Table 4 Benefits and challenges of...

Table 4

Benefits and challenges of on-site and e-internships

On-site internships	Illustrative quotes/Remarks
Benefits
Immersive experience	“The environment supported collaboration; with multiple small meeting rooms and places to discuss freely, it was comfortable working (here). We were not desk bound as well and could balance between working at the office and going on fieldwork, which was exciting.” – Third-year life sciences, male
Practical field exposure	Interns perceived field exposures such as interaction with migrant workers and the general community to be “meaningful, fulfilling, enlightening” experiences with “purpose”
Challenges
Mundane work	A few interns found the work “repetitive” and “lacking in progression”
Time management issues	Two supervisors indicated “Time management and punctuality”; “Absences and punctuality”
Access issues	“… HR could be quicker in processing new interns so that we can get a temporary staff pass for easier entry into the office!”
Access issues	– Third-year life sciences, female
E-internships
Benefits
Convenience, flexibility, autonomy	“Working remotely allows flexibility in terms of working hours and the intern could work according to his own schedule, as long as deliverables were met” – Research and analysis officer, NGO
Supportive environment	“I had a supportive supervisor and colleague who constantly checked in with me and ensured that the internship experience was maximized given the work-from-home situation” – Third-year life sciences, female
Resource-saving	“My organization had agreed to reimburse the intern for their transport cost and meals when at the office. As the whole internship was done remotely, it was at the end no cost to us for engaging an intern” –Research and analysis officer, NGO
Resource-saving	“No need to find a desk” – Faculty, academia
Challenges	Similar challenges as for on-site internships, plus the following themes below
Remote access issues relating to sensitive data	“Since the work dealt with sensitive data, I could not work on my personal computer and initially had to work on a company server. This was quite challenging because the server was not quite stable. This was less of an issue after the company issued me a laptop”
Remote access issues relating to sensitive data	– Third-year statistics, male
Sense of isolation/disconnectedness	“It's always nice to be able to meet people in-person. It may feel lonely and less ‘real’ for the intern working remotely if they are not used to this way of working.”–-Faculty, academia
	“More difficult to facilitate collaborative environment or build rapport in zoom meetings” – Faculty, academia
	“… No opportunities for small talk and casual conversations with co-workers and supervisors e.g. during breaks, over lunch. Hard to get to know others better, or improve networking” – Third-year life sciences, female
Limited PH activities	“(I was) unable to experience the physical training sessions down at the nursing homes” – Third-year life sciences, female
Impact on productivity/learning	“(Some) may find it difficult to handle distractions at home” – Consultant, NGO
Impact on productivity/learning	Several interns indicated efforts made to improve “work-life balance”

On-site internships	Illustrative quotes/Remarks
Benefits
Immersive experience	“The environment supported collaboration; with multiple small meeting rooms and places to discuss freely, it was comfortable working (here). We were not desk bound as well and could balance between working at the office and going on fieldwork, which was exciting.” – Third-year life sciences, male
Practical field exposure	Interns perceived field exposures such as interaction with migrant workers and the general community to be “meaningful, fulfilling, enlightening” experiences with “purpose”
Challenges
Mundane work	A few interns found the work “repetitive” and “lacking in progression”
Time management issues	Two supervisors indicated “Time management and punctuality”; “Absences and punctuality”
Access issues	“… HR could be quicker in processing new interns so that we can get a temporary staff pass for easier entry into the office!”
Access issues	– Third-year life sciences, female
E-internships
Benefits
Convenience, flexibility, autonomy	“Working remotely allows flexibility in terms of working hours and the intern could work according to his own schedule, as long as deliverables were met” – Research and analysis officer, NGO
Supportive environment	“I had a supportive supervisor and colleague who constantly checked in with me and ensured that the internship experience was maximized given the work-from-home situation” – Third-year life sciences, female
Resource-saving	“My organization had agreed to reimburse the intern for their transport cost and meals when at the office. As the whole internship was done remotely, it was at the end no cost to us for engaging an intern” –Research and analysis officer, NGO
Resource-saving	“No need to find a desk” – Faculty, academia
Challenges	Similar challenges as for on-site internships, plus the following themes below
Remote access issues relating to sensitive data	“Since the work dealt with sensitive data, I could not work on my personal computer and initially had to work on a company server. This was quite challenging because the server was not quite stable. This was less of an issue after the company issued me a laptop”
Remote access issues relating to sensitive data	– Third-year statistics, male
Sense of isolation/disconnectedness	“It's always nice to be able to meet people in-person. It may feel lonely and less ‘real’ for the intern working remotely if they are not used to this way of working.”–-Faculty, academia
	“More difficult to facilitate collaborative environment or build rapport in zoom meetings” – Faculty, academia
	“… No opportunities for small talk and casual conversations with co-workers and supervisors e.g. during breaks, over lunch. Hard to get to know others better, or improve networking” – Third-year life sciences, female
Limited PH activities	“(I was) unable to experience the physical training sessions down at the nursing homes” – Third-year life sciences, female
Impact on productivity/learning	“(Some) may find it difficult to handle distractions at home” – Consultant, NGO
Impact on productivity/learning	Several interns indicated efforts made to improve “work-life balance”

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