China Internship Program with CRCC Asia

Being immersed in Beijing for two months was certainly a challenge and having been to China before it prepared me for the experience. During my time there I had the opportunity to travel outside Beijing to the city of Qing Dao and this was great time to relax after the two months.

The CRCC Asia program was great, they placed me in a international division of a marketing company. The company had a Chinese and International team. I worked in the International team. The accommodation was very good due to it's convenient location as there were many restaurants, cafe's and bars.

The staff was very friendly and this made the program less stress-free. The networking provided with new opportunities me opened more doors back home in London and I would highly recommend the program for one who is looking to widen their network and gain more experience.

The internship was amazing! It really was a brilliant way to get a feel for a tough work environment that's quite different to the UK. It gave me a lot of transferable skills and I had the best time and made some awesome new friends!! The social life in Beijing is fantastic as they really pride themselves on going out in groups either personally or professionally and it's a great way to interact and meet new people.

Being in Beijing was an incredible experience, compounded by the awesome non-governmental organization I worked with, Beijing Youth International Culture and Arts Association. The program CRCC Asia helped to coordinate was a phenomenal experience and absolutely something I would recommend to others. It was my first time abroad and it went beyond smoothly. Though the work was not necessarily what I was interested in (we couldn't find a human rights internship unfortunately) the work I did was nonetheless important in supporting low-income communities. I worked at the main office and created a comprehensive list of museums across the world for my organization to use in promoting globalized art and cultural artifacts. I also went in twice a week to a special needs primary school in Eastern Beijing, which was such a wholesome experience.

Overall, CRCC Asia did an excellent job at supporting our internships, our network-building, and providing a great experience abroad.

I had a great three months in Beijing and I wish I was still there. The apartment was located right in Beijing's 798 Art District which provided access to great food and exciting activities. The staff who assisted us in Beijing were professional, attentive and always happy to help.

One of my concerns before I arrived was the language barrier. However, I quickly found that the local residents were incredibly friendly and accommodating. I did not have a single problem with any people.

Beijing is enormous. I could spend my entire life there and not see it all. There is always something to do and new things to see. There are beautiful historical sites like the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City as well as a vibrant night life in Sanlitun.

The internship experience was similarly fantastic. CRCC matched me with a great organization that fulfilled all my requirements. Make sure to be very clear when signing up for the program about what you need. If you do, CRCC will go to great lengths to make sure your needs are met.

In regard to traveling to Beijing, just remember to keep an open mind and leave your expectations at home. There is a lot to experience and the more open you are the better it will be. After coming home, I have decided to continue traveling abroad. In the coming months, I will go to South Korea to teach English. My experience in Beijing with CRCC has given me the confidence I need to live and work abroad.

Some last notes. Alert your bank that you are traveling before you go. Download your VPN on your phone and laptop before you leave. Make sure you download WeChat on your phone. Once you arrive, make sure to make friends with the owner of a restaurant called Makatos in 798.

I am a Marketing student at Nottingham Trent University and I really wanted to gain some work experience. At Nottingham Business School Global week, I saw the stand for CRCC Asia and spoke to their representative. He told me about the opportunities that they had to offer me with working in either the city of Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen in China. I applied that same day and was delighted when accepted to work in Beijing for one month directly in a marketing department.
The skills and life lessons that I learnt whilst working out in China was phenomenal. I learnt some mandarin that helped me in the work place. The office that I was put in suited my style and the future job role that I want after graduating from NTU. I would recommend this once in a life time experience to anyone with a drive and a passion to do something different.
This work internship looks amazing on any CV and as such I managed to secure my placement year before Christmas. I am sure that having worked in China really went a long way in my application process. Further to this the friends that you make whilst out in China really stay with you. It’s amazing how close you become to people in such a short amount of time. It is something that I am very much looking forward to do again. Not to mention the contacts that you create when in China. As CRCC Asia organise a networking event specifically for this.
The experience overall has aided me in everyday life problems. After working in China, you feel that you can overcome most problems that you face when you return to university. Another great thing about China. It’s only 80p for a pint!

Undertaking the China Internship Program and Mandarin was the best choice I have ever made in my life. This wasn't my first time in China, but using the services CRCC Asia provided, created a whole new experience for me.
I selected to do the China Internship Program and Mandarin because I wanted to get the full experience that I could. It was one-month Mandarin classes (which they were hard) and two months interning at Beijing Youth International Culture and Arts Association (BYICAA) as their Marketer. I feel like this was the best choice for me at the time, and I was correct.

To some three months might seem like a long time to be away from home, but that is the last thing you are thinking about when you are on one of these programs. All the students that are on the program are all kept in the same apartment building which creates a fantastic opportunity to catch up with each other. We had all formed a bond together and shared Christmas day with each other and even allowing for a game of cricket on Christmas night in our living rooms. (See photo)

Working for BYICAA was a valuable experience for me. I could use the skills I learnt at university and apply them to a different setting. This being outside of big business which I had done in previous internships in Australia. To this day, my colleges at BYICAA consider me like family, and the feeling is mutual.

The additional activities were a bonus. The business events were a great insight into the vast world of international business. I had the opportunity to talk with people who were conducting operations in China. This was a valuable resource. However, it was not all business, the KTV and dumpling making sessions were also a blast. All at no additional cost to myself.

By the end of the trip, I have experienced a different side to China. My original view was that of a naive tourist, but I feel by the end of the three months I could live there forever. I had the opportunity to make great friends with the 30 other students conducting the same program as me. These students weren't just from Australia, but all over the globe, adding to the international experience.

Undertaking this program will be the best thing you ever do.

To intern abroad is now widely regarded as one of the most effective ways to bolster your career and gain practical experience in your preferred industry sector. China is increasingly regarded as a global business powerhouse due to its burgeoning economy, increasing prevalence in the global market and strong projected growth, adding value to a unique internship experience. CRCC Asia programs are extremely international as they accept interns from all over the world, including: England, United States, Canada, Australia, and many more.

Ultimately I accepted a one month internship with one of the leading Chinese mobile software companies and the developer of integrated mobile services for the e-commerce sector. The company's largest client is China Merchants Bank, the biggest private bank in China, and their app receives over 60 million users per month.In early 2016, the company began the process of creating its own app that fills a need in the marketplace for English-speaking foreigners seeking the daily updates, news, coupons, and discounts in the city of Beijing that are all often prescribed in Mandarin. As an intern, some of the goals for me included to helping the business operations and marketing team with market research, data input into the app, data collecting around Beijing, content writing, and writing published feature posts on daily news around the city.

I landed in Beijing on the evening of June 3, 2016 and was picked up by a CRCC Asia representative who took a few other interns and me back to our condominium in the northeast part of the city in the heart of the well-known 798 Art District. Overall, I was very pleased with the living arrangement CRCC provided for us as part of the program. Although I had two other roommates, we each had our own bedroom along with a very spacious living room which gave us more than enough personal space. If I could make one recommendation, it would be that the accommodation was a little closer to the center of the city, instead of in the northeast outskirts. CRCC provided us with a lot of support over the course of the internship duration. They frequently keep tabs on you making sure your experience is as best as it can be. The professionalism & friendliness of their employees truly stood out.

All in all, I had an exceptional experience working with my host company. First and foremost, I was given the opportunity to see firsthand how an emerging business was built almost from the ground up. It is a business that has adapted to the modern age and observing how hard each employee worked on a day to day basis for a common goal was the biggest thing that stood out to me. While the tasks that were asked of me put me in a position to learn a lot, the relationships I formed, not only with manager, but with my other coworkers as well, turned into friendships that made the biggest impact on me and my future. CRCC Asia's placement truly helped make Beijing feel like a home away from home.

Many of the interns remained in China after the program to learn more about the Chinese culture and people.  In July, I commenced on The Dragon Trip – an epic 21-day backpacking trip around the best of China. Incredible sights and off-the- beaten-track attractions took my breath away – camping on the Great Wall outside Beijing; meeting the pandas in Chengdu; seeing the Terracotta Warriors outside Xi’an; a kung fu lesson from a legendary monk at the Shaolin Temple; bamboo rafting on the Li River in Yangshuo… This was the time for some well- deserved fun, together with a small group of 15 new friends from around the world, and for getting to know China outside of the big cities. I would highly recommend anyone to participate in The Dragon Trip. It is one of the few ways for foreigners to get a glimpse at the 'true China" experience.

When I graduated from by Bachelor Political Science I was looking for a new adventure abroad before pursuing my graduate studies and it was with great excitement that I decided to apply to the 2 months Language + Internship program offered by CRCC Asia in Beijing.
This incredible experience in China gave me a professional, cultural and social enrichment thanks to CRCC Asia!
After only a few days in Beijing, I had my routine and I was excited to discover all the beauty that the capital has to offer. All the interns on the program quickly became like family and we all spent so many great moments together. We did and saw during our stay in Beijing! Social and cultural activities were provided by CRCC Asia during the entire Program.
I chose to learn Chinese due to the growing place of that language in the world and my love for foreign languages. My first month of studying mandarin gave me the opportunity to learn some basic of the language and amplify my desire to speak it fluently, and also the desire to explore the world and even more the Chinese culture.
My internship in a Chinese company gave me the chance to have an international working experience in China! I was able to use my competencies, but also to learn so much about the working environment in China and in developing my capacity of adaptation and my autonomy. Discussions with my supervisor and colleagues, lunch meetings and participation at the Convention of Technology in Beijing gave me the chance to gain a better understanding of the business etiquette in China.
Shortly after my return to Canada I realised the beauty of my experience. My stay in China gave me a better understanding of the culture and the way of doing business in China, as well as the desire to become more familiar with different aspects of that country.
Participating in one of the programs offered by CRCC Asia was certainly one of the most rewarding experience I did and that I highly recommend to everyone with the desire to live a memorable professional and social experience.