Despite the current uncertainty, the desire to undertake internships amongst students is not diminishing, two surveys conducted in January and October 2020 for educations.com have revealed. One striking result of the January survey was that students overwhelmingly (89%) view internships as being important to their careers in the long term.

This might well explain why 73% of students plan on undertaking an internship before or during their studies.

But why are internships viewed as so important? With Australia finding itself in such unusual circumstances, how can you make the most of this time to find and undertake an internship?

Making the Most of an Unusual Time

Simply put: internships give you an invaluable opportunity to build your CV, network and get to see how an industry or organisation works from the inside. Even with the pandemic, internships can still be undertaken remotely — all you need is to do some homework and have a good internet connection.

The pandemic may have seemingly limited your internship options. However, if you are already based in Australia, this means that, depending on local measures in place, you have the unprecedented opportunity to explore your next moves.

Finding an internship might seem like a daunting prospect. Fortunately, Australian Internships has a diverse selection that can help you get your search underway. Whatever you might want to undertake, you are in the right place to start your search, be that an internship linking to environmental science, marketing, or anything in between.

Remember: internships also have the added advantage of potentially paving the way to a job. If the company likes how you work and what you have produced, then they might well end up hiring you.

The Virtual Internship Option

If local measures in your area mean that you might have trouble finding an in-person internship, fear not. Virtual internships have come to the fore. Whether you are a student or a recent graduate looking to start your career, current restrictions need not hold you back.

Virtual internships, or remote internships as they are also known, have been around for a while, but have become more and more popular this year. These internships allow a recent graduate in Hobart or an undergraduate student in Darwin to undertake an internship with an organisation based in Sydney.

During these internships, you will normally undertake the same duties and responsibilities as you would were you in an office. You can still build up your CV, gain experience and upskill. All you need is a decent laptop and a stable internet connection.

Using Your Internship to Map Out Your Career 

 According to the October 2020 survey, almost a quarter (22.6%) of students who had to postpone or cancel study abroad plans this year are now planning on undertaking an internship. This is perhaps unsurprising as interning allows you to explore different avenues if you are unsure of what you want to do further down the line.

To use my own personal experience as an example; I was unsure whether I wanted to teach or do something more based around writing. Therefore, I used interning to try out both and see which one was right for me.

Doing this was extremely helpful for me — and is something that can be recommended to others who are unsure of what they want to do next. If you find that you thoroughly enjoy a certain job or working in a certain sector, then an internship could even set you off on a specific educational or career path.

Luke Sandford

Luke Sandford is a writer and content producer at educations.com. Currently based in Lund, he is originally from the U.K. and graduated from Goldsmiths College, University of London in 2018 with a B.A. in Education. He has since written for several outlets and has worked as an English teacher, both at home and abroad. Luke's passion for travelling and experiencing new cultures directly impacts his work as he seeks to create engaging, informative, and useful content for a wide audience.