NorCap China Internships

Why choose NorCap China Internships?

NorCap China Internships provides an enriched, professional internship experience in China for university students and recent graduates. We are alumni of top US colleges living and working in Beijing. NorCap’s professional and social networks guide and support each intern’s immersion and development in Beijing.

Website

www.norcapchinainternships.com

Founded

2011

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Reviews

Without NorCap, I would have been a lost cause in Beijing. The expert staff of NorCap was committed to making my experience as remarkable as possible. They treated me like family even before I booked my ticket by informing me of the smallest details. The Managing Director personally welcomed me at the Beijing International Airport and escorted me to my apartment. I met the entire NorCap staff, who are the friendliest group, at my welcome dinner and immediately I had local contacts to speak with in any time of need.

Throughout my six months in Beijing, NorCap held several professional seminars, meet and greet workshops, social nights, and weekend trips. My most extraordinary memory was camping out on the Great Wall of China! These events were not mandatory and this rule set NorCap a part from other internship programs. The program does not 'hold your hand' throughout your time in Beijing. This crucial quality is what helped me build myself, by myself. You can live an expat life during your stay since you will be working full time. At the same time, if you have any questions or need any type of help, NorCap is always there.

Living in China was an adventure to say the least, an adventure that came with many challenges. These challenges only helped me graduate from a naive college student to an open-minded, daring, street-smart young adult. I changed for the better and I had the most unforgettable memories with the kindest souls. I am in the process of interviewing for jobs right now and every employer cannot stop asking questions about my China experience. They are incredibly impressed that I took advantage of this once in a lifetime internship opportunity. I would recommend this experience and the NorCap China Internship program in a heartbeat.

Thank you NorCap!

What would you improve about this program?

I recommend taking Mandarin classes before coming to Beijing since very little people speak English. Also, try coming with a friend if possible. The company will make the experience much more incredible. I commuted to work and traveled around the city via bicycle. I totally recommend investing in one as soon as you reach Beijing. It's one of the quickest way to get around. More importantly, I believe you soak in the true, local energy of Beijing traveling on a bicycle.

I would never have been able to have such a professional internship experience in China without the help of Norcap. The whole process of finding safe yet inexpensive housing in a central location, and getting in touch with an appropriate company for an internship in a city I had not spent much time in seemed overwhelming--Norcap removed all of my worries and made my ideal summer come true! This "package" including: internship and housing placement, airport pick-up and drop-off, cell phone, in addition to cultural activities, networking opportunities, and get-togethers by Norcap made the whole experience very easy, fun, and productive for my future goals, Mandarin skills, and just for meeting new people! I had participated in other kinds of "study abroad" programs before, and this was very different--I was able to be so much more independent, attending the Norcap get-togethers if I felt like it; most other study abroad programs have mandatory events and outings, and as a result, giant groups of touristy Americans end up wandering around a city together and don't end up making local experiences. This was far different! I was able to be independent and go about my own day-to-day routine between my amazing Chinese host family and my office where I mostly spoke Chinese, but had the comfort of knowing that I had the Norcap support system just around the corner if I needed. The Norcap events were also very local and not so "touristy," as the program is led by Beijing residents who have spent lots of time there. There was a good mix of cultural events from shows, restaurants, karaoke, the art district and various museums, historic sites, etc.

My only day-to-day difficulty was getting to and from work. The distance between my office and my host family's apartment was not far at all, but unfortunately required a short bus ride to get to the subway station, and then just a couple stops on the subway. Beijing morning rush hour traffic made it so that it was quicker to walk (45 minutes or so) than to take the bus to the subway stop. As a result, I chose to walk through the pollution for about an hour and a half each day, but this is just the inevitable Beijing traffic situation unfortunately; I would have bought a bike if I had more time in Beijing! Norcap is not to blame for this but just a warning to get a bike or find easier and quicker ways to get around to beat the rush hour traffic! I think this was my only real 'difficulty' I faced in Beijing. Otherwise, my host family was very sweet and made me feel so at home; they always invited me to eat with them for every meal even though I was only paying for breakfast. I interned at a small digital media agency which had just about 10 people working at one long table--a very fun atmosphere! They were all 21-27 years old so I made a lot of friends and my Mandarin improved a lot by speaking with them. I wish I could have been given a bit more substantial work (I did a lot of website content uploading and regular busywork any intern would do), but I still feel that my time with them was worthwhile and that it will help me out with the art/advertising/media path that I would love to pursue post-graduation.

Thank you Norcap for an unforgettable experience!

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Alumni Interviews

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

Why did you decide to intern abroad with NorCap in Beijing?

I am an East Asian Studies major at Princeton and have been studying Mandarin since freshman year. During the summer before my sophomore year, I participated in an intensive Princeton language program in Beijing. My mandarin improved immensely, but I did not feel like I was able to fully experience Beijing as the course consisted of two semesters of intermediate Chinese crammed into two months--this did not leave much spare time to explore the city or do much other than study independently in the dorms.

Additionally, due to the sheer lack of free time to ourselves, the program students all coming from U.S. universities stuck together when we did go on excursions, and as a result, I did not have much of an opportunity to meet local Chinese people. For these reasons, I knew I wanted to return to Beijing in the near future for a purpose other than language study, but not just for vacation: I was searching for a productive [work] opportunity in Beijing that left time and space for me to immerse myself in Chinese culture, meet plenty of locals, and to see the city.

With Norcap, I was able to return to Beijing, practice my Mandarin and acquaint myself with the culture and daily lives of “Beijingers,” and experience the city from a professional standpoint.

I decided to go through Norcap rather than find my own internship simply because I did not know how to go about finding cheap housing on my own, and because Norcap has contacts with a variety of interesting companies and agencies I had never even heard of. Not only did Norcap expand my internship possibilities, they did a great job of organizing everything for me—I did not have to go through the hassle and difficulties of contacting Chinese companies, finding my own housing in an enormous foreign city, or even worry about getting my own cell phone…Norcap provided a very much simplified, stress-free way of making my ideal Beijing experience come true!

What made this intern abroad experience so unique and special?

As previously mentioned, I have yet to encounter another program that works so hard to prepare everything for you (internship, housing, etc.) and really makes it a priority to personalize the experience for each individual in the program. Everyone I met on the program had very different internships, from finance to art companies, and living in different parts of the city.

After asking me which industry I was interested in, Norcap sent my introduction and CV around, setting up multiple interviews for me with very interesting companies with which they have good, solid relations. In the end, I interviewed with 3 agencies and evaluated the companies myself; through this process, I was able to make my own choice as to where to intern.

Norcap has great connections with a whole range of companies, so there is something for everyone! Then, they gave me the housing options of home stay vs. apartment, and had me fill out a homestay questionnaire to ensure that my stay would be personalized to my liking and beneficial for me, given my background, personality, and objectives.

Through this “personalized” experience, I was able to be very independent, immersing myself as I wished—making trips between my host family and my internship—but also attending Norcap events and meeting up with other interns if I felt like it; I always knew I had the “support system” of Norcap right around the corner if need be, but was able to accomplish all of my personal goals of cultural immersion.

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How has this experience impacted your future?

The biggest tangible impact is probably the fact that my Mandarin got to a point where I am comfortable speaking to local Chinese people about work topics in the advertising/digital media industry.

The improvement of my conversational Chinese skills and enhanced understanding of Chinese culture and daily life in Beijing will (hopefully) open doors in my future, as I will perhaps look into working in China next year, or at least at a company or organization that has ties with China, in which my language ability and knowledge will become useful. I am hoping to one day help liaise between Chinese and U.S. companies; before this experience, I felt a bit intimidated by pursuing a career in China, but now, I feel more qualified.

Additionally, my language abilities will be a huge help when I am conducting interviews for my senior thesis in Chinese. Personally, by challenging myself to be independent and meeting all sorts of new people, I have become more open-minded and embracing of new cultures, changes, and opportunities.

More generally, since I am interested in the marketing and advertising field, this international internship and knowledge of China and Chinese may add valuable, unique perspective in wherever I end up working after Princeton.

What is one piece of advice you would give someone considering interning abroad in Beijing?

It's hard to do, but try not to let the weather get you down! There aren't a lot of blue skies, and the layer of pollution and smog is thick. The streets were dusty and I sometimes I felt sickly just from walking to work in the Beijing smog…but eventually you learn to get used to it. I would also advise anyone traveling to Beijing to speak as much Chinese as possible; striking up a conversation with a stranger on a bus or just spending time with your host family is a great way to do this!

If you make a mistake during a conversation, learn to laugh it off rather than let the mistake shy you away from meeting other locals. You might always feel compelled to go to the same bar or karaoke every night with your program friends, but spending a night in watching local Chinese TV with your host family will make you feel closer to them, and your Chinese will improve a lot. Trust me, the outcome will be very rewarding.