The 5 Tips Every Remote Intern Should Know

Hello all! I just completed my month-long community/corporate wellness rotation with MVME Wellness. From the very first day of the internship, our director Kati told us to be flexible and self-motivated. This rotation tested those skills right away! MVME Wellness is a unique company—there are only three employees and they all work remotely. My only guaranteed time with my preceptor consisted of about two 2-hour meetings per week. I quickly learned that this rotation would test my motivation and creativity in a way unlike any other.

Here are my 5 top tips for any interns interested in diving into this type of nontraditional internship experience:

1. Use meeting time wisely

Before every meeting with my preceptor Julian, I asked him to tell me what we would cover and what he expected me to have completed. Our first meeting was a planning meeting, so I spent the day before preparing ideas for the next year's corporate wellness challenges. When it finally came time to present, my preceptor decided to adopt all the ideas I offered. It’s important to prepare for all meetings as if you will lead them, because you want to showcase what you have accomplished on your own time. This preparation instills confidence in the preceptor that you can work effectively on your own.

2. Take Creative Risks

Julian gave me the opportunity to take the reins on all my projects, planning and executing them from start to finish. You won’t have that kind of creative freedom in every rotation, so take advantage of it. By developing my own ideas, I was more invested in the success of the final product. I took more time to research, tweak designs, and learn my topics inside and out. You too will be more inspired to keep producing if you are truly passionate about your idea. For one of my projects, I wanted to focus on mindfulness and meditation, since I am interested in mental health and nutrition. I came up with the idea that inspired me, designed mock-ups using Canva, pitched them to clients, then wrote the final webinar and promotional materials.

3. Make a schedule for yourself—and stick to it

The greatest luxury of remote work is the ability to work when and where you want. However, this is also its greatest challenge. I learned early on that an 8-5 schedule with an hour lunch break was NOT going to be the most effective way to spend my time. A typical day for me started with waking up at 7 am to surf, eating breakfast at 9, and making my way to the café du jour by 10 am to start the day’s assignments. I took an hour break for lunch, or sometimes longer if I started early and didn’t surf in the morning. I usually changed location for the second part of the day and completed my work around 6 or 7 pm. Whether you are an early bird like me or a night owl with fits of inspiration at midnight, you have the flexibility to work when it suits you.

4. Pick work locations that inspire you

In my last tip, I mentioned that I typically chose to work in coffee shops…but that’s not a requirement! San Luis Obispo and the surrounding cities are saturated with caffeine shacks to fuel your productivity, but the options are truly endless. If you want to work from home in your PJs, own it! A previous intern told me she would even take her work to the beach with her. I occasionally borrowed some space at my friend’s photography office where I could be inspired by and hang out with other working folk. Some other places I chose to work include Kreuzberg in downtown SLO, Kraken in Avila Beach, Bru in Atascadero, and Café Andreini in Arroyo Grande. Check out my recommendations, or try your own!

5. Be your own advocate

Since a remote rotation is more self-directed than one that is onsite, it's even more important to have a clear idea of what you want to get out of it. When my rotation with MVME started, I told Julian all the skills I hoped to practice during our time together; these included counseling, education, and learning how to build a corporate wellness business. He later contacted me about giving a presentation in his college psychology class. I then had the opportunity to counsel one of his private practice clients. I could explore work outside the standard rotation requirements because he knew exactly what I hoped to gain.

Whether or not you work as a remote intern, I hope you have found these tips helpful. I know I will continue to utilize these skills as I progress through the rest of the rotations. I can hardly believe it’s only the first one!