Shanghai Future Leader Internship Program

Name: Shanghai Future Leader Internship Program
Brand: Next Step Connections
SKU: 17111
Rating: 4.66 (64 reviews)

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4.66 Rating

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Location

China
- Shanghai

Length

4 to 24 weeks

Industry

Accounting Advertising Architecture Arts Biology Business Communications Computer Science Design Education Engineering Fashion Design Film Finance Healthcare Hospitality International Relations Journalism Law Marketing Media Relations Performing Arts Sports Science +13

Financial Support

Need-based funding

Health & Safety

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Program Details

Compensation

Unpaid

Timeframe

Year Round

Housing

Apartment

Language

English

Weekly Hours

Age Min.

Age Max

Pricing

Starting Price

3895

Price Details

Guaranteed Internship Placement
CV/Resume Consultation
Private Housing (util incl.)
Pre-Arrival Planning & Support
Future of Work Foundation Program
24/7 In-country Emergency Assistance
CISI Travel/Health Insurance
Pick-up from the Airport
On-site Orientation Activity
Preloaded Transportation Card
SIM Card
First Day of Work Introduction
Monthly Cultural Activity
Online Professional Speaker Series (Monthly)
Online Career Networking Event (Quarterly)
Career Readiness Report
Completion Certificate from Next Step Connections

What's Included

Accommodation Activities Some Activities Airport Transfers SIM cards Travel Insurance Wifi

What's Not Included

Airfare Domestic Airfare Meals Visa

Last Updated: Dec 17, 2023

Last Reviewed: Jun 28, 2019

Wish List

10 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Shanghai is one of the largest cities by population in the People's Republic of China, and the world. The city is located in eastern China, at the middle portion of the Chinese coast, and sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River. Due to its rapid growth over the last two decades it has again become a global city, exerting influence over finance, commerce, fashion, technology and culture. It is often described as the "showpiece" of the booming economy of Mainland China.

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Video and Photos

University of Texas at Austin Shanghai Internship Welcome Groufie

University of Texas at Austin Shanghai Internship Program Classroom Session

University of Texas at Austin Shanghai Internship Dinner Outing

Students of the University of Texas at Austin Shanghai Summer Internship Program

University of Texas at Austin Shanghai Internship City Tour

University of Texas at Austin Shanghai Internship Program Students

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Program Highlights

Custom made Internships! The most important element of our program is the internship experience itself. We operate a formal internship placement process for each of our student.
NSC: A true family with experienced and dedicated staff members! Our team is composed of individuals from France, China, United States, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand.
Meet the world! A key aspect of our program is the diversity of our participants. Each year, we receive students from over 30-35 countries, so each apartment is composed of students from different nationalities, cultures, customs.
Build soft skills and Increase personal development to reach full potential! All of our interns have grown personally and professionally through our program by interning and living in an international city.
In-Country Support! Health and safety in-country is one of our top priority. We are available during office hours for any non-life threatening issues and 24/7 for any life-threatening issues. This includes crisis management plan.

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Program Reviews

4.66 Rating

based on 64 reviews

Leave a Review

Rating Spread Intern

5 rating 73.44%
4 rating 23.44%
3 rating 0%
2 rating 1.56%
1 rating 1.56%

Growth 4.45
Support 4.65
Fun 4.55
Housing 4.55
Safety 4.85

Good for Students

Showing 41 - 48 of 64 reviews

The internship is great! Did an internship with an equity research firm then with a private equity fund. Gained a tonne of exposure to the China market, and start to really understand how things work at the local level. It is something you cannot learn from sitting in a classroom (even at an Ivy League institution).

The best thing is that management team is excellent. They are expatriates themselves who understand how things work in the local Chinese market. They are very friendly, approachable and helpful, with great work ethic (something scarce in a Chinese context), and willing to go well beyond what is needed to help their clients and students. A place where you will find Western standards in the (promising yet chaotic) China workplace. Would highly recommend this to anyone interested in getting some China experience!

Overpriced for what you are getting. I was so excited before getting to SH. I thought that paying over $5000 to them would guarantee a phenomenon experience. Guess what? Everything sucked besides the fact that I met some real cool friends (but seriously I didn't need to pay 5 grants to do that). first of the internship sucked. We were 4 interns and 3 of us hated it. We felt like useless the whole time. I am not sure about the 4th one since he joined 1 week before all 3 of us finished our internship. We were over it and didn't try to know the kid. I had the chance to talk to a bunch of other NSC interns and most of them (I would say 95+% of them, no joke) complained about their internships. Only 2-3 liked theirs out of over 50 people. The companies that we were placed in were small and sketchy ones. Trust me you will most likely do crappy jobs and feel useless the whole time. Some of the interns were so upset and fed up that they quit and found their own internships by themselves. Not to mention that housing also sucked. I don't know how NSC thinks. If your internship were in Puxi they would put you in Pudong for housing and vice versa. Had a pretty bad experience and felt cheated at the end of it. Glad I made some real friends out of this experience. But definitely not worth the 5K you paid them. Would not recommend to anyone.

Response from Next Step Connections

We are very sorry that your experience didn't meet your expectations.

We always do everything we can to ensure you a suitable internship. However if an issue arises at work, the issue should be effectively communicated to our team, so that we are able to help you solve the situation as soon as possible. If the issue can't be resolved, NSC will immediately change your host company to ensure you still make the most of your experience.

We do understand that it is sometimes difficult to adjust to a new working environment, especially in a developing country like China, this is why our team is available anytime to offer assistance.

Again, we apologize that your internship didn't meet your expectations and we wish you the best of luck in the future.

By Next Step Connections on July 24, 2013

NSC gave me a safe and reliable way to both explore the culture of China and broaden my professional and academic horizons. While participating in this program, I was able to sample Shanghai's social scene, bargain at markets, try local delicacies, and of course, gain invaluable experience going to work events and meetings. The NSC staff was always available and willing to accomodate our needs, which was especially comforting considering I was 7000 miles from home and didn't speak much of the language at first. This is definitely a program I would recommend to anyone interested in spending time in China.

Upon arrival getting picked up in a van by someone who spoke no English was an interesting experience but nerves were soon calmed after meeting the programs friendly staff and seeing the good housing.

NSC does a great job in finding you an internship and although there are times when you feel you want to be doing something else within your internship company it is hard to blame NSC for this.

Socialising with fellow interns and the free monthly meal and planned events are always fun.

Overall I've met some great friends, learnt a lot about myself and a new culture.

Thank you NSC!

I found my internship to be very helpful to me in my career. Through my internship, I was able to make the connections to land a full time job. I don't think that would have been possible without the networking events Next Step set up. Also through my internship, I was able to see what it was like to be an expat in Shanghai.

NSC is definitely one of the top in terms of internships abroad. They have a dedicated team, in which, top ranked employers will do anything to help you throughout your internship. If, you are not happy about anything during the internship, the team will be there to support you, every single day. I definitely think that they are amongst the elite in Shanghai. They provide excellent services, help you integrate the Chinese culture and moreover, the people you meet during your internship will be long-term friends/relationships. With their weekly events, most of you will meet other interns and sometimes even meet other employers in Shanghai.

Contrary to popular belief: THEY ARE LEGIT. IT IS NOT SCAM. THEY ARE FOR REAL.

Next Step is a wonderful company that really was able to give me the hands on internship that I needed to experience. I didn't want to sit behind a desk staring at a computer screen for 8 hours of the day or run coffee errands as my daily tasks. Next Step's staff really took you personal needs into account and was able to find companies they believed most suited to you. You were then able to choose on you own which one you wanted to work for. My only negative comment was that it was a very pricey process. The quality of service was wonderful but the price was a little steep. I would love to do it again but I'm not able to afford it. Overall the experience was amazing, the living situation was ideal and there is nothing to complain about!

I enjoyed my internship in Shanghai. NSC program help me a lot through my growing progress. They are very helpful and made it easy for me to adjust to the customs and language barrier I experienced. I met many interns and developed new friendships. I learned valuable skills at my internship that can be used in my desired career. Shanghai and the NSC had left me with wonderful memories that I will always cherish.

Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Describe a goal you set and how you went about accomplishing it:

One of the goals I had set for myself before I left for Shanghai was making as much of an effort as I could to apply the Chinese I learned at University of Melbourne. I really wanted to integrate into Chinese culture as much as I could rather than being just a tourist. In the beginning of my experience in Shanghai, I was a little intimidated to speak Chinese because I was afraid people would not understand my pronunciation.

However, as I started to meet new people especially at work, I started to learn more words and improve my pronunciation. This gave me more confidence to speak in public like at shopping malls when I need to get a size for clothing or ordering something on a menu. Being able to communicate better makes want to continue to improve my Chinese vocabulary even if I’m not in China.

Tell us about an experience that you had that you could not have had at home:

One experience that I have had in China that I certainly could not have in France or America is the traditional Chinese cultural experience. For example, Tea is an integral part of Chinese history that emperors regarded as crucial for physical and mental health. I was walking in Yu Garden, which is an area of Shanghai to visit old Chinese temples, eat some local food, and buy some silk products.

As I was strolling along, 3 Chinese students approached me asking questions about myself. A couple minutes later, I was walking with them because they wanted to take me to a traditional tea ceremony. Going inside a private room, a woman was showing and explaining different types of tea to me and their various effects to the human body and mind. The woman also washed the teacup after introducing each type of tea. I was able to taste the best fruit tea of my life, which was a splendid red colour.

I was even able to take some fruit tea home with me after the ceremony. This experience was unique because not only did I learn about tea practices; I was able to meet local students. It is isn’t common to see other people my age just approach me like that in France or America and was a wonderful moment.

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What was the best place you visited outside your intern abroad city?

My favorite city outside my intern city was Hangzhou. I would say I even liked it more than Shanghai. I went to Hangzhou to visit my friend from my university in America. It was a beautiful city surrounded by green hills and mountains. It had a national park with a lake in the centre. My friend and I rented bikes for the day and we were able to explore the entire park.

I saw lotus flowers for the first time and also the Broken Bridge that is a historic bridge of Hangzhou. One thing I really liked about Hangzhou was the people. I found that they were a lot friendlier than Shanghai. It seems that life had less pressure and people valued their leisure time more. I also like it because there was lest foreign influence than Shanghai.

I loved the local food like fresh grilled fish on a stick coming directly from the lake. I also really loved the way people dress. Women dress quite elegantly with a summer dress, high heels, and a sun umbrella.

Where was your best photo taken and what was it of?

My best photo taken was in GufuBao village in Hebei province about 2 hours south of Beijing. It’s a picture of myself with one of the little girls in the school at the village site. She certainly made me smile, as I was so happy to make an impact at her school.

This photo was very meaningful because it taught me how much of a difference in gap there is between children who live in the large coast cities like Shanghai and those that live in a rural village. This photo also taught me about what’s important in life and how fortunate I was to be able to travel thousands of kilometers to help children in need.

Describe your favorite must-have food that you tried abroad:

There are so many delicious foods to eat in Shanghai and I highly encourage everyone to try foods they cannot eat in their home country. For drinks, China has incredible watermelon juice, banana milk, coconut milk, tea, and milk tea with pearls. They are all very refreshing especially during the summer when the humidity of China is quite high.

For foods, China has great tasting bread for meals and/or snacks especially pork floss bread and sausage bread. In addition, food from Xinjiang province, which is noodles with beef, peppers, and onions, are delicious. Xinjiang restaurants are all around Shanghai and are definitely worth the search.

Monica Lutz

Brandon Hoffman

Louis Grayson

Ibrahim Syed

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Virginia Zheng

Program

Shanghai Future Leader Internship Program

Job Title

Next Step Connections Shanghai Program Advisor

Having grown up as a third culture kid, Virginia has lived in Indonesia, Singapore, China, and the UK. Virginia has been in China since 1997 and spent time in Shanghai, Qingdao, and Xiamen as a student and working professional. A postgraduate student of Sport Management from Loughborough University, UK, Virginia spends her leisure time playing sports, traveling, and trying different cuisines. Virginia joined NSC in March 2011 as the Program Manager managing the different programs and teams in NSC Shanghai. She is fluent in English, Mandarin, Indonesian, and intermediate in French. Prior to NSC, Virginia has worked in trading, real estate consulting, and sports.

What makes interning in Shanghai a unique experience for interns?

Virginia: China is seen as the major player in the economic growth in the Far East, and at the heart of that growth is the city of Shanghai. However, there is much more to interning in China than experiencing a vibrant, passionate and energetic workplace. The idea that there is a totally new culture in China is something that intrigues a lot of young people, many of whom have never been outside of Europe or America. There is a feeling that coming to China is an opportunity to put your skills in the workplace into practice, but also a chance to see if you can cope in a challenging environment.

What can you tell us about the workplace culture in Shanghai?

Virginia: Compared to a Western workplace, a Shanghai office is not hugely different. People are very punctual here, so any meetings or deadlines that have been arranged should be followed very closely. Chinese people are very curious to learn about western people, so expect lots of questions about your home culture! On the other side however, Chinese people are very caring and open to foreign interns asking questions about their culture, their language and their cuisine! We suggest students be open-minded and ready to accept cultural differences.

What level of Mandarin proficiency should interns have when considering this internship? Is prior work experience required?

Virginia: Mandarin proficiency is not required to apply for an internship in Shanghai as they will be assigned an English speaking supervisor. Learning some Mandarin prior to the internship would be helpful but not compulsory. Interns are not required to have work experience prior to applying. Any previous experience would be a plus in the application process. Next Step Connections offers Mandarin courses as part of the programs. These are tailor-made one on one lessons enabling students to learn at their own pace.

What are some extra-curricular activities participants enjoy while interning in Shanghai?

Virginia: NSC organizes social and professional events including social dinners, trips to nearby cities/towns, professional networking events and fun activities during the program period for our interns. These events provide a platform for all interns to meet new friends from all around the world.

What is one piece of advice you would offer someone considering interning abroad in Shanghai?

Virginia: There are several different tips when you are considering an internship abroad in Shanghai. The number one tip would be: JUST DO IT! If you are thinking about doing this then you will be well aware of the huge cultural differences, the strange new food and the different way of life, but you will also be aware of the huge opportunity spending time in Shanghai can provide. It is important to have an open mind and list the things you wish you accomplish from this experience prior to your trip.

Anything else you would like to share?

Virginia: Come to Shanghai! Experience this dynamic city and the business environment. It will be one decision you will not regret making!

Location

Location:

Shanghai

Currency:

Chinese Yuan

Weather:

Jan-Mar

57 F / 36 F

Apr-Jun

82 F / 54 F

Jul-Sep

90 F / 72 F

Oct-Dec

73 F / 41 F

Airports:

Shanghai Pudong International

( PVG )

Shanghai Hongqiao International

( SHA )

Shanghai, fondly known as the Oriental Paris, is the largest commercial hub in mainland China. This country blends eastern and western cultures and will bring out different sides depending where you are from.

About Next Step Connections

Next Step Connections offers real-world internship experiences across Asia for students since 2008. Our educational experiences are designed to provide all students with the skills they need to succeed in the modern workforce. We are committed to empower global youth to meet future challenges, and reach their full potential through transformative...