Custom Gap Year Programs Throughout China

I was referred by some friends to join CIP’s program while I trying to plan my Placement Year. I had the option to either take a year off from university to gain some experience or take lessons in class and of cause the former was ideal to me.
Joining CIP was an opportunity travel for the first time out of Europe and then develop the real man in me. I had 3 offer from Mechanical Engineering companies and my program coordinator assisted me in the decision making. I finally settled for an offer from a car making company. I am very happy at CIP’s offer selection process. I had a variety of offers and spoke with the HR Managers and as well did few consultations before finally making a decision. I am surprised at the volume of information CIP has about their partner organizations which are only made known at the point of application.
My Internship was awesome as I had the opportunity to speak with industry leaders in the area of investment banking and infrastructure investment in Shanghai. I did some work on Mergers and Acquisitions as well.
During my travel in China, I noticed huge infrastructure developments in 3rd tier cities which I think are waste of resources. There are several ghost towns and real estates developed which had no demand. When I further inquired, I was told it is the Chinese government’s strategy to keep its citizens engaged and employed. The extent of infrastructure development is enormous and gigantic.
I will add my voice to the rest of the previous reviewers that CIP is a great program. I have noticed CIP participants do not go through hectic ordeals that other program participants experience. I had few friends who suffered so much from other programs. On these basis, I will recommend CIP to all young people.

Its been an issue of what defines you and the innate abilities that you are hungry to let the world know.
As per my university requirements, I am supposed to gain an industrial experience before graduation which I thought was and awesome opportunity as I could travel out of the Europe at least for once. I opted for 12 months program and selected CIP as the sure option.
Reasons I opted for CIP is that I am allowed to have 5 internship offers and supposed to choose one. I was also allowed to speak with the HR managers prior to making my decision. This was the major deciding factor for me as I had to compare programs.
Their information system is very helpful with selecting the right organization, right accommodation and Best city to travel
My Career center liaised with the Program Directors of CIP to make sure every step falls in place.
It was awesome how my entire 12 months was scheduled. Every first Monday of a new month bring smiles as there are surprises awaiting me :)
I spent time working with 2 organizations and travelling for 15 days non-stop.
Experience wise, I am impressed the working atmosphere and people! They are so loving and supportive.
I have been able to expand on my marketing and Management knowledge over the entire period I stayed in China.
MY host family was really awesome and they led my immersion.
My impression about China has changed with a more open minded approach.
I will not like to work in China but it is certainly a destination I will consider for holidays and family trips.
Support, Processes, Program Contents, Immersion and all others have been ok.
I love Sanya to the max!!!
Joanna and Kachi you are awesome coordinators!

I am just turned 18 and did not know what to do with my life in the future especially regarding my career decisions. I was confused between picking a career of one of my parents. Probably I like the way they are busy as Business Executives and their influences are felt in society. I was at a point in time wanting to be a pilot and another time, nurturing a career which qualifies me as a CEO someday. My mother is a pilot and Daddy is a CEO. At age 15, I was considering something else like a doctor. I was then entirely confused.
My mission in China was for a fulfilling Gap Year which will help me clarify what my passions are by experimenting with various fields of work. So I chose CIP as the Platform on which I will come to China. I noticed CIP is more than an Agency because they have a solid platform with linkages to various players like Government Agencies etc. At least a sign of credibility. I wanted some mentoring and coaching as well as a professional career guidance and advice. So I did what I was supposed to
I was nervous but upon arriving in China, I felt at home. I joined a 13 month gap year program in China. It was comprised of Chinese Language, Internship, Travel and other immersion elements.
Upon arrival, I was allocated to a career expert who took me for dinner and coffee segments once every week to discuss my career aspirations. She was so helpful in psyching me up with the right mentality. As a mother, she was good at asking the right questions to unravel my passion.
I thereafter started with cultural immersion and language classes for 3 months. I took intensive Chinese language lessons, Chinese History classes and Travel itineraries. After 3 months, I could afford basic conversation which I was so much pleased with. This pushed my quest to learn more Chinese.
I started with an internship with Copal Amba; a rating organization belonging to Moody’s Global network. I did a Job shadowing as an assistant to one of the Associate members for 3 months to learn the life of a Business Executive. I then proceed for a 2 months internship with an International Law firm. Here, my roles basically was a paralegal. It was awesome going to meetings where serious cases of Copyright infringements were discussed and possible implications for Internationalization of firms. Getting into China as a business requires so much legal research apart from the Market Entry Strategies. I was then moved to Shanghai for 5 months with Lehman Brown an accounting and Finance firm upon recommendation of my career adviser.
My mission in China led to self-discovery and career fine tuning. I finally settled on Investment Banking and Finance as my future career pursuit and I resolute about this. I was given the opportunity to experiment what I want and it yielded so much results. I paid official visits to engineering companies and also spoke with experts in various fields. I got to know so much about opportunities and possible businesses chances are in china from IT to consultancy etc. From consultancy aspect, there is still so much opportunities for foreign expertise to help local Chinese organizations to maximize their efficiency and grow.
With the kind of satisfaction and value CIP is churning, I have no doubt they are one of the best. I think this is the future of Study and Internship abroad. I noticed the components of my services were not standard but customized which caused some few delays but the output was awesome.
But it was more awesome when my parents paid a surprised visit to me 3 weeks to my departure. It was arranged to surprise me and I indeed was. I will recommend this program to anyone!