Staff Interview with Laura Perdomo Cardena

What inspired you to work for Intern Remote?

It all began in an international NGO that I volunteered at back when I was in university. There, I got to work with people from all over the world, and that was something that opened my mind to so many different options I never considered, like traveling and doing my masters abroad.

I was lucky to get a scholarship, and that's how I ended up in Spain and later working in the international education sector. Now my goal is to be able to provide international experiences to other students like myself who perhaps can't travel for long periods of time or can't afford to, but have the motivation and energy to get out of their comfort zone and intern for an international company from their homes.

I believe these international experiences are the ones who give the most comprehensive outlook towards other people and cultures, as well as different hard and soft skills you can practice in the workplace.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Getting to know students from all over the world who share the same interests and values in cultural exchange, and at the same time they get relevant work experience.

Sometimes it's challenging to find the best placement for a certain profile. However, by speaking to the students and understanding what motivates them and seeing how excited they are to explore different paths of their careers, it gives us a boost to keep on going! 

It's also very interesting getting to know the companies all around the globe that welcome our students in remote internships. Especially seeing how companies value the fact that they are international, that they offer different points of view, and can contribute to different projects.

What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?

Sometimes it's challenging to find the best placement for a specific profile because our partners have no spots available for that type of profile, or they just can't welcome someone during that specific time (especially with the pandemic, there has been so much uncertainty). Sometimes, we focus on new companies and most don't even reply to our outreach.

 It's a challenge that we all face at some point, whether we are looking for an internship or a job but, to be honest, my way of overcoming it is to keep trying and keep contacting new companies. Once you start having conversations and connecting with companies that do reply, it makes it all worth it. At the same time, having open and honest conversations with our participants is amazing. I think communication with them is key both for them and for us to stay focused.

Also another challenge I've been facing this year has been feeling down with all the bad news that I keep hearing. Sometimes it's a little hard to stay focused when there is so much negative noise around us.

However, by working remotely and having complete control of my surroundings I've developed routines that keep my spirits up. Routines such as: listening to interesting podcasts, or ted talks, instead of the news, and listening to a little brief at the end of the day to stay updated, but not saturated.

What are some current projects you are working on?

I've always loved writing, but since English is not my native language I struggle a little bit when writing for our blog. However, I truly believe in the resources we're building for young professionals who want to try remote working or for improving any internship experience in general.

So we're focusing on new and useful content for both students, as well as organisations interested in welcoming interns remotely. We understand this is a new concept to many and we want to share our experience.

We're also brainstorming on how to keep adding value to our participants. We want to build a stronger community, not only for the internship, but also after they finish the programme. We want to stay in touch and see how they keep growing in their professional life.

Lastly, we're also discussing how to make the programme even more accessible to more students who can't afford international experiences by collaborating with different stakeholders and offering more scholarships.

What makes Intern Remote special?

We adapt to our participants' circumstances. We understand it's not the same as being a student in Spain, or in Colombia, the United States, or India for example. We speak to each of our participants, and try to develop an internship programme for their needs.

Why should someone choose your organization over competitors?

We have more than 15 years of combined experience working in the international education sector. We have worked in different organizations and companies that dedicate time to internships, so we know how the industry works.

However, we've also seen all the improvements that could be done to these types of programmes. We have decided to make our own, in hopes to become accessible to more students around the globe who, like me, couldn't afford these types of programmes. We want to work with all types of students and young professionals no matter their experience, nationality, or financial situation.

What do you hope participants take away from your programs?

I hope participants learn about themselves. I hope they validate their career choices. It doesn't matter if it turned out that they don't like that path, because they've learned and they've experienced it.

Now they will move in another direction more suited to their passions, with transferable skills that will be useful in more scenarios. If it turned out they do like it, then that’s amazing! They have started building their profile to move towards that goal!

What questions do participants often ask you, and how do you typically respond?

What happens if I don't like my placement?

Normally we don't have issues with participants who are already in their internships, and that's because we have a collaborative process where we show our participants at the very beginning, examples of past roles that are suited to their profile and preferences.

Once we get their feedback, we have a clear idea of the potential partners and roles that can be a match. We often focus on the role and responsibilities more than the organizations, in that way the interns can focus on the skills they look to develop during the remote experience.

Also, we do not confirm any placement without written training and responsibilities outlined by the company so our participants can formally accept the position.

If it gets to a point where participants have issues during the programme, we're with them every step of the way, giving any type of advice and working together with the company, if necessary, so everyone has a positive experience.

Why do you think learning a new language is important?

It's proven that learning languages changes your brain. It makes you open to new possibilities, more tolerant to differences, and more empathetic towards others. Not to mention that it opens professional doors and that may be the deal breaker when a company hires you.

What does meaningful travel mean to you?

It is when you go beyond the touristic icons and really get to know the locals, their food, and their history. It is when you've learned something new about yourself and you go beyond your paradigms and previous stereotypes you may have had about someone or some place.

What hopes do you have for the future of international education?

I hope it reaches every corner of the world. 

Not only in developed countries or people with high resources. I think that when you have any sort of international experience, you're enhancing your profile in a way that no degree or title can give you.

And not only professionally, but as a global community and by getting to know each other in international experiences, we go beyond stigmas and we have more empathy towards others that are different. I think that's something the world needs more of.