Interview with Luke Peake, CEO of Virtual Internships

Luke Peake (CEO of Virtual Internships) and I recently sat down to discuss all things about Virtual. We talked through what the company is about and who they are, as well as their mission to open up internships for students and graduates, to broaden access to great companies, and to remove barriers to gaining experience.

So who are Virtual Internships, and what do they offer? Luke states that they are “Passionate about employability… as the future of the workforce we’re committed to delivering meaningful, transformational work experience opportunities to students and recent graduates, improving their skills and employability in an increasingly digital world.”

His reasoning stems from trying to tackle issues of diversity, whilst removing some of the common barriers to acquiring an internship. Virtual Internships offer flexibility and the opportunity to study, whilst also gaining essential experience. Other internships, such as those at big law firms (i.e. in London) and international companies require travel costs and expensive living costs. So, by doing a virtual internship, a student is able to work for a company in the City, and there is no commuting and no travel expenses – they can work remotely from anywhere.

Luke stresses that his team works extremely hard in tailoring a great matching internship for students – focusing on the high quality, paid internships.

“You start off by registering and sending your CV, then that begins the journey and experience. It involves coaching, matching, and then a call from the admissions team. This allows the team to get to know what you want, what industry you want to work in, whether you want to work on projects, and how many hours you are able to put towards it. This only takes a couple of days and then we contact you to discuss your internship. You are not just given your internship and left to your own devices. Myself and the rest of the team at Virtual Internships will be with the student all the way, from start to finish. Before the internship even starts they will be given a training pack, along with a guide to learning new skills. Not only that, during the Virtual Internship we will check in with the candidate and help with their development.”

Let’s say Virtual Internships have found you an internship and and make you the offer – what’s next? Well, they then do require a deposit of £295 to secure the internship. Once you have accepted that offer, the remaining balance of £400 is payable – as the total for the internship is £695. Luke explains the value angle, that aside from being an investment in your future, students will be

able to work wherever they want. Taking the example of London, there will be no travel costs, hotel and rent charges; or anything else of that nature. It solves not only the high cost issue, but it also solves the logistical problem in that you don’t have to move to a city or country to get to work everyday. 

Luke then explained that, for any Virtual Internship participant, one of the best things that they will get out of this is a professional reference given to them. This can then be used on any social media platform, or on their CV, in order to succeed in obtaining that dream role.

So this is like going on a gap year or summer vacation scheme. But this time you can choose the hours and work right from home. What better way to achieve the experience you want and are seeking to do but right from the comfort of home?

According to Luke:

“So if you are looking for experience in your chosen field of work and want to use your summer breaks, gap years wisely. Then head over and take a look at www.virtualinternships.com – this is where you simply apply, search, receive and call and accept the offer that could help you achieve your dream job and career.”

Hold up! Exclusive offer with The Student Lawyer
We’ve managed to secure a great offer for our student lawyers with Virtual Internships – the first 5 to sign up using the code VITSLAUG100 get their program for £100 (normally £695!)

To find out more, and start your application, visit their website here or get in touch with us.