FAQs: häufig gestellte Fragen
Q: Why should I do an internship?
A: You will have an opportunity to gain valuable work experience and to improve your English. It will also look impressive on your resume / curriculum vitae for future employers to have worked in a professional English-speaking environment.
Q: What is a virtual internship?
A: In a virtual internship (praktikum) you will work remotely, without ever coming to the USA. You will do the entire internship while in your home country, but you will be communicating with New York colleagues in the American company using the internet, email, skype, telephone etc. All tasks can be performed from wherever you live or work or study in your home country. However, the internship is a serious one and you will have certain responsibilities which your supervisor will expect you to complete in a highly professional manner.
Q: Isn't it better to do a normal internship, sitting in a real office next to colleagues?
A: No, it's not 'better'. And it's also not worse. It's just one option. And virtual internships are another option. Think about the way work is done nowadays: we already live in a world where we communicate by email with people in the next room or we telephone with friends in the next building or we do business with partners in the next city or we have videoconference meetings with customers in the next country. We already live in a world where work is done 'at a distance' or remotely. We already live in a virtual working world (even if we don't call it that). A virtual internship is just a parallel example of this.
Q: What are the requirements for doing a virtual internship?
The internship will be either 8 or 12 weeks long and full time (between 20 and 40 hours per week. You can choose what you prefer). During the internship, you'll be working together with English-speaking colleagues. However, please note that a virtual internship is not right for everyone. If you do not have strong self-disciplne or if you need a boss looking over your shoulder every minute to see if you are working, then probably a virtual internship will not be right for you. Of course, there will be regular conversations/'meetings' with your supervisor, to make sure you are progressing well with your. But generally, if you are someone who is comfortable working independently and you have good time-management skills, then a virtual internship could be an excellent choice.
Sprachvoraussetzung: mindestens Mittelstufe Englisch (intermediate)
Technische Voraussetzungen: ein eigener Computer mit Internetzugang. Außerdem erwarten wir, dass mit Word/Excel und Outlook oder Mail umgegangen werden kann. Weitere Kenntnisse (Photoshop, HTML) sind schön und ermöglichen zusätzliche Betätigungsfelder (Banner und Newslettererstellung). Außerdem: kreativ sein, selbstständig denken und arbeiten.
Q: How can I know before booking this program if my English level is good enough?
A: We will an initial short telephone interview with you. This will determine if your English level is appropriate and the reality of placement. If not, we can usually make recommendations about alternative options. If you want, you may do some language preparation classes via Skype to ensure your English is as good as possible before your internship begins.
Q: Will I be paid for my internship?
A: No. This is an unpaid internship program. The primary reason for doing an internship with us is to gain work experience, to benefit from practising English in an American environment and to build your network of contacts in an industry which you are probably interested in. The program is a highly valuable investment of time, effort and money and will present an excellent long-term return on investment in terms of knowledge, experience and other indirect advantages. The internship is not intended to be a part-time job to earn money. (Any New York host company can find plenty of young Americans who speak perfect English to fill those roles!)
Q: Can I choose what type of internship I do?
A: It is not possible to guarantee the type of company, industry, position, size or location. The type of internship varies according to your qualifications, skills, experience and level of English. However, we will try to have you placed in your desired area, though you may need to be realistic and flexible about this. This is why we ask you what your first, second and third choices of industry are (eg. 1st choice: to do an internship in the area of marketing; 2nd choice: public relations; 3rd choice: do an internship in the area of the arts/a museum environment). Let us know if you have questions or concerns about this. Overall areas where interns have been successfully placed in the past include: accounting, advertising, architecture, business administration, Information Technology, education, entertainment / music industry, fashion, finance, graphic design, international trade, law, marketing, retail sales and the tourism industry.
Q: How do I know I will be placed with a good host company?
A: All our host companies go through a rigorous screening process before being accepted (or rejected) as suitable. Generally, the organizations are well-established and have had international interns in the past. All host companies are counseled and trained to understand / appreciate the difficulties that an international student might have in working within an English-speaking virtual work environment. If any difficulties arise during your internship, our staff will give you the support you need to overcome them.
Q: How does a host company decide if I am right for them?
A: After the host company has reviewed your resume/curriculum vitae, you may be invited to interview with them. During this interview, you will be asked questions just like in a normal job interview. Depending on the outcome of the interview, the host company may accept or reject you as an intern. If you are rejected, we will generally do a post-interview debriefing session. At a later date, there will be an additional interview organized for you at another host company.
Q: How do you monitor my progress after my internship starts?
A: After the initial placement, you will be required to submit weekly reports. These will keep track of how your internship is progressing, what tasks or projects you have worked on and for how long, what challenges you have faced etc.
Q: What if I begin my internship but am unhappy with it?
A: If the problem / dissatisfaction cannot be solved through communication with the host company, other options will be considered. It is however quite rare that, despite everyone's best efforts, a company fails to provide the experience that they promised. If such a case arises, however, every effort will be made to find you another placement as quickly as possible.
Q: What should I do if I have other questions that aren't answered here?
A: Contact us and we'll be happy to help you.
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