If you follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook, you’ll probably have been aware of an event InternChina was a part of last week called ‘Experience Asia 2014’. InternChina helped organise it in conjunction with the University of Manchester by working closely with our connections at the university.
We managed to attract several prominent organisations from across the UK that were able to offer students opportunities to travel, work, intern and study in Asia – it’s always great to meet people working in a similar field to you!
The number of enthusiastic students that came to talk to us at the InternChina stand was brilliant. It’s great to see so many young people intent on travelling to China to gain invaluable experiences.
Suffice to say, the event flew by, and many of the hundreds of students that attended, left with exiting new plans to go to Asia this year! Don’t worry too much if you were unable to be a part of the event, it’s not too late to apply for an internship with us this summer. We also have funding opportunities available so be sure to take a look!
We’re hoping to attend future Experience Asia events and look forward to the next one with keen anticipation.
Do you want to join those going to China this summer in Qingdao, Zhuhai or Chengdu? Join in the adventure here!
The InternChina service includes a wide range of aspects such as personal on-site support for interns. We are visiting companies on a regular base, talk to interns and supervisors to receive their feedback and support them as a mediator. We believe that an open communication between the company, the intern and InternChina is crucial for a successful internship experience and we are striving to improve the overall quality of the internship at any time.
Today, my colleague Paul Yeandle (Trainee Office Manager Chengdu) and myself (Office Manager Chengdu) went to one of our partner companies to see how Andrew (UK) and Matthew (Australia) are doing in their internship. The partner company is an IT-company which is developing Gaming apps for iOS and Android devices. The company atmosphere is laid-back and allows creative minds to think freely. There is a lot of space, the lighting is bright and friendly and the staff (even though some of them only speak limited English) is welcoming and curious about the foreigners. Interns in this company can be placed in a variety of positions, including all different kinds of designers, students with marketing backgrounds as well as programmers. An affinity for computer, console and online games is a condition though – because everything is about gaming here!
The reception and community room includes a billiards and a ping-pong table as well as an XBOX room where the staff can spend their breaks. For those who prefer a more relaxed lunch-break two automatic massage chairs are available and the lunch-break takes about two hours (which is very typical for Chinese Companies).
When we arrived today we had a quick feedback talk with the American Internship supervisor, who was very satisfied with the interns work. We caught a peak at the interns working station and then had a quick feedback round outside in the reception area with the interns together. Both, Andrew and Matthew are happy with their internship but of course being in China also offers a lot of surprises to them. So we had a good chat with them about cultural differences between Western countries and China and how important communication is to feel more comfortable and settle down much easier. From our experience, interning in China can be a very different experience from what you know from the West, so we help our interns to not only understand the differences but to develop strategies which help them to cope with their Culture Shock that they might encounter.
We were very happy to see how well both interns have settled already and started to build up their “guanxi” (relationship network) within the company. We all agreed, that this is the key point of having a great internship experience: If you are able to bond with your colleagues and supervisors, you will have a great time and in return get a wide field of opportunities offered that you would have never thought of before.
All in all, it was a great experience for Paul, who actually had the chance to see our interns in action in their internship companies and for Matthew and Andrew as they can be confident in speaking with us about their internship experience and give us great feedback as a reference for future interns. It will help us to improve the overall quality of our internship service and will help them to have a great time in China. Thank you: Andrew, Matthew and Paul!
If you want to join Andrew and Matthew in Chengdu, please check our available internship positions and apply now through our website! We only need your CV and cover letter and will guide you personally through our application process.
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If you live in the northern hemisphere, summer is up and running now, temperatures are rising, the sun is shining and images of beaches and tan people in bathing suits flood the advertising spaces everywhere. If you are a student, school is probably over for the semester or you are wrapping up exams and project deadlines.
It’s likely that you’ve already made plans for the summer (after all, you’ve been thinking about it since spring break was over). But if you still don’t know what you’re going to do for the next three months – or if you like to plan so far ahead that you’re already thinking about next summer – let me tell you why an internship in China is the best thing you can do with your summer.
You might be thinking: “Working? During my summer holiday? Why on Earth would I want to do that?” Yes, of course, everybody’s idea of summer is chilling in the sun by day and partying with piña coladas by night. But the truth is, you will most likely go on vacation for one or two weeks, and then spend the rest of the summer playing Xbox with your friends, hanging out at the mall or running errands for your mom.
What I’m saying is: do something more meaningful with your summer! These days, in the competitive business world that we live in, work experience is highly valued and if you graduate university without any at all, chances are you will have a very hard time finding a job that satisfies your career goals and rewards all the hard work you put into your studies (check out Penelope Trunk’s great blog about the importance of doing a summer internship). Of course, you can do an internship in your home town or even try to find a summer job but, now that you’re already thinking about it, why not do an internship in China?
Having work experience in China gives a great boost to your CV. It is not only the fact that China is increasingly gaining importance in the worlds of business and industry, which will definitely help you stand out to recruiters. But they will also see that you are not afraid to take on a challenge, given that you are willing to travel halfway across the world to live and work in a country with a completely different culture and way of life. How you adapted and handled the language and cultural barriers – this will be a great topic to mention in future job interviews.
But coming to China for an internship during the summer is not only great to improve your career prospects. It is also an opportunity to learn about a new culture and have fun while doing it. Qingdao, Zhuhai and Chengdu are great cities to do this: great weather, not as busy or expensive as Beijing or Shanghai, but still close enough that you can visit them and big enough that there are plenty of places to go to keep your evenings and weekends occupied with fun activities.
Just to mention a few examples: in Qingdao you can spend a day playing beach volleyball, sailing and jet skiing; or go climbing Laoshan Mountain if you’re a bit sportier. At night, you can sit outside drinking beer and eating street BBQ. In Zhuhai, you can go swimming in the sea or a pool, take a trip to one of the 146 islands around the city and even hop over to Macau or Hong Kong for the day, do some sightseeing and eat a delicious meal. Chengdu is a great place to go cycling for both pros and amateurs, given the fact that the landscape is mostly flat so you can go far without wearing yourself out too much. You can also have a relaxing afternoon at a tea house and of course, go see the pandas!
As you can see, doing an internship in China gives you the ultimate summer experience: working, learning and having fun! Conclusion: what are you waiting for?
Would you like to spend your summer doing an internship in China? Apply now on our website or send us an email for more information.