australia can be a fun and beneficial experience for international students, but it can also be challenging to understand the cultural norms. If you’ve ever worked in another country, you’ll likely notice some distinct differences, so let’s discuss a few.
1. Aussies are rather direct with their feedback. If they feel your work needs improvement, in general, an Aussie manager will let you know directly. Don’t take this personally. This isn’t done to insult you. Be receptive and try your best to meet their requirements. Ask for help if needed.
2. Punctuality is so important! Showing up late without calling ahead is seen as very disrespectful and will often lead to disciplinary action. If your train is delayed or your car breaks down, make sure you call your boss and let them know you’ll be late.
3. Professional presentation is key. Aussie employers will expect you to know how to present yourself as a professional. This means your appearance and hygiene must be up to Aussie standards.
4. In Australia, it’s considered polite to get to know your coworkers. This doesn’t mean you need to pry about their personal life, but it’s expected that you’ll know a bit about their life outside of work, particularly the team or dept that you work with every day. Showing a disinterest can come across as cold.
5. Aussies do appreciate a bit of personal space in the workplace – about an arm’s length.
6. Aussies will drink alcohol at work events. This doesn’t mean you have to join in. You can certainly abstain if you don’t want to drink alcohol. However, if you choose to have a drink during a work event, don’t over indulge.
7. Remember that in the Australian workplace, everyone is considered equal. Your boss will often ask your opinion and it’s common for people to get to know their building staff such as security guards and cleaners. Aussies work together and respect everyone’s role.
8. Aussies really like to shorten names. In some cultures, shortening someone’s name without their permission is considered rude, but not in Australia. It’s a sign of comradery.
9. Avoid any claims that you can’t back. You may think it makes you look more experienced and more knowledgeable, but if you get called out, it will hurt your reputation way more than you think.
Just listen to this advice from one of our teachers, Edward Gubbay. I asked him to talk about what he thinks are some key aspects of Australian Culture. Here’s what he had to say: What do you think are the 3 most important things to understand about the business culture for someone who wants to start their career here?
“First of all, there’s a flat hierarchy, meaning it’s generally ok to go straight to someone in a management position with a questions or concern as long as it’s done a respectful way. This is different than in some cultures where you would be expected to go to first address your direct supervisor, and then ask them to bring up your concern with their manager, and then their manager, etc. In Australia, as long as you’re professional and respectful, you can usually speak directly with most people in an organization. Second, Aussie employers really value work life balance. We don’t feel obligated to work heaps of overtime unless there really is a huge project or urgent deadline. Employers generally wouldn’t ask their workers to do. This. It’s not that we’re lazy, it’s just that, opposed to in some cultures where it is an unspoken expectation, Australians are a bit more understanding that their employees have other commitments and very aware of employee burnout, so they won’t encourage you to work until you drop. Third, Aussies value open communication. It’s ok to ask questions. No one will think you’re unintelligent or under qualified, as long as they can tell you’re putting in your best effort.”
What is something you find your students struggle to understand or adapt to in Australian business culture?
“I find that our cover letter format is pretty fixed and specific in Australia. We really expect it written a very certain way. My students don’t always understand how important this is. They may use language that would be appropriate in their culture, but gives a bad impression here. For example, a student may begin his or her cover letter with “Dear Most Honorable and Respectable Hiring Manager” thinking that they’re showing respect, but in Australia, that’s not the norm, and won’t be looked on favorably. It will be seen as someone who doesn’t know how to write a cover letter. Also, some students struggle to understand how important interviews are and what Aussie employers are really looking for during the interview. I always tell them, ‘If you’ve got the interview, you’re halfway there! They already know your technical skills from your resume. They want to see how you conduct yourself.’ Students don’t always understand that, at an interview, they’re really being judged on their professionalism and behavior and body language.”
Anything else you think international students and professionals should know about Aussie Culture in general?
“Aussies are social and enjoy small talk, both in the office and out, so it will help you relate if you can get comfortable with it as well. It starts with understanding what’s appropriate during small talk. Weather, weekend plans, anything interesting in the news are good choices. It’s a good idea to know a bit about sports, since Aussies love sports and talk about it a lot. You don’t have to become a huge fan or anything, but just knowing enough to make conversation will help you with small talk and building relationships. Also, Aussies don’t really flaunt their success. They congratulate each other on accomplishments and work hard, but it’s not looked on kindly to go around bragging about a raise or a huge house or something like that. You can mention it, but it’s a bit distasteful to shove it someone’s face.”
Trying to find the perfect balance between Work and Life
If that statement made you want to jump out and hashtag #RelatablyRelatable, then I proudly welcome you to the 21st century bandwagon, where adulthood truly seems like a big lie our parents told us. Remember the “just this one exam and then you’re free” statement. Well, let’s be honest, they didn’t know what they were doing either.
So, folks, life isn’t easy – coffee is expensive, landlords are horrible, and working out is hard.
What’s more, amidst all this chaos, you’re expected to look like Kim K, be a superstar at work and dish out #goals for food.
How do you navigate this maze and find the perfect balance between work and life? Read on to find out!
1. Set boundaries
I for one am never willing to sacrifice those 45 minutes I spend working out – even if there’s a storm coming. Figure out what’s non-negotiable ‘me time’ and actively engage in it. It’s hard and you’re always itching to respond to the next email but hold off until work the next day.
2. Wake up early
If you can get a chunk of work done first thing in the morning by slightly tweaking that morning alarm, you won’t believe the amount of extra time you gain. For those of us with set office hours, a 2-hour slot in the morning to get administrative duties out of the way will leave you with plenty of PM time to relax and unwind.
3. Eat right
Who would’ve thought giving up ice cream would be the golden key to life success? Isn’t that what work-life balance should look like? Pina coladas and ice cream? There is enough research to show that a carb-heavy, sugar-loaded diet dampens proper cognitive functioning, causes fatigue, reduces our capacity to perform optimally, increases tiredness, and the list goes on.
4. Make the most of your commute time
Most of us commute long distances to and from work and almost always waste time indulging in non-productive activities (yes, we’ve all stalked Beyoncé a million times already!). However, turning commute time into productive time takes as little effort as listening to an interesting podcast, or learning a new language on YouTube, or simply reading. On average, we spend 2 hours a day on the road, which equates to approximately 520 hours every year. FYI, it takes around 350 hours to reach conversational fluency in Spanish.
5. Stop making excuses because Mondays never happen
Human beings are inherently resistant to change and always ready to procrastinate. Picture what life could look like a year from now. This is a good starting point to make small changes. Work-life balance, in the end, is about how significantly you improve your own quality of life through the small things. This will boost, not only your own personal wellbeing, but it will also help you to become more efficient in your workplace.
