Hey travel addicts! Let me show you the Great wall as you would have never have imagined it!
You might think you know quite a lot about China, but this massive country has plenty of secrets. If youâve already been, youâve probably visited the Forbidden City in Beijing, and the Bund in Shanghai. I bet youâve seen the Terracotta Army in Xiâan, the lovely pandas in Chengdu, and the âAvatar Mountainsâ in ZhangjiajieâŠ
If you have managed to see all these things, it seems like you might be half Chinese now- congratulations! But what if I told you there is way more to China than these popular tourist spots? The Great Wall of China is probably one of the most famous tourist spots in the world, but I’m sure you’ve not seen all yet!
The Great Wall: Tourist Destination
If youâre in Beijing, well of course you should go to the Great Wall, otherwise youâll never be a brave man – äžć°éżćéć„œæ±, as the Chinese proverb said.
For a first experience in China, Badaling ć «èŸŸćČ and Mutianyu æ ç°ćłȘ are nice spots of the Wall, and are very well renovated- this therefore means they are the most visited parts of the Great wall, so donât expect to be the only tourist there!
Quiet Spot
But if like me youâre not really into tourist traps, and crowded places, let me show you another piece of the Great Wall called HuangHuacheng é»è±ć. This is the only lakeside piece of the Great Wall, and some parts of it are not renovated, which means there is the perfect balance of tranquility and adventure- you definitely should try it!
Athletic Spot
If you feel ready for a hike, I have another piece of the Great Wall for you! Zhuangdaokou is one of the unrestored sections of the Great wall in Beijing, and you should definitely visit here if you feel like an adventure. Donât be scared if you see some signs which wonât allow you to climb there, they are most likely like the âno smokingâ signs all over China ⊠not really significant.
Unknown Spot
Did you know that the Great Wall isnât the same everywhere in China? For example, in Inner Mongolia the Great wall is totally different, and itâs of course way harder to imagine how they could defend their country with this kind of wall, made of soil and sand. In every hostel in Hohhot you can book a tour to see those amazing landscapes, and since Inner Mongolia isnât that far from Beijing, you definitely should go and take a look there!
Do you feel like exploring the Great Wall of China? Then you should apply now!
Why does it have to be Basketball?
Did you ever want to do some extraordinary stuff that feels a little bit like being a celebrity without being one? Or to see and go through cool and wonderful situations? Then China is the place to be! Today I am going to speak about one of these activities. We got free tickets for a basketball match between two University Teams. Actually a friend got them, and not only two, he got a lot, so we went there with a bunch of fellow students. I was really happy on one side getting the opportunity to see my first basketball match but on the other hand I would have preferred watching a football match instead. But basketball is much more popular in China.
Why? If you ask a Chinese person this question they also donât know. Football is also popular in China, and most people know at least one name of a German player, although they will use the Chinese name for him so you might not understand who it is they mean. For example you will have a Chinese guy smiling at you and say. âmy favourite players are Kelinsiman or Shiweiyinshitaige!â Ok, so these examples are quite easy, but you will sometimes have a hard time I guarantee it.
Before the Match
But back to business! As a Student of Qingdao University, I was cheering for the Qingdao Team. I cheered so much that I even forgot the name of the other university, but is that information needed? I mean, who wants to know about the loser anyway?
Everything was new for me; first of all they were playing the national anthem before the game. Which is quite strange for a German to see, as we donât play national anthems that often on sports events. Actually the only occasion on which we would play the German national anthem would be a match between national teams. Then they had two stadium speakers that were giving information about the teams and the game. The were announcing every single player by name.
After the introduction another, for me, strange thing happened. A group of cheerleaders came and performed on the field. Which was strange, because in Germany this is quite a seldom thing to happen too. Â Actually, I only know about cheerleaders from American movies.
For me the idea of cheerleading is, using diplomatic terms now, quite a strange one. Why would you need a bunch of girls performing expressive dancing, to cheer up a crowd that came to see their team competing against another one anyway? And why are there no male cheerleaders? Or are there some at womenâs sport events? And if so, what kind of clothes do they wear? Hot pants, with muscle shirts? What would they swing around?
During the Game
Anyway after the performance and a long time of people running around without any system visible, on and by the sides of the field the actual game begun. We had the best seats directly on the line of the field. The anticipation was killing me already, when the game started.
And I saw from what I can tell about basketball (which is not too much, because I never saw the need to gather knowledge about this game anyway) it was a good game. The players were dedicated and they really played with tactics. During half time, two of my fellow students had to perform a streetball game against two Chinese guys. In the end the Qingdao Team won with smashing 52:38 Points.
After all I was really happy with the whole experience and can strongly recommend this to everyone that gets the opportunity- go and get a grasp of Chinese basketball, with everything belonging to it, including the loud drums Chinese people seem to carry around with them like the vuvuzelas brought to a football match!
So you’re getting ready for your internship in China, and checking everything off on your to-do list. Aside from all the usual important stuff you need for going abroad- your passport, visa, medicine, clothes… you need to think about what vaccines you might need for China.
This is something you need to consider before starting your adventure in China, and while vaccines aren’t necessary, you definitely need to speak to your doctor to see what they recommend.
It is recommended that you speak to your General Practitioner at least 6 to 8 weeks before your scheduled flight to discuss any health risks or vaccinations.
It is not necessary to be vaccinated before your arrival in China, however there are some recommended vaccinations for your stay in China: Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid, Tetanus-Diphtheria and Measles if you do not already have them.
Ask Yourself
- What’s the risk of me contracting a vaccine- preventable disease?
- How long am I going for?
- What will I be doing?
- Can I be protected without a vaccine?
What Countries Say
For more information about vaccines, please check the CDCâs website, or read some information here about travelling safely and healthily in China.
We’re looking forward to welcoming you to China soon!
6 reasons why you should do a summer internship
Youâve finally handed in that last piece of coursework, those end of term exams are fast approaching (if not already in full swing), and despite promising yourself for the whole year that youâd never do it, youâve actually waited outside the university library at 7am for the doors to open so you can get the good seat. Iâve been there.
The light at the end of the tunnel might seem as far away as it’ll ever be right now, but before long, itâs all over and youâre left with three months of freedom, a headful of ambition but thereâs a good chance youâre still asking yourself the question: What am I going to do with my summer, and how am I going to make it worthwhile? Join your parents for that walking tour of the Pennines? Finally sit down and read all that George Orwell and Emily Bronte that you’ve been meaning to read for the last two years? An internship abroad? (hint hint – it’s the last one!)
So here they are: the six killer reasons why a summer internship abroad is a great way to combine travel with training for the professional world! In short – a solid investment in your future and a fantastic opportunity to make lasting memories!
1 – Gain hands-on experience in the workplace
Joining a company as an intern is a great way to learn how businesses and organisations work in the real world, and not just on paper. This is especially the case for start-ups and small to medium-sized businesses, where you get the chance to see first-hand how businesses grow and transition into larger and more mature entreprises. Far from fetching the coffee and making photocopies, interns play a vital role in keeping the cogs of a business turning and if they excel in their position, can have a real impact on the direction of their host company!
2 – Immerse yourself in another culture
More so than if you were simply passing through as a traveller, interns in a country like China have the time to truly immerse themselves in the local culture and learn about what it means to be a citizen of another society. Because youâll be working alongside them and sharing your day-to-day life with them, you will learn to eat, drink, work and play like a local. Thereâs no better way to smash your stereotypes about a country than to go there in person and share a hearty cup of baijiu with your coworkers who have lived there their whole lives!
3 – Prepare yourself for a truly globalised world
Interning in a country like China can prepare you in so many ways for the world of the future â you will gain vital work experience, learn how business is conducted in a country that is rapidly becoming the main trade partner of every other country in the world, learn to adapt to quickly changing working environments and function as part of an international team. Moreover, the skills you acquire during your experience interning abroad will make you stand out among your peers and will boost your future employability to no end!
4 – Help to define your career path
You may find that undertaking a summer internship helps you to discover that hidden specialism you never realised you loved! The flexibility of many internships means that you get a chance to try out the various different areas of specialism in one field of work. For example, you could well find that social media marketing really isnât your jam, but at the same time you discover that you secretly had a burning passion for events management that you would never have known of unless you tried it out during your internship! You will also make countless contacts in your field of internship that could later prove to be a lucrative entry-point into the career path of your dreams!
5 – Learn a new language
It might seem like an intimidating (or nearly impossible!) feat to accomplish in one short summer, but an internship abroad is completely packed with chances for you to learn the basics of the language of your host country! Aside from the option to attend language classes, your coworkers will no doubt be more than happy to teach you some useful phrases to help you get by (or at least the more useful insults), and the value of being able to communicate to colleagues and business partners in their mother tongue cannot be overstated enough!
6 – Come back with some great stories
Last, and certainly not least, completing a summer internship in a country such as China can be a challenging, bewildering, bemusing, enriching and mind-boggling experience all at the same time! You will be interning alongside people from all around the globe with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives on the world, which makes for a pretty unique summer. You may have to tackle culture shock head-on, but you will no doubt board your plane home with a suitcase full to the brim with lasting memories, heartfelt friendships, and maybe even a cuddly panda keyring stuffed in the bottom.
To start your summer internship adventure in one of four great cities, apply now!
For me, graduating from university felt a bit like being forced to get out of bed on a chilly winterâs morning: alone, shivering and anxious to get back under the covers. Then again, making the jump from my warm, cosy life as a student to the seemingly cold, icy world of work, paycheques and overtime was never going to be an easy one.
To make that transition a bit more comfortable, after graduating from Edinburgh University in May 2016, I decided to wrap myself in my proverbial pillow and blankets and head across to the sunny isle of Taiwan, to hide from the cold a little while longer. During my 6-month stay studying at Cheng Kung University in Tainan, I wrestled with the infamously mind-boggling yet beautiful traditional Chinese characters, cycled along the remote and rugged Eastern coastline, and tasted the dazzling array of street food as I wandered the night markets of Taipei.

From Cheng-Kung to Chengdu
As my half-year stay drew to a close, I decided it was high time I set myself a real challenge. I had been studying Chinese for four and a half years, and it was time to put it to the test in the workplace. For me, Sichuan and the West of China has always had a certain allure â who could resist the chance to see the far-flung reaches of the Tibetan plateau, to conquer the notoriously numbing Sichuanese peppercorn, or peer in at the leafy home of the Giant Panda? With this in mind, I set my sights for the great Western capital of Chengdu.
To cut a long story short, I scoured the web for opportunities to do a 4-month internship in Chengdu, and no more than 6 weeks later â here I am! I havenât been in the office very long, but already I feel like Iâve been thoroughly immersed into the local culture and cuisine. In just the few days since I arrived, Iâve been on a trip to Huanglongxi (é»éŸæșȘ), an ancient town full of original Qing dynasty architecture, eaten Chongqing Flat Noodles (çąæéąwĂĄnzĂĄmiĂ n) and enjoyed a suitably spicy Sichuanese hotpot!
Perhaps more worth noting, however, is how well I have been welcomed into the InternChina family â the friendly and relaxed office atmosphere, communal lunches everyday and general level of support have made my first few days go without a hitch. Even though leaving the comfort and safety of student life and entering the workplace might have felt like a cold winterâs morning to begin with, Iâm already starting to feel the warmth come back to my toesâŠor maybe thatâs just the hotpot.
If you want to be part of the IC story, apply now!  Â
So Iâve been roped into writing another blog. Last time I was writing about wacky shrimp-charmers and typical Chinese benevolence but Iâm toning it all down a bit in an attempt to brandish my questionable cooking talent. However, do not fear these recipes, for they have earned critical acclaim from seasoned pundits such as my ex-flatmate and anosmic sausage-dog. Whatâs more is that I present an opportunity to make friends with your local veg-stall owner. Just visit every day and say âshÄng yĂŹ xÄ«ng lĂłngâ after youâve paid and youâll be friends for life.
Perhaps I should stop flaunting my credentials get on with what you came here for.
Dish One â Egg Fried Rice
âIt sounds boring!â I hear you cry. âItâs too easy!â you moan. Pfft. Donât you remember the social sec from that questionable university rugby club telling you not to knock something until youâve tried it?

Ingredients
- Egg, obviously. Youâre going to need 2-5 of these, depending on how much you hit the gym.
- Rice. Try to scale this with the number of eggs youâve used.
- Some kind of oil to grease your wok. I use peanut oil because itâs the cheapest.
- Vegetables. Normally I go with a solitary carrot because Iâm boring, but you should try adding broccoli, pak choi or cauliflower. If youâre feeling really adventurous then add all four.
- Soy sauce, obviously. This is China after all.
- Sesame oil. This is the secret ingredient that sets apart the Jamie Olivers from the normal Olivers.
Method
Start by getting your rice cooker on the go. While sheâs doing the hard work for you, chop up your vegetables into little chunks and crack open your eggs into a small bowl. Then, fry the veg in your wok on a medium/high heat in some oil.
Once those seedless fruits are looking nice and cooked turn down the heat to low/medium and throw in the eggs. Be sure to give them a good whacking with a wooden spoon. Beat them until it looks like that scene from Team America when the hero-guy comes out of the pub.
Now you need to add in the rice. Make sure that it isnât all mushy with water then throw it into the wok. Pour some soy sauce over it and stir it in. Usually youâll need about 10-20mL of soy sauce, but youâll soon work out how strong you like your flavours. Finally, pour some sesame oil into the wok and mix that in too. About 3-5mL is all you need.
And voila! That took about 15 minutes.
Dish Two â Chicken Stir Fry
This is my signature dish in China. My old housemates back home in England know how proud I was of my first bhuna and others find my bolognese irresistible. However, China isnât fond of curry and youâll pay a lot of money to cook yourself a proper bolognese so Iâll try to keep on topic.

Ingredients
- Chicken. Cluck cluck.
- Rice or noodles. This is a great opportunity because you can disguise this single recipe as two by using either carbohydrate base.
- Carrots. Feel free to add other vegetables but the carrots are the best thing about this dish.
- Ginger. Youâll need about 5cm of this, maybe more. Who knows? Youâll find out how much you like soon enough.
- Garlic. While weâre on the subject, anyone reading who hasnât been to China might be interested to know that the Chinese like to munch on whole garlic cloves. Youâll need about three for this dish.
- Soy sauce. Youâll work out how much you need.
- Oil. Again, I use peanut oil because itâs the cheapest.
- Honey (not essential).
- Peanut butter (not essential).
- Peanuts (not essential).
Method
Choose if you want rice or noodles. Prepare them but wait until later to cook.
Slice and dice your chicken and slap it into a moderately oiled wok. You donât want to turn on the heat yet unless you like your chicken black. Wash your chopping board if you donât have access to another and use it to chop your carrots. Slice them into 1cm thick batons, wash them and leave them aside. Turn on the chicken to a medium heat. Then start chopping up the ginger and garlic into tiny pieces. A big meaty cleaver helps with this. The smaller the better. Youâll see what I mean.
Somewhere in the middle of chopping up the ginger and garlic youâll hear a mysterious voice whisper in your ear: âdonât forget to turn on the riceâ. This will only occur if you chose to cook rice. Obey the voice.
When the chicken is almost cooked, which is usually when youâve just peeled the garlic and ginger, put your carrots in the wok. If youâre cooking noodles, boil the water now.
When you feel like you canât be bothered to chop ginger and garlic anymore, put them in the wok and turn the flame up high. I try to make some room in the middle of the wok and put them there, adding the soy sauce at the same time. I find that the flavours come out better when itâs been blasted with heat. Leave it for about 15 seconds and then stir it all in. After a few minutes I like to pick the wok up and toss the ingredients up into the air and catch them again in the wok. (I actually do this with the lid on but itâs still good practice). Finally, add a squirty of honey and a spoony of peanut butter. Stir it like that rumour you spread about Tom and Lucy back in â08.
If your choice was noodles, start cooking them now. They need about one or two minutes. If you chose rice, it should be cooked by now. Put it in a bowl and add a little bit of soy sauce. I like to add the noodles to the wok and stir fry them with some extra soy sauce.
About now everything should be ready. Just serve it up. Garnish with peanuts to add extra protein and a new crunchy texture.
And thatâs it! Another just-satisfactory blog that has slipped through the editorâs occasionally slippery net.
Nachdem man die Entscheidung getroffen hat ein Praktikum zu absolvieren, steht die groĂe Frage im Raum wo genau dieses durchgefĂŒhrt werden soll. Dabei kann man grob zwischen zwei Arten von Unternehmen unterscheiden: groĂe, bekannte Unternehmen und kleine bis mittelstĂ€ndige Unternehmen. Beide Arten unterscheiden sich wesentlich von einander, indem ganz andere Erwartungen vom Unternehmen an dich, aber auch andersherum von dir an das Unternehmen gestellt werden.
Eine kleine Hilfestellung in Form einer einfachen GegenĂŒberstellung habe ich fĂŒr euch im Folgenden zusammengefasst:
Vorteile eines Praktikums in einem groĂen, bekannten Unternehmen sind folgende:
- Der erste und fĂŒr viele sicherlich auch ausschlaggebende Punkt ist natĂŒrlich der Name. Ein groĂer Name wie Bosch, Mercedes und Beiersdorf sticht natĂŒrlich heraus und kann euren Lebenslauf ungemein attraktiv machen. Vor allem bei traditionellen Unternehmensberatungen und Rechtsanwaltskanzleien können bekannte Unternehmen das Tor zur gewĂŒnschten Anstellung sein. GroĂe Firmen, die tĂ€glich einen 50cm Stapel zu bearbeiten haben, fliegen Bewerbungen hĂ€ufig nur schnell durch. Ein groĂer Name sticht da natĂŒrlich heraus und bekommt eher einen zweiten Blick geschenkt. Ein Design-Praktikum bei Disney wird euch da wahrscheinlich weiterbringen als bei der Boutique um die Ecke.
- Die Chance, dass ihr in ein bereits perfekt ausgeschliffenes Programm kommt ist deutlich höher. Praktikanten geben sich in groĂen Firmen quasi die Klinke in die Hand, daher werden diese Unternehmen auch viel Erfahrung im Umgang mit Praktikanten aufweisen können. Dementsprechend werden euch immer perfekt auf euch zugeschnittene Aufgaben gestellt und das in einem angemessenen Zeitrahmen
- Mit einem ausgeklĂŒgelten Praktikantenprogramm kommt hĂ€ufig auch ein erfahrener Mentor einher. Das Ziel eines Praktikums ist im Allgemeinen mehr ĂŒber ArbeitsablĂ€ufe und deren AusfĂŒhrung zu erfahren und neue FĂ€higkeiten zu erwerben bzw. vorhandene zu erweitern. Ein erfahrener Mentor, dem bereits alle möglichen Fragen in den Bauch gefragt wurden und der jede erdenkliche Situation bereits miterlebt hat, wird euch wahrscheinlicher bei Problemen helfen können und euch jeden zielfĂŒhrenden Lösungsweg nennen können.

NatĂŒrlich gibt es aber auch die andere Seite der Medaille:
- Bei groĂen Unternehmen gibt es selbstredend auch viele Praktikanten, die in dem Unternehmen ein- und ausgehen. Dass man damit recht einfach austauschbar ist, sollte schnell klar sein.
- Aus dem groĂen Stapel an Bewerbungen werden nur die besten Praktikanten ausgewĂ€hlt, doch fĂŒr die Aufgaben, mit denen sie anschlieĂend konfrontiert werden, sind sie oft ĂŒberqualifiziert. Nicht selten bekommt man eine FĂŒlle an âtypischen Praktikantenaufgabenâ, die nicht allzu anspruchsvoll sind, die jedoch eine Menge Zeit in Anspruch nehmen und aus genau diesem Grund an Praktikanten weitergeleitet werden.
- Recht schnell kann man einen Ăberfluss an BĂŒrokratie auf der Einen und einen Mangel an EigenstĂ€ndigkeit und FreirĂ€umen bei der BewĂ€ltigung seiner Aufgaben auf der anderen Seite feststellen. Dies fĂ€llt besonders dann auf, wenn augenscheinlich banale Fragen und Aufgaben mehrere Stationen durchlaufen mĂŒssen, bevor sie ihr Ziel erreichen, was schnell zu Frustration fĂŒhren kann.
- Erledigt man seine Aufgaben gut und im vorgegebenen Zeitfenster, darf man sich nicht allzu groĂe Hoffnung auf ĂŒberschwĂ€ngliches Lob machen. Erledigt man seine Aufgaben umgekehrt wiederum nicht den Anforderungen entsprechend oder im vorgegebenen Zeitfenster, darf man auch nicht auf zu viel VerstĂ€ndnis hoffen.
- Jeder Praktikant hofft natĂŒrlich an sein Praktikum anschlieĂend auf ein Stellenangebot dieses Unternehmens oder zumindest auf ein paar gute Kontakte. Die Chance, dass dies auch wirklich passiert, ist jedoch verschwindend gering. Man muss nicht nur doppelt so hart wie alle anderen Praktikanten arbeiten, sondern auch zehnmal so gut sein wie sie, um einen bleibenden Eindruck zu hinterlassen.
- Auch auf ein persönliches VerhĂ€ltnis mit seinen Vorgesetzten darf man sich nicht allzu groĂe Hoffnungen machen. Das Arbeitsklima ist hĂ€ufig rein professionell und bleibt bis zum Ende des Praktikums auch so.
- Der Supervisor, der einem bei dem Praktikum helfen soll, ist in den seltensten FÀllen immer ansprechbar und manchmal noch seltener auffindbar, da er selbst viele Aufgaben zu erledigen hat und nicht viel Zeit hat.
- Allgemein ist der eigene Einflussbereich sehr ĂŒberschaubar. Die Verantwortung, die einem ĂŒbertragen wird, genauso wie die ZustĂ€ndigkeiten, halten sich in Grenzen, da es genug Angestellte gibt, die die wichtigeren Entscheidungen treffen können.
- Manchmal hat man dann auch gar keine Aufgaben zu erledigen und muss sich selbst ĂŒber den Tag hinweg beschĂ€ftigen.

Zum Vergleich dazu die Vorteile eines Praktikums in einem kleinen Unternehmen:
- Anders als in einem groĂen Unternehmen, wo oftmals nur das Nötigste im eigenen Aufgabenbereich getan wird und pĂŒnktlich Feierabend gemacht wird, nimmt man bei einem kleinen Unternehmen oft eine groĂe Herausforderung an, da man hier nicht nur einen, sondern ermutigt wird gleich mehrere Schritte weiterzugehen und sich um ein vielfaches mehr zu engagieren. Dadurch wird man auch mental viel mehr herausgefordert.
- Das Budget ist meist gering und die Menge an Arbeit groĂ. Oftmals kann sich ein kleines Unternehmen keinen weiteren Mitarbeiter leisten und stellt daher einfach einen Praktikanten ein. Dieser bekommt so viele verschiedene anspruchsvolle Aufgaben zugewiesen, die es alle zu erledigen gilt. Damit geht aber auch einher, dass man mehr Verantwortung ĂŒbertragen bekommt und interessantere Aufgaben und Projekte zu bearbeiten kann.
- Man wird daher auch nicht nur als ein Praktikant angesehen, der Kaffee kocht, sondern kann sich richtig im Unternehmen miteinbringen. Man kann seine eigenen Ideen vorstellen und hat eine groĂe Chance, dass diese auch Gehör finden.
- Denn man arbeitet mit den Leuten zusammen, die auch die groĂen wichtigen Entscheidungen treffen. Man kann ihnen dabei zusehen, auf welcher Basis sie welche MaĂnahmen und BeschlĂŒsse treffen und ausfĂŒhren.
- Dadurch wiederum ist auch der Weg zum erledigen der eigenen Aufgaben viel kĂŒrzer und man muss nicht erst 100 Stationen durchlaufen, ehe man den nĂ€chsten Schritt gehen kann.
- Mit seinen frischen Ideen wird man schneller wertgeschÀtzt und bekommt dies auch gezeigt.
- Man wird viel mehr in das Unternehmen eingebunden und weiĂ welche Projekte gerade bearbeitet werden. So bekommt man einen guten Ăberblick nicht nur darĂŒber, wie das Unternehmen funktioniert und aufgebaut ist, sondern kann auch jeden einzelnen Ablauf einsehen und nachvollziehen.
- Man bekommt so echte praktische Erfahrung in der realen Welt.
- So wird man aber auch dem kompletten Unternehmensalltag ausgesetzt. Dies bedeutet, dass man quasi ein on-the-job training hat und man schnell weiĂ, was man nicht weiĂ.
- Man kann auf diese Art viel mehr Erfahrungen sammeln, mehr lernen, seine bereits vorhandenen FĂ€higkeiten ausbauen, mehrere neue FĂ€higkeiten gleichzeitig erlernen und als Mensch wachsen. Gleichzeitig lernt man auch viel ĂŒber sich selbst. Man merkt, wo vielleicht noch versteckte Skills in einem liegen und wo genau seine Interessen liegen und kann diese daraufhin gezielt fördern.

Auch bei kleinen Unternehmen gibt es selbstverstÀndlich Nachteile:
- Der gröĂte Nachteil ist wahrscheinlich das Verschwimmen von Grenzen, vor allem was seinen Arbeitsbereich angeht. Man wird dabei gebeten Aufgaben zu erledigen, die nicht in der Stellenbeschreibung waren.
- Auf der persönlichen Ebene kann man das IneinderflieĂen von klaren Linien als Nachteil, aber manchmal auch als Vorteil sehen â je nachdem wie gut man mit seinen Vorgesetzten zurechtkommt und ob man das ĂŒberhaupt will. Manchmal kann ein freundschaftliches VerhĂ€ltnis von Nachteil sein, vor allem dann, wenn man mit bestimmten Aspekten seines Praktikums unzufrieden ist und man zu befangen ist, um es seinem Vorgesetzten mitzuteilen.
- Auch das gesamte Praktikum an sich kann manchmal unorganisiert und unstrukturiert sein. Wichtig ist es, sich vorher genau nach seinen Aufgaben zu informieren.
- Der zukĂŒnftige Arbeitgeber muss sich ĂŒber eure Praktikumsunternehmen erst einmal informieren. Er wird wahrscheinlich nicht auf Anhieb wissen, in was fĂŒr einer Firma ihr euer Praktikum gemacht habt. Allerdings ist es auch oftmals so, dass sich der Arbeitgeber nicht die MĂŒhe machen wird, sich intensiv damit zu beschĂ€ftigen und sich nur euer Empfehlungsschreiben durchlesen wird. Dieses muss daher wirklich glĂ€nzend sein.
Das war meine kleine GegenĂŒberstellung. Sowohl ein Praktikum in einer groĂen, als auch in einer kleinen Firma hat seine Vor- und Nachteile. Am Ende des Tages muss man fĂŒr sich selbst herausfinden, was man von seinem Praktikum erwartet und was es einem bringen soll. Ist man sich dessen klar, sollte die Wahl des Unternehmens schnell gefallen sein.
Allen Punkten zum Trotz, ist diese GegenĂŒberstellung natĂŒrlich nicht auf jedes einzelne Unternehmen ĂŒbertragbar, denn Ausnahmen bestĂ€tigen wie immer die Regel.
Wenn auch Du Erfahrungen in einem Praktikum, egal ob in einem groĂen oder in einem kleinen Unternehmen, sammeln möchtest, dann bewirb Dich hier!
So the time has sadly come to say goodbye to Qingdao and InternChina. I came to China only intending to stay for two months, then two turned into six, and now eight months later I am (somewhat reluctantly) going home.
I was incredibly lucky during my time in China. Not only did I get to live in Qingdao, a beautiful city on the East Coast, but I got to experience working in Chengdu in the West for 2 weeks as well. I got to work with an amazing international team of people, and made friends from all over the world in every city I visited.
I think I managed to squeeze in a lot of travelling during my 8 months here. I managed to successfully navigate my way to Beijing, Chengdu, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Shanghai and Suzhou, getting to experience not one, but two, Walls in the process- the original Great and the lesser known Fake in Luodai.
Exploring Qingdao would have been enough even if I hadnât decided to travel about the place. I would happily spend every weekend exploring the Laoshan mountain ranges and probably not do the same route twice- even if I got bored of Laoshan, there was always Fushan with its German bunkers and tunnels. Old Town provided plenty of history with the Tsingtao Beer Museum and the historical houses, while Taidong Night Market and Jimo Lu fake market provided entertainment with an IC scavenger hunt (which may I add, my team won). Calligraphy classes, go karting, roller disco, ice skating and visits to tea houses all made sure my weekends here were never boring.
My time in Chengdu let me tick off a bucket list item of seeing the Panda Base, as well as getting to pick tea and cycle around Pujiang on a tandem bike (add that to the list of things I didnât expect to do here). I also visited the âfakeâ wall of China in Luodai, and tried some of the best food Iâve ever had⊠the thought of chuan chuan alone might be enough to bring me back!
Street barbeque until 5 am in Qingdao, my beloved lanzhou lao mian, deep fried aubergine, biang biang mian, crispy sweet and sour pork, tudousi and rojiamo⊠I am definitely going to miss the food here. I donât think Iâm ever going to be happy with Western âChineseâ food again, and Iâm certainly not going to find somewhere to buy a bag of beer in Belfast!
The other interns definitely made my time here a lot more enjoyable- without their collective enthusiasm it would have been much more difficult to motivate myself to do all of these amazing things. It isnât much fun climbing a mountain or travelling alone compared to doing it with a mixed group of five or six other equally clueless people. We got lost in Shanghai, avoided the scorpions on a stick in Beijing, ate street barbeque in Chengdu at 6am, hiked across two provinces along the Hui Hang Ancient Trail and turned the steps at the Sun Yat Sen Mausoleum in Nanjing into a slide. Countless selfies with the locals, bus rides perched on makeshift seats and several amazing nights in bars and hostels across the country meant I was able to create amazing memories with people Iâd maybe only known for a few days or weeks!
If you want to see the real China, all while gaining that coveted international work experience then I can think of no better way than through InternChina. Gaining essential life skills, an amazing internship and the confidence to go anywhere in the world- why wouldnât you want to come here!
If you want to experience everything I did and more, apply now!
InternChina ist nun auch offiziell auf dem europĂ€ischen Festland vertreten. Wir haben ein BĂŒro in Mainz eröffnet, eine Stadt, die durch die zentrale Lage und NĂ€he zum Frankfurter Flughafen ĂŒberzeugt.
Der GrĂŒnder InternChinas, Frank Lenhardt, zog mit seiner Familie nach Mainz. Dort baut er mit seiner Frau, Yi Fan (äžćĄ), die EuropaprĂ€senz InternChinas auf. Er hat sich aus einer Vielzahl von GrĂŒnden fĂŒr Mainz entschieden. ZunĂ€chst einmal ist Frank selber aus genau dieser Gegend, also ist dieser Schritt gen Heimat fĂŒr ihn eine Art RĂŒckkehr dahin, wo alles angefangen hat. Dem kommt hinzu, dass er seine Familie in China gegrĂŒndet hat und deshalb haben weder seine Frau, noch seine Kinder jemals in Deutschland gelebt. Also verbindet Frank Familie mit Beruf und wĂ€hrend er InternChinas EuropageschĂ€ft erweitert, zeigt er gleichzeitig seiner Familie die deutsche Kultur und wie es sich in Deutschland so lebt – und welcher Ort ist besser dafĂŒr als der, an dem Frank selbst aufgewachsen ist.

AuĂerdem spricht Frank von Haus aus sowohl Französisch, als auch Deutsch, weshalb er bestens geeignet fĂŒr die ErschlieĂung neuer MĂ€rkte in Europa ist. Bis dato hatte InternChina nĂ€mlich noch keine Zweigstelle in Europa, was die Akquise neuer Kunden dort erschwert hat. Durch Franks und Yi Fans UnterstĂŒtzung vor Ort haben wir nun die Möglichkeit genau diesen SchlĂŒsselmarkt zu erschlieĂen und dadurch die Bekanntheit InternChinas bei möglichen Partnern in ganz Europa zu steigern. An dieser Stelle kommt die NĂ€he Mainzâ an Frankreich, wie auch die zentrale Lage in Deutschland und Europa generell gelegen. Auch liegt Mainz Ă€uĂerst nah an dem Frankfurter Flughafen, der DirektflĂŒge zu vielen InternChinastĂ€dten in China und natĂŒrlich auch Manchester anbietet. Das kommende Jahr in Mainz wird also hauptsĂ€chlich durch Marketings geprĂ€gt werden, da Frank von Stadt zu Stadt von Uni zu Uni zieht, um fĂŒr InternChina zu werben. Es sind bereits 50 Besuche bei verschiedensten Instituten fest eingeplant.

Der Standort Mainz hat jedoch auch andere Vorteile. In England hat InternChina eine Partnerschaft mit dem sogenannten Generation UK-Programm fĂŒr Studenten, das den kompletten Auslandsaufenthalt des Praktikanten bezahlt – ein sehr verlockendes Angebot fĂŒr viele Studenten. Ăhnliche Programme und Möglichkeiten eröffnen sich uns jetzt auch in Frankreich und Deutschland mit dem dafĂŒr notwendigen Standort in Deutschland; das macht unsere Angebote noch attraktiver fĂŒr Studenten.
Somit erhoffen wir uns mit dem neuen Standort Mainz mehr MarktprÀsenz in Europa zu erlangen.