SECTION HEAD
However, others worry about the reduced opportunities
to engage with executive leadership in a virtual setting. The
loss of the mentorship aspect in remote programs may be
problematic, Ewert suggests. Other cultural aspects may
also be lost. Language learning, sharing of different foods,
how will that translate into a digital setting. “You can’t smell
food online yet,” he notes.
Communication will be another focus for providers and
employers, CRCC Asia’s Nivern contends. “In remote work,
language becomes even more important. That’s where
platforms like Zoom and face-to-face communication makes
it a lot easier. Then you get the nuances of what the person
is expressing,” he says. Understanding work styles, getting
to know people, fostering relationships, they’re all possible
online, Naglieri notes. “But it’s not organic. It’s going to be
really interesting to see how that evolves.”
Impact of coronavirus long-term
The Ivy Research Council survey of companies found that
a further 36 per cent of respondents expected interns to
complete placements beginning online, and later transitio-ning
into in-person internships. Providers expect a blended
product to be the lasting impact of Covid-19.
Shaun Butcher of CRCC Asia says the company is hoping
such programs remain popular after the pandemic is over.
“It’s a compliment to the in-person program; it is not a sub-stitute,”
he says. “Having a virtual internship for a semester,
then having that experiential work in-country with the com-pany,
meeting people you’ve been speaking with over email
and video chat for quite some time could be a good model,”
he proposes.
22 | THE PIE REVIEW | ISSUE #26
How will future employers
view virtual international
internships versus in-person
PHOTO: INTERN ABROAD HQ
“
In remote
work, language
becomes even
more important experiences?
The virtual program is accessible and affordable, but it
won’t be for everyone, his colleague Nivern notes. “I think
there is a vast market for people who can’t afford or don’t
have the means to go on an international internship over-seas.
But there is a great model for those who can combine
the two.”
Blended hybrid programs, mixing online and physical, is
most likely to be the mainstream in the future, Le Carrou
agrees. NEXSTEP has been running a virtual internship
since 2017. “But on a very small scale because not many pe-ople
were interested then.” Coronavirus will propel different
learning opportunities in the digital world.
“We’re hoping that internships might lead the way out of
this shutdown of international education. We already have
employers who are keen to host summer interns virtually,”
says Merson.
“It’ll be interesting two years from now to see what an em-ployer
thinks about a virtual internship versus an in-person
one,” Ewert adds. “If they think they’re of equal value…
What will employers want on students resumes? It will be
interesting to see what that looks like.”