The (dis)connected intern : career preparation in a remote landscape

Students and graduates increasingly use internships as a way of developing their employability, however, the increased incidence of remote and hybrid work has drawbacks, as well as benefits, for interns. This paper explores interns’ experiences of doing remote and hybrid internships, focusing on how it helped their career thinking, using data from over 60 interviews with interns, employers and stakeholders in Italy and the UK. Building on insights from boundary theory and organisational socialisation, we explore the different kinds of virtual internship activities students do, and how interns can develop their career preparation in a remote context. Our findings suggest that there are different kinds of virtual internships, each with their own challenges, that can, however, be mitigated with appropriate interventions. Our research underscores the effectiveness of well-designed remote and hybrid internships, emphasizing the need to mitigate anticipated challenges and provide adequate support for a positive intern and employer experience.