Ever wondered what happens during a virtual internship with MoneyMatch? Fear not! For we will be giving you a sneak peek into the day of our virtual intern!
Introduction
Hey there! My name’s Jun, and I’ve just completed my Bachelor of Laws Degree at the University of Liverpool. During my undergraduate studies, I was fortunate enough to take up a course relating to Artificial Intelligence. Having successfully built a legal chatbot, it sparked my interest in the topic.
While waiting for my Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) course to begin, I decided to join MoneyMatch as a legal intern. I was drawn in by the fact that MoneyMatch employed machine learning algorithms to optimise their operations. As the curious cat that I am, I wanted to learn about the model used and how the algorithm functioned (Don’t worry! I managed to learn all about it from the data science manager, but that’s a story for another day).
Now that introductions are out of the way, let’s get into my daily routine!
7.00 am – Wake up!
My alarm rings and I pry myself out of bed to clean up and prepare for the day. As a virtual intern, the typical inconvenience with commuting to office and frustrations choosing your best work outfit are non-existent. Instead, my mornings are usually a battle between productivity and the urge to go back to sleep. On some days, I’d squeeze in an early exercise session while on others, I’d climb right back to bed.
8.30 am – Setting up as a Virtual Intern
Work officially begins! The first thing in my everyday routine is to sign in to our virtual office in Gathertown, open up Workplace – MoneyMatch’s communication tool, and check my email. Depending on whether I have any tasks from the day before, I will either get into completing my tasks or approach the legal manager to see if there’s anything that I could help out with.
11.00 am – I am sponge, sponge is me.
Most of my tasks revolve around research and examining documents, which requires me to absorb and compile my research findings. I function like a sponge, absorbing information from the internet, filtering and sorting out that information, and finally consolidating it into a document.
Attention to detail is really important when examining documents, especially when examining contract or T&C (terms and conditions) clauses. Such clauses have to be clear and precise, and minor details such as terminology and sentence structure can make all the difference.
12.30 pm to 1.30 pm – Lunch as a Virtual Intern
Time for lunch! I usually have home-cooked food and put on a YouTube video (or a few).
1.30 pm – Back to work
During this time of the day, I would have finished up on the smaller tasks I received earlier in the day. On some days, my manager will assign me urgent ad hoc tasks which usually require my immediate attention. On other days, I’ll try to make progress on the larger but less urgent projects. These projects include writing a remittance market report, looking up license application procedures for certain countries, as well as finishing up this article that you are now reading!
Although some of these tasks seemed daunting at first (especially the market report as it was completely out of my field of study), my fears quickly subsided. I was able to receive the necessary guidance and insight from my managers and colleagues to tackle these tasks, despite working remotely. Whenever I had any enquiries regarding my task, I could always expect a quick response. Communication was never a problem during my virtual internship.
5.30 pm – Freedom!
My day as a virtual intern is coming to an end. I try to finish or clean up whatever I am working on before logging off. Once I logged off, I take a short nap before doing some house chores and have dinner. After dinner, I join my friends for some games to end my day.
Tips and Advice
As a reward for making it this far, I will now share with you some tips I learned during my time at MoneyMatch!
- Take Initiative and Challenge Yourself
I have learned from my past internships that everyone appreciates a helping hand. Don’t be afraid to take the initiative and check in on your supervisors. Ask for tasks, as sometimes they may be too busy to remember to delegate some work. In addition to this, don’t shy away when you are assigned a daunting task, as it may reward you with valuable experience!
- Know When to Ask for Help
Your colleagues and managers don’t bite! Asking for help is usually much easier than it seems and it’ll help prevent you from messing up an unfamiliar task. Despite that I was working remotely, it was relatively easy to ask questions through the communication platforms. Especially since my team in MoneyMatch was friendly and willing to help. Also, remember to jot down notes to prevent yourself from forgetting the important points and needing to ask the same questions multiple times.
- Have Good Communication
In a virtual internship, it may be harder for your manager to keep up with what you are doing. Therefore, it’s a good idea to actively update your manager on tasks you’re working on as well as tasks you’ve completed. This allows them to understand where you are with your tasks, and they’re able to provide tips and pointers or set up a meeting to discuss your completed task/ progress.
Okay, those are just 3 tips from me! If you want more tips on working from home, check out our other article here!
In a Nutshell
I would say working as a virtual intern at MoneyMatch is pretty great! Despite working remotely, platforms such as Gather and Workplace allow me to stay connected with those working in the office. In addition to that, the fact that I do not need to commute means that I am able to be more productive at home. I had more time to myself with less distractions and I saved on travel costs!
However, a virtual internship is not without its downsides. The most apparent problem is the lack of social interaction. Although communication work-wise was not hindered, there is an obvious lack of chit chat. When you work long hours without talking to anyone, you will often feel lonely. A way to combat this is by joining in-person activities or remote team-building activities held by your office. Luckily here at MoneyMatch, badminton and futsal sessions are held every Monday and Tuesday respectively and are open to all personnel.
If you’ve caught interest in our digital cross-border transfers service while reading this article, try us out at MoneyMatch!