Internship Network Asia: Internships in China

Hi,

I am already a year back in my home country and there is no day, at which I didn't miss Beijing. The people I met there, the atmosphere. Don't know if there is any place similar.

As it is common in Asia, even though we had a kitchen, we hardly ever used it. Most of the time we (me and my friends) went out for dinner and lunch.

I liked Beijing that much, because two cultures clashes together. In one minute you are surrounded by the most modern skyscrapers and than you turn around and you are in a very traditional Hutong Area.

Like the homepage of Internship Network Asia already tells you, the people in this program become family. Still I hold contact of some of them.

Sometimes it occurs that you are not happy in the beginning, but the Internship Network Asia Crew tries the best, to help you out. Don't bother to call or text them. Although they are busy most of the time, they will take their time to help you.

Critical Feedback:

Well my internship placement was not really like I hoped it would be. I didn't learn that much and was kind of bored. However my colleagues were pretty nice and I understand, that there was not so much to do for me. Everything else was perfect.

First of all, I want to say that I had an amazing time in China and Internship Network Asia was a great help for me as a China newbie. Therefore I can recommend the program for everyone who will visit/live in China for the first time.

Organization:

The contact with Internship Network Asia was quick and friendly. All my questions before coming to China were answered so I wasn't worried getting on a plane to China. Airport pickup worked well and I was brought to my apartment directly before getting the police registration done and have a short introduction at the school. The school is located at a convenient location in Beijing (Sanlitun) I think the prices of Internship Network Asia are a bit high. But they take all the hassle of organizing a stay in China off your hands so it was worth it for me. They are a professional and trustworthy organization so you don't have to worry to pay the deposit for the program upfront. I read a bad review which I found via Google beforehand and was a little bit worried. However, don't believe the review that says that Internship Network Asia is a scam because it isn't. All Internship Network Asia students I have met and talked to would recommend the program.

Language Classes
The Mandarin classes were always great fun. The group size was always really small, usually between 2 and 4 students. I had classes with two different teachers during my stay. The first one was really nice and also taught us a lot of small talk which was useful for every day life and small talk but wasn't in the textbook. The second teacher was very nice too but didn't have the same English proficiency like the first one which made it harder to ask questions and clear things up when needed. What I didn't like was the textbook they used for beginners. I think the structure doesn't make sense and slowed down my learning progress. I have seen better textbooks for beginners which I used afterwards to review my Mandarin skills when I got back home after my stay in China. Also, if you take part in the internship program or you have a job in China the time for studying Chinese is very limited. I had classes late at night which was tiring because you are exhausted from your day in the office and the hot weather in Beijing. The students should be aware that the learning progress is limited if you only take evening classes. Friends of mine who took the intensive program at Internship Network Asia had an incredibly fast progress in their Mandarin skills, simply because they had all day to study and practice. So really think about your priorities before choosing one of the programs.

Internships
Like with every internship it can either be a valuable experience or you are used as a cheap helper for the tasks nobody else wants to do. It is the same with the internships Internship Network Asia finds for you. I had a great internship with interesting and challenging tasks and supporting managers who really made sure that I learn something during my internship. However, I also heard from many other Internship Network Asia students that they had boring jobs and sat around all day. I think Internship Network Asia only has a limited influence on which tasks are assigned to interns within the individual companies. So it is also up to you to ask in the first Skype interview with the company what your tasks will be and how they see the role of interns in general. I think the value of the internship also always depends on the length of the stay. However, Internship Network Asia always offers to find another company for you if you are not happy. Or you can still decide to do the intensive Chinese program. All in all, the internship staff of Internship Network Asia is always very encouraged to find the best fit for you and make you happy.

Accommodation (Beijing)
It is simple but works well. All apartments are located central so you can get around quickly. You definitely pay more with the program than finding an apartment yourself. But you also don't have to deal with landlords, internet companies, repair service, etc. If you have a problem you call Internship Network Asia and they fix it for you. It is all very simple and hassle free!

Social Experience
Probably one of the best things about Internship Network Asia. From the first day you are not alone in China. You meet people from around the world so quickly: your flat mates, your class mates, other Internship Network Asia students from hanging and going out together...
Internship Network Asia also organizes many cultural activities and trips to other places in China. It is a great opportunity to meet other students of the school and make new friends while learning something about China.

Overall conclusion
I can recommend Internship Network Asia to everyone who goes to China for the first time. They eliminate all the hassle (and therefore fear) of going and living in China. The only downside is the price of the program. It is really expensive! They do a good job and they want to earn money too. But with some China experience and language skills you can also organize a lot of things yourself. For me it was always a dream to go to China, therefore it was worth the price. But if you have been to China before and have some experience you can also risk the adventure of organizing it yourself and saving a lot of money. For "China beginners" it is a great program to get a first impression of an amazing country without having to worry about anything!

Critical Feedback:

The flexibilty of the program, e.g. the language classes are part of the internship program. Sometimes I wished I could take a break from language classes for a month, review what I have learned so far and rather save the money for that time. But since it is just one big package deal it isn't possible. Instead I would have prefered small building blocks so I can build my own individual program.

My 3 months stay in Shanghai was a fantastic experience! A big part of that is due to Internship Network Asia, from the moment I arrived until the moment I left , I could always count on them.

Internship Network Asia found a great internship for me, I learned a lot during the 3 months I worked in Shanghai. I combined my internship with Chinese classes. The lessons were a lot of fun and the teachers were really nice.

Through the cultural activities I learned more about the Chinese culture in a fun way and at the same time I also got to know the other students.

Shanghai is a fantastic city to live in and the apartments of the Internship Network Asia are amazing!!

I am definitely coming back !

Just came back - did a 3 month internship through Internship Network Asia. The internship and school were great, had a blast! I can recommend their program to everyone who wants to try something new.

If you like China and you want to have a true professional experience that is valuable on your cv, PLUS a great housing, PLUS nice activities organized, PLUS a wonderful support from the staff on many aspects, PLUS language classes, this program is for you.

My internship at Internship Network Asia was, in a word: "excellent". They have a pretty good hassle-free program. You could say I got the most complete treatment, since I also got the opportunity to work with them as my internship. The working environment was really pleasant, which made me enjoy my time even more. Regarding the difficulties, I would say this will depend more on you and your "open-mindedness", Internship Network Asia will help you out with the difficult stuff (housing and getting around) but its up to you to keep up with the little stuff (ordering meals and communicating). But if you are going overseas, you should be willing to confront these difficulties, so it's really not a big deal.
By the way, LEARN SOME CHINESE WHILE IN CHINA. Seriously, it will help you a lot and it's always nice to learn something new (and as always, Internship Network Asia can help with that and they do it quite good! ;) ). HAVE A SAFE TRIP AND DON'T FORGET TO HAVE TONS OF FUN!

Overall, my experience with Internship Network Asia was amazing. The apartment was more than adequate right in central Beijing, the teachers were all super enthusiastic, flexible, and supportive. The staff were willing to go the extra mile to help students with any issues they may have. I know people had very different experiences with their internships, some were very happy whereas others did not feel challenged. My personal experience was a great one, working for an environmental and community awareness NGO. I gained experience I would not have had otherwise and got a good idea of what it is like working in Beijing. I have recommended this program to many people interested in working in China, and will continue to do so. Thank you Internship Network Asia!

I finished my internship 2 months ago. The idea of leaving your home and country it's always a bit scary and a big challenge, specially when you decide to move to a country as different as China. Anyway from the first time I put my feet at Beijing International Airport I got the support of the school. Now looking back in time it has been a great decision. I have grown up professionaly but personally too and I've met a lot of friends which I hope I will meet again soon somewhere in the world.

Enrolling at Internship Network Asia looking for a Chinese learning course is not just about that, but about getting a profound Chinese culture and language experience while living in a multicultural environment. Every day you'll learn a little bit more about China and Chinese people in the language courses and you'll think it's amazing or will disagree, but then when you get to take the bus, or subway, or -even better- ride your bicycle to get to the internship or just sightseeing, you'll find out that everything you learn at class is so useful that you start looking at everything and learning while doing. Then your get to your job (internship) and start building a unique relationship with your Chinese colleagues: you work with them, eat with them, talk with them and then you'll start getting to know them better and learn a lot with them.
You'll also have the opportunity to attend very interesting cultural activities that the school organize such as Chinese painting or calligraphy and get to understand a little bit more about the way your host country deals with aesthetics, while in the meantime you met new friends.
And you'll also have the opportunity to share your joy with others, specially with less privilege children, through volunteering.
So as every day goes by you find out you're having a great experience!

Every morning I woke up in my beautiful apartment and took the subway to school with my awesome roommates from around the world. I studied Chinese with a fantastic teacher every morning, then headed to the other end of Beijing for an internship directly related to what I want to do as a career. In 10 weeks, my Chinese went from nothing to awesome. I still cannot wait to get back to Beijing, and Internship Network Asia will be my first stop!