The Rise of Virtual Placements: Gaining UK Work Experience from Your Student Accommodation

The world after COVID-19 has changed a lot. In the last few years, the corporate world has seen a rise in remote working. This has resulted in a significant transformation at the forefront of work opportunities. The traditional way of joining an office and exploring placements has changed.

Particularly in the UK, there is a huge shift in working remotely from your student accommodation. With the changing trend, virtual placements have also opened doors for students internationally. Students from all over the world can gain experience of working in the UK from the couch of their home. Not only this, there are plenty of advantages if you gain UK work experience.

International students can easily manage academic commitments; explore better work opportunities and more. To better understand, this blog explores the rise of virtual placements, current opportunities and their benefits. Let’s see further.

What are Virtual Placements?

We are sure if you are new to the corporate world, you might be figuring out what virtual placements are. Let’s first understand this. A virtual placement is a way you can gain the whole UK work experience remotely. From sharing tasks to submitting tasks, every communication takes place virtually.

This kind of work format has been increasing by the day which gives opportunities to anyone across the world. The United Kingdom has seen an increase in virtual placements in almost all sectors. You can easily find jobs in marketing, law, finance, technology and other sectors.

Businesses and companies are seeing that the scope of virtual placement has broadened their talent pool. This allows them to hire the right person for a job from anywhere in the world. We also know international students can work part-time during their college. With virtual placements, they can explore opportunities from their student rooms and gain valuable work experience.

Advantages of Virtual Placements

Students living in the UK’s student housing or their home country can take many benefits from virtual placements. And, having UK work experience will definitely give you an edge while finding better opportunities. Here are some top benefits of virtual placements:

● Flexibility: Some of the biggest benefits of virtual placement are remote working, flexibility and accessibility. Students can explore a wide range of opportunities from their student apartments easily. Virtual placements help in balancing academics and work responsibilities. Alongside this, students not living in the UK can also have access to UK work experience without financial stress.

● Wide Range of Opportunities: With no geographical constraints and in-office jobs, students can easily explore jobs and internships across the world. In addition, students living in student accommodation can also explore opportunities in and out of the UK. As a result, this has increased the range of options in the work industry.

● Cost Saving: When you don’t have to travel around for work you can save a lot of money. Virtual placements easily eliminate common expenses of student accommodation, public transportation, etc. This helps students from different socio-economic backgrounds to gain UK work experience easily. Students living in the UK will also be able to manage the costs easily.

● Cultural Inclusion: The rise of virtual placements allows students to promote inclusion and diversity. Big organizations and businesses often believe in diversity. Hence, they have been coming up with different programs, internships and jobs that hire talents. This helps in building an inclusive environment for students and graduates across the world.

Challenges in Virtual Placements

Every innovation has plenty of advantages but some challenges too. Students do enjoy living in their homes and exploring work opportunities but sometimes it limits the scope. Some of the biggest challenges in virtual placements are as follows:

● Limited Interaction: Networking is an important aspect when you enter the corporate world. With virtual placements, there might be a lot of opportunities but it limits the interactions. Due to no face-to-face interactions, employees can only interact with a few people who are a part of the team. Hence, building a network can be difficult while you work from your student accommodation.

● Work-Life Balance: There’s often no balance between professional and personal life when you work virtually. When you physically go to the office, there is a specific in and out time. However, in virtual placements, there is a lack of separation between home and work.

● No Soft Skills: International students always miss out on soft skills while working remotely. When you work in an office, you learn about professional communication, leadership and other soft skills. But with no face-to-face interactions, you miss out on these skills.

Future of Virtual Placements

With the evolving digital landscape, virtual placements are a trend that is here to stay, especially in the UK. Many businesses and companies have realized the benefits of offering virtual placements. Alongside this, they also offer a hybrid work system which lets students and graduates enjoy both systems. Prominent universities such as Oxford University or the University of Manchester are recognizing the value of such virtual placements. Along with offering student accommodation and other facilities, universities are working with top-notch companies to offer structured virtual opportunities. In short, virtual placements will be beneficial for students gaining UK experience as the future of work evolves.