My experience of virtual internships

Gaining work experience is incredibly important for any job, particularly public relations. But when it comes to internships, do you actually need to be present at the office in order for it to count?

Most people, I’m sure, would argue that you do. I, however, would disagree. And that’s why I chose to intern at MEDL Mobile last summer; a mobile app development company that’s based in California.

The opportunity arose through my popular mobile app blog, AppCritic. I’d reviewed a couple of MEDL’s iPhone apps in the past, so the quality of my work was known to the company, and I had sparked a friendship with their only UK employee (Rob Shoesmith) as a result. MEDL often offers internships in America, but with such a small representation of the company here in the UK, this was clearly a gap that I could fill. After discussing the matter with Rob over the phone, I sent off my CV and covering letter and secured the position.

From the very start I was given considerable responsibility. I became a part of the UK voice for the company, acting to secure news and review articles for MEDL applications, both online and in print.

I arranged for my own company email address, and began emailing and calling under my own steam. In just under a month, I managed to obtain 60+ online review articles, negotiate a free advertising campaign at ZoomAppy (a website that has unfortunately shut down since) and secure coverage of a MEDL iPad application in a leading technology magazine – not bad, considering I was effectively working under my own supervision and with very limited training or guidance.

During my internship, Rob was also setting up his campaign for the “iPhone 5 experiment”, where he planned to camp outside the Apple store in Covent Garden for what, at the time, had yet to be announced as the iPhone 4S. After several initial brainstorming sessions over Skype, I opted to actively got involved by organising live acts to perform, securing promotional gear, t-shirts and banners for Rob to use whilst camping – a task that was made considerably harder due to Rob’s one and only rule for the experiment: he couldn’t spend a single penny. My law degree came in handy, too, when assessing any potential legal implications for the experiment.

Provided I had an internet connection, I could’ve work from anywhere. And I did just that; I turned my room into my workplace for the majority of the time, and operated through a combination of my smartphone and laptop when working elsewhere.

However, much like a full-time communications job, I found that I couldn’t quite switch off. This issue was compounded by the fact that I never entered, or indeed left, the physical workplace, meaning that there wasn’t a clearly defined end to each working day. Instead, I found myself responding to emails at midnight – partially because the rest of the company worked the American shift – and remaining active (updating social accounts, responding to emails and networking) over the weekends. Yet this all remains concrete proof that I was not only up to the task, but also committed and driven to succeed.

I’d argue that virtual internships are incredibly worthwhile, and allow you to look further afield than just the UK when searching for ever valuable experience. However, there’s certainly no substitute for face-to-face communication, no matter how long you spend chatting on Skype, and so this probably isn’t viable for the long-term. For a university student with a little spare time in the week, though, a virtual internship could allow you to build contacts and gain experience, without the daily commute eating into your study time: win-win.

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