Internship in China Program - Startup China

I am originally from the States and hadn't really traveled much before so I thought that after I finished college would the perfect time to explore a new country.

I chose China because, growing up in New York, I'd be surrounded by Chinese friends, Chinese culture and Chinese food so I thought it would be an amazing experience to see the country first hand - turns out the real thing is nothing like what I'd experienced back home.

I chose to do an internship because, after graduating, I realized I didn't really have that much experience and needed something to make my CV stand out. After looking at Startup China's website and seeing everything they had to offer I decided they would be the perfect choice for me. I wasn't wrong.

From the very beginning Startup were always there for me, they answered my millions of questions quickly and professionally- even the really small and stupid ones. They picked me up at the airport; gave us all orientation and talked about all the things we'd need to know about living in China; gave all the interns a tour of Shanghai and really made the transition to life in China as easy as they could have done.

They found me an amazing internship at an English language magazine in Shanghai doing editorial work- just what I'd been looking for. Startup even took me to work on the first day and introduced me to my supervisor which made me a lot less nervous about everything.

The actual internship was brilliant . I got to write my own articles, go out and do interviews and attend some amazing events. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking to get into journalism because you get a real hands-on experience.

I was never bored either at work or in my spare time. We had lots of events put on by Startup each week like karaoke(my favorite!), networking and cooking classes. We also spent lots of time exploring Shanghai. In such an exciting, vibrant city there is always something to do.

I would say the best thing about my internship, apart from being able to work at such an amazing position, is the people I have met. My new Shanghai "family" will be friends forever. They were a great bunch of people from all over the world and I will miss the lots. We're already planning to visit each others' countries and meet up some time next year!

I interned for a month with Startup China in Shanghai.

Startup placed me with a boutique private equity firm right in the centre of the city. I felt like they really listened to me during my interview and managed to find me an internship that was exactly what I was looking for.
As the company was quite small I was able to do a range of tasks starting with updating the companies social media and improving their Linkedln page. I also researched and helped to write reports and presentations and had the opportunity to attend a couple of meetings with the CEO.
Although it was only a month, I felt that I really learned a lot and I hope this experience will help me to find a job in finance in the future.

During the internship Startup provided lots of opportunities to learn about Chinese culture and hang out with the other interns. We went on a trip to Qibao(a touristy water town in Shanghai) one day, learned how to do Chinese calligraphy and play Chinese Chess and we also got the chance to go to KTV. Overall, I think the number and range of activities and events on offer was great.

I also had survival Chinese lessons twice a week at the language school. My teacher was lovely and was really helpful. A month is not a long time but I feel like I managed to learn a lot and was able to communicate(sort of) with taxi drivers by the end of it.

All in all, I had an amazing experience in Shanghai. The internship, the friends I made and Startup China were all excellent. My only regret is that I didn't come for longer.

I am very impressed with Rachael Harris' customer service skills. Before applying for Startup China's internship program I contacted the organization asking if they offered one year internships and Rachael replied very quickly.

After I had gone through my internship interview and paid my deposit I had A LOT of questions concerning the one year internship. I find that there is a lot of information on the site regarding internships up to three months but if you want to do something a bit longer you need to be in contact with a rep.. Rachael answered all my questions very quickly and extremely thoroughly. Her answers put me at peace and helped me to understand what the process would be if I wanted to stay in China for longer then the program lengths on the site. She even had suggestions as to how I could cut costs and what would be most beneficial to me, such as continuing the survival Chinese lessons and cultural interactions for the first three months. Although I have not yet been to China or started my internship I am extremely impressed with Rachael's professional conduct an therefore Startup China's interaction with me. I am very excited for this upcoming experience.

Living and working in Shanghai was an amazing experience from beginning to end. I am only slightly annoyed that I did not decide to do it for three months instead of two. My job was excellent; I worked hard and was given a lot of responsibilities, which is exactly what I was looking for. None of this could have been possible without Startup so thank you.

Also, Startup China Team, thank you for looking over my cover letter and taking the time to talk to me about gaining a job out in Shanghai. I will keep you posted on my progress and will let you know if I plan to return. Once again thank you so much for making my time in Shanghai so special. I hope Startup China continues to grow as a company and if I hear of anybody looking to do an internship out in Shanghai I will know just who to direct them to!

I chose the Internship in China program and stayed in Shanghai for two months. Given that I chose consulting as my first preference for this internship, the company Startup China chose for me- a private equity consulting company specializing in corss- border technology investments- was ideal.

Though I was involved in a number of projects, my main focus was on a project that involved a US company that wants to enter the Chinese market to convert nutrient-rich wastewater into protein-rich aquatic biomass suitable for sustainable bio-plastic materials. My main tasks here included general market research, meeting with potential investors and experts in China, as well as working on a financial model for the market entry.

Other projects included the creation of consulting reports for a jet fuel project in the US and an analysis of the real estate market in Portugal- I never felt bored...!

Most of my co-workers were from the U.S. and the atmosphere was therefore, not really different from what I knew from Germany or the US. My Chinese co-worker occasionally showed me around the local area, recommended restaurants etc., whereas one of the co-workers from the US became a really good friend with whom I even went out at the weekends. All in all, the atmosphere was great and I really enjoyed my time at work.

I chose to do an internship in China for a number of reasons. First of all, I have always been interested in China and the idea of combining the cultural experience with an internship appeared to be a good one. Furthermore, I saw it as an opportunity to improve my Chinese language skills. Also, I thought an internship in Shanghai looks quite nice on my CV!

The biggest part of my time in China, obviously, was my internship and there numerous great moments. The welcoming dinner after my first week with the whole team, where we went to a bar and got to know each other in a really relaxed atmosphere was definitely a great start. But all the exciting projects I was working on and the positive feedback I got were all really great as well. I felt a member of a team and not just like an interns, and that was the most important thing for me.

The highlight of my time in China however, was probably the people I met. Our little Startup China family had such a great mix of personalities and I am really happy that I met each and every single one of them. We experienced so many great moments that it would not be fair to name one particular highlight. What I can say, though, is that the two months were way too short.

I chose Startup China because I felt the application process was very professional and they were really interested in me. What I mean by this is that they really wanted to get me an internship in the sector I was most interested in. Whenever I had a question, they were able to help me and they just gave me a good feeling about the program from the first moment on.

The good impression I had at the beginning got even better when I arrived in Shanghai. We were picked up at the airport, they showed us around in Shanghai and whenever there was a question, they were able to help immediately. Luckily, I never had a problem with my internship, but the weekly phone calls from Startup China gave me a good feeling nonetheless. It's a really nice team, really supportive, and always willing to help no matter if your question is related to finding bookstores in Shanghai, helping you set your mobile phone, or just getting some general info on China or how to do business in China.

Orientation was a really good start and helped a lot as it clarified some basics concerning the internship in China. We were taught basics about China, how to conduct business here, and whatever question we had was answered. I also enjoyed the numerous activities offered by Startup China throughout my two months in Shanghai, were all great fun.

The Survival Chinese classes were intense! But intense in the most positive way. The teachers are super friendly and I think I have never learnt as much and as quickly as I did during those two-hour lessons.

I was overwhelmed by Shanghai at the beginning and I needed some days to adopt. But the group of interns is great and if you stick together in a group, you can experience so many things! Hence, my advice is to just go out and explore this wonderful city with great people. I have been in Shanghai for two months and it has been way too short. As long as you are open-minded and just try as many things as possible, you will make great friends and have a superb time in Shanghai!

I would definitely recommend Startup China. From the pre-departure guidance, picking up at the airport, the orientation, etc. until the very last day, the support was really great. The internship they chose for me was perfect and I am really thankful for the wonderful experience I had in Shanghai due to the Startup team.

Overall, I loved my experience in Shanghai as a city, it was beautiful, rich in culture and the other interns were so lovely and friendly. However, I wish I had good things to say about Startup China. Although I loved Shanghai, I left my internship feeling totally scammed and definitely wasted my money opting for such an unprofessional company.

After graduating from reading Law at a top 30 UK uni, I wanted to improve my CV by working in a Law firm in China. I found Startup China online and was sold when they promised high quality paid internships matching your skills in your preferred area. After a little research I applied for the 1 month program and was called for an interview. The interview was very simple, just a few questions to get to know me and what I expected from my internship. I told startup china I wanted to gain new skills by working in china and working on cases and getting to know the customs with chinese clients. When asked about my experience the interviewer was very impressed with my previous legal experience, I had done legal internships in two prestigious companies and had represented my own clients in a legal aid clinic and took the cases to court (and WON WOOHOO), on top of this I had other experience and had received an excellent grade on my degree. They seemed to understand perfectly what I wanted and sent me a confirmation e-mail on what I wanted to do.

I was impressed until that point. It came to two weeks before the date I had planned my departure, and still I had no internship organised for me, there were no updates on their search for an internship for me and I had paid my fees for the programme. I still needed to get my visa, so this was worrying for me. Startup China finally send me a firm that was interested in taking me on, the firm website presented this firm as big, prestegious and everyone working in the firm was fluent in English. I thought this was perfect so I told SC that I would be happy to work in the firm. Due to SCs lateness in finding me a firm, I had to pay extra to get my Visa in time for my flight.

My accommodation was nice however it was filthy but I will leave you to check that on tripadvisor.

Firstly DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE WHOLE PAID INTERNSHIP RUBBISH. You get paid like 3 pounds a day. So its basically lunch and travel.

My first day of my internship, I walked through the door and immediately knew I was going to dislike it. The firm was a small room with a few desks and only 4 people. My supervisor came out to greet me and gave me the wrong business card so I was calling him Mr Wong the whole day instead of his real name... I should have known from that point that this internship was not going to be good. He could not speak English well, in fact only a couple of people could speak a bit of English, but not enough to give me detailed tasks. My first task was a tax research note for a French client regarding taxes, I did this within a few hours and then my supervisor told me it was wrong and I needed to do a memorandum. I edited the work as a memorandum and presented this, it was then my supervisor realised that he had meant to tell me to write a letter. After my first day, I immediately sent an e-mail to SC telling them this internship will not be accommodating to what I wanted. I sent them a list of firms to contact, which they never did. I told them I had wasted a whole day of my internship correcting work because my supervisor didn't know how to tell me to do it in English. It was like this for the whole month, and it became clear to me that either these tasks were fictitious or my supervisor had no idea how to give me tasks. As for the other staff (there would only be about 3-5 people in the room on a daily basis) they would play computer games, nap and chat online most of the day and when they did work none of them needed help with any cases, so I met no clients and my tasks consisted of correcting the poor english in documents and making powerpoints. 100% of what I did on that internship could have been done from the comfort of my bedroom in London and I did not need to spend thousands to do it in China.

I was lucky enough to be living with another intern who was working in a prestigious international law firm. She told her supervisor about my situation and he was hay to help. SC told me I could have an interview with the firm, so I did but because I was only in China for a month, they could only offer me to come back to china in July and do a 1 month internship with them then. I was thrilled at the opportunity however my problematic internship still remained. After my interview, a representative from SC told me they felt sorry for me and would give me a discount if it was up to them. I told SC I was interested in doing the internship in July and would feel compensated if SC would provide me the package free of charge in July to give me the internship I was originally promised or at least cover my accommodation. They refused and left me to do my internship, knowing I was unhappy and learning nothing in my firm, working with people who didn't understand anything I was saying.

I was told to e-mail Eric the head of the program and I spent time listing out all my reasons as to why my internship was disappointing and why I felt scammed. It was obvious SC did not research my firm and just placed me in the first firm they could find. They did not understand my skills and probably didn't even read my CV, as the tasks I was given were not challenging or educating in any way and when I asked for more challenging work I was told to write powerpoint presentations on topics I could have just learnt on google at home. There was no hope. I received no reply. They couldn't even take the time to reply to my email apologising or offering some sort of partial refund. They did not appreciate the money they stole from me was my savings which I worked hard for.

I now have to go back to Shanghai and work in the international firm that offered me an internship, which I only got through my friend who was also doing a 1 month internhship. Spending more money for the skills and experience I should have gained through SC as promised.

It was by far the worst internship I had ever done and I had a better experience in my first internship as a first year law student than this internship and SC turned a blind eye as soon as they got my money in their pockets.

Startup China provided me with an amazing opportunity as a Human Resource Assistant Manager for Starz Sports Management Beijing who collaboratively works with the Yao Ming Foundation.

This position basically allowed me to work for both the company I had been assigned to and for the Yao Ming Foundation. I was quite excited to work because my workplace supervisor informed me that I would have the opportunity to meet famous athletes from around China and the American National Basketball League (NBA).

My intern position was for duration of three months and I had assumed I would only be working in the HR department, however I realised that I was useful to all the departments at Starz Sports from the Marketing department to Public Relations and even assumed the responsibility of Co Editor. I was more than happy to help in any way possible to gain valuable key experience and the fact that this was a paid internship it kept me motivated to work to my utmost full potential. This position exposed me to areas of work I was slightly unfamiliar with given the international work context it challenged me and tested my abilities.

My work colleagues were brilliant, majority of my work friends spoke English but were not confident; this led to a tit for tat verbal agreement where I would correct their English and they would help me with my Mandarin.

Startup China provides Mandarin classes weekly, I found myself not always having the time to attend class due to work commitments or university commitments. Through both work and Startup China just about every week there was definitely a seminar or networking event scheduled. This is perfect for brushing up on networking skills and a great way to meet potential future employers, make new friends and advertise the company you are interning for. I personally found that I met just as many Chinese representatives as Expat representatives.

The apartments are located in such a prime location, close to the subway station literally speaking a 1 min walk from the entrance of the apartment, across the road from a shopping mall and various restaurants, bakery’s and about a good 5 to 10 min stroll away from decent cafes for other coffee fein’s like myself.

Startup China provides a friendly and reliable around the clock contact personnel for all purposes from an emergency or for general enquiries to guiding a taxi driver. Upon arrival at the apartment you are given a welcome pack which outlines practically everything you need to know. From memory this includes hospital and medical addresses, emergency staff contact details, the apartment address in Chinese just in case you find yourself in a sticky situation, clear sim card activation instructions, a bottle of water and fruit, apartment house keeping details and apartment facilities, Beijing street tips and a map of the subway lines and Beijing.

Startup China take utmost care in providing decent intern positions which are compensated and if there are any work place issues Startup China don’t ignore any queries, they opt to find a reasonable solution in a timely manner. Personally, I had a visa issue and I was very impressed in the way Startup China Beijing Staff handled the can of worms I had almost drowned in.

Overall, I fell in love with Beijing and would recommend Startup China to any university students who are opting for a gap period or new graduates who are looking to gain an advantage to jet set their careers or to anyone who is up for a new challenge.

I was surprised about how serious Startup China takes their marketing promise to put “all efforts” into the placement process of the internship: the telephone interview was professional and they really made sure to understand my specific requirements towards the internship position. The result was an offer matching my preferred industry sector, Marketing and PR, in a Shanghai-based medium-business entity.

The internship itself was great as most of the employees were Chinese which was exactly the experience I was aiming for! I was assigned to a project supporting the overseas marketing and sales and after a short training period my daily tasks included finding new business leads in Europe, helping to improve their German website (text and graphics) and also attending business meetings to meet with international clients.

During my stay in Shanghai I was even invited to attend a Chinese wedding of one of my co-workers – definitely the cultural highlight of my program. I still keep in touch with a couple of my former coworkers in Shanghai.

Lastly I have to say, the services provided by Startup proved to be very helpful since this was my first time in China,. I was picked up straight from the airport and through the orientation day on the first day I not only got to know the basic things regarding my stay in Shanghai, but it also was a great chance to socialize with other program participants. I especially benefitted from the cultural seminar, where we talked about local habits and customs of Chinese.

I highly recommend this program. One tip: Make sure you are pro-active during your internship, have open mind and lastly enjoy your time in China!!