1. Above all: Have fun, learn about another culture and broaden your horizons
2. An internship is a requirement for most Colleges/Universities, why not do it somewhere as exciting as China ?
3. Gain experience in the Chinese working world
4. International Networking. Making contacts is important in any culture, but especially in China
5. It looks great on your CV (Resume)
6. China 's economy is booming. Learning about Chinas culture and language is becoming a business essential
7. The leisure activities are fantastic (swim, sail, surf, and shop)
8. Opportunity to visit some of the worlds most exciting cities (like Beijing , Shanghai & Hong Kong)
9. A chance to learn a new language and practice every day
10. We have interns from countries all over the world and our activities give you the chance to make friends who you may well stay in touch with for life.

An Internship in China

An internship in China is undoubtedly an unforgettable experience. It is also a very different experience to an internship in western countries. 

As you will hopefully see from other pages on our website and hear from people who have lived in China before, things are very different in China and an internship is no exception! However, different does not mean bad! We think an internship here is pretty unique and overall always a positive experience, but we want to explain a little about the cultural differences you will encounter so that you feel prepared for the challenge ahead: Internships in China are not comparable to internships in the western hemisphere, if you do your placement in a Chinese owned company. This is mainly because the concept of an “internship” is relatively new in China and Chinese managers don't know what an internship should be like. We have worked extensively with our partner companies so that the most important aspects of an internship are clear (see our steps to assure a good internship, below). However, there are certain engrained attitudes towards the role of an intern and the way of doing business which we can't change over night and we believe many factors towards successfully hosting an intern depend on the development of corporate culture which China still has to achieve and will take some time. During an internship in a Chinese company you might have less work allocated to you than in foreign owned companies. Interns in China should be highly independent and self-motivated. In a Chinese company you may not have well-defined tasks, but overall projects with which you will have to organise your time in order to contribute towards achieving vague goals set by the company. Often Chinese companies want western interns to help them develop links abroad and expand their business in foreign countries. This means that unlike in the west where you may be used as a coffee-maker and follow instructions and training, you will be expected to be the one showing them how things are done in the west and how to communicate with westerners. This reduces the level of direct training you receive but lets you have a great level of freedom and a chance to get hands on practice of what you have learned in theory at University. All of this combined with an insight into Chinese working culture means that you have the potential to really achieve a lot during your internship.We believe that this kind of internship has its own excitement and charm and we are convinced that this is the best way to learn about corporate culture, the connections between people (guanxi) and general cultural differences in China . After an internship in a Chinese company, you will definitely be able to judge facts in China with a different point of view; people who do an internship in a Chinese company often broaden their horizons and became more open-minded.

All this being said, we do have many internationally owned companies offering internships, so if you request a very structured internship, we strongly recommend you to check out our ‘international partners'. In these companies, there is at least one foreigner – most of the time this is the head of the office or your direct tutor. This guarantees that responsible persons in the company know what an internship should be like – and have the ability and the knowledge to guarantee that it will be done this way. You will be doing a more western-orientated internship – with main focus on Chinese business, but with less Chinese corporate culture.

Our steps to assure you have a Great Internship!

• Firstly we have meetings with every company where we establish an internship and fully discuss the placement on offer, their requirements from interns and the projects interns will work on at the company. Personal contacts mean everything in China and we have close relationships with all of our host companies
• We send your CV / Resume to the company along with your motivation letter and discuss your application with them to ensure you are a good fit for them.
• On your first day of work we will go with you and make sure everything is all set and answer any questions before you begin (remember, you can always contact us at any time during the internship to discuss any issues that may crop up)
• We provide the companies with standard references and make sure that you get a reference from the company before you finish your placement.
• After interns finish we always get their feedback to enable us to continually improve our internal processes.

Timeframe for an Internship

The minimum time for an internship is 6 weeks; shorter times are possible, but in most cases international companies prefer longer rather than shorter placements.The maximum internship period is generally limited to 6 months, but under special circumstances we can also arrange longer placements, whereby a visa extension may be necessary which we can easily help you to arrange.

For further information have a look at our blogs:
"10 Reasons to do an International Internship"
"Guanxi - A two way street"
"China the Land of Opportunity"