Article · Essay4 min read
VIRTUAL INTERNSHIP VS PHYSICAL INTERNSHIP: WHICH DO I GO FOR?, A SIMPLE ANSWER FROM A MAN WHO HAS DONE BOTH!
Internship to some is a modern form of slavery, but to young visionaries and optimists like me it is a golden opportunity to build yourself and add value to your CV and resume.Internship is a process whereby you ...
Internship to some is a modern form of slavery, but to young visionaries and optimists like me it is a golden opportunity to build yourself and add value to your CV and resume.
Internship is a process whereby you submit yourself to learning under a firm, company, NGO, enterprise or government office as the case may be. Some internships are paid while others are totally for experience, so well prepare to do pro-bono (free work).
Now as a law student, internship is in two-fold, it may be mandatory and it may be self-initiated, both that I've done so far have been self-initiated. One was virtual, courtesy of LawDuty, while the other was physical at G.O. Odimayo & Associates. Both internships forged me into the man I've become, but I'll rate both in seven category blocs below;
I. Time & Activity accomplishments
Virtual internships easily win here because, usually the time demands are totally manageable and student-friendly as you have time to engage in other activities, if you're a busy student line who has little or no time to spare due to high rate of activities a virtual internship is a good one as you get to learn, connect and rest at the same time.
Physical internships on the other hand are time consuming and although there's little time, the stress of transportation makes one weak, you're just have strength to take paracetamol and chug water.
II. Connections & Networking
Connecting is a very important part of internship, it's basically pointless to spend a month or four in a firm and leave with mere experience, don't get me wrong experience is essential but it can be gotten anywhere, connections, real and important ones most times cannot.
Both types of internships are fair with this so I'll give it to both, cause physically, that's if you're not the only intern, it'll be fun and practical to get connections, virtually, thanks to Google Meet and LinkedIn, it's easier.
III. Real Work Experience
This is a no-brainer, physical internship wins, while virtual on the other hand loses due to this one reason. Physical internships in the legal field where I'm used to feature court processes, real client sessions, drafting processes and other real life interactions that cannot be taught via a Google Meet or Zoom call.
IV. Exposure to Variety
Virtual internship exposes interns to a variety of fields asides litigation or of other courses asides law. Physical internship is basically one sided because it is more focused on the field that firm majors in while virtual internships bring experts to shed light on various fields.
V. Mentorship & Close Up Learning
In order to get close up learning and mentorship opportunities, I would highly recommend physical internships at small to medium sized firms and organizations, because virtually most speakers and organizers are busy throughout the period, either battling life or putting one or two together for the program to work, while large scale programs are wide and there'd be insufficient time to reach everyone.
VI. Getting In Easily
Physical internships are a lot easier to secure with the right connections, with just one phone call a repo baby can get into a firm, one firm. Virtual will be really hard because for big firms or big fishes once the link to apply is out on LinkedIn and you apply late, it's gone (o'tilo).
VII. Add Yours
In summary, if you are comfort, connections, less mentorships and a wide exposure, go virtual. If you need real work experiences, mentorship and you have the time go physical. You can even divide your break and do both. Good luck guys!!!
