"As a soon to be graduate with the world in lockdown I was contemplating how to gain that initial industry experience."

Hello! I’m Tegan, a final year Pharmaceutical Science student at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. I recently completed an internship remotely with Absolute Internship. I intended on travelling and working within Barcelona itself, however, with this no longer possible I began researching other ways to experience the work life balance in an entirely different city.

My internship was over two full months working with a biotechnology company located in Barcelona, Spain. They focus on a more sustainable approach to manufacturing through various bioprocesses. My host company also assists in the manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and high value molecules on the industrial scale in cost effective and biologically safe ways. Throughout my role here, I assisted in the research of developing new ways to purify molecules, as well as methods of detecting them on various pieces of analytical equipment.

Coming from a niche science background I never considered the work to be able to be done remotely, let alone with a company 8 hours behind my time zone. Thankfully, I was placed with a company that really matched my field of interest where I was able to apply my university knowledge to the workforce for the very first time.

"As more and more of us are not only able but are required to work from home, the international barrier is quickly diminishing. There is no longer that requirement to reside and work within the same sea walls."

Top 2 Takeaways From My Experience

1. Flexibility

Being flexible as a young student with the capability of saying yes and giving things a go is truly crucial. Flexibility within my day and week as a remote intern was aided by colour coding my online calendar. By assigning a colour to each of the general themes of the week being university, internship, work, study and exercise I was visually able to see where tasks could be extended or rescheduled to. This flexibility allowed for an enjoyable intern experience even when other aspects of life picked up.

2. The Absolute Academy

As a remote intern I was provided access to the Absolute Academy. This platform provided workshops and trainings on various aspects of career development such as resume development courses. My personal favourite workshop of these would have to be the one regarding Emotional Intelligence within the workplace. Although this course wasn’t as common as those that assist in landing a role specifically, I found it to be the most insightful. This course offered experience and suggestions around how to act accordingly when situations didn’t always go to plan. This course highlighted the importance of a positive mindset which I personally believe is even more important when working from home than in the office.

"As I reflect back on my time now I have learnt to always say yes, manage my time effectively as well as how to be positive even when the situation may not be. Due to my intern experience I am now confident to enter the workforce as I am backed by Absolute Internship and those key transferable skills."

 

Are you also looking to get valuable work experience remotely in your industry and location of choice? Save your spot at the Remote Internship Program by submitting your application!