It has been a little over two years since the pandemic started and companies all over the world turned to remote work (and remote internships). In Japan teleworking (this is how they call “remote work” here) is not easy to implement for most of the companies, so the process is not smooth. As of March 2021, only 38 % of companies implemented a remote work.

  As of now, more than half of the organizations are still working in the office. One of the reasons why it is difficult for Japan to adapt to the new normal of working from home is that remote work requires skills which need to be developed before going 100% remote.   However, compared to pre-COVID times remote work got very popular.  And so did virtual internships.   Among advantages our students name when describing their remote internships experience are:  

• Flexibility of the work schedule and possibility of combining a remote internship with studies or part-time work
• Clear tasks and logical structure of the internship course
• Chance to improve Japanese or start learning it
• International work experience without leaving your home
• Great addition to your job resume

  Meanwhile, there are also some difficulties students are facing while doing remote internships:  

• Scheduling and planning due to a time difference with Japan
• Prevailing of written communication
• Lack of socializing

  So, what is clear from our experience so far is that even though remote internships lack “social component” due to the prevailing written communication, they are very beneficial for career development, learning new skills, excelling in time-management and planning. A virtual internship helps to gain remote communication skills which is the key to a successful career in the modern world. That is why we can totally recommend this program to those who want to get a valuable and professional work experience.