Internship in Malaysia by Asia Internship Program

I wanted to do something new before starting my University studies, and the idea of traveling Asia popped up in my head. So I decided to look at flights and Motels/Hostel and then ran into a few internship sites. Doing a 2-month internship in Malaysia and being able to make new friends and understand the IT industry as this is what I wanted to study in School.

Overall the process from the interview with AIP and then the Interview with the placement company was great, sadly the only thing that was a small problem for me was the time difference from Malaysia and my friends and family back home.

If you plan to do an internship in Asia my only recommendation is to have an open mind and take the opportunities when given to you.

I had a few months before beginning my Masters so I thought I’d take the time to do something productive whilst taking the opportunity to do some traveling.

I did a marketing internship in a very successful startup based in the city. I expected another regular internship - doing menial admin tasks, maybe helping out with some in-house projects, and whatnot. But, the internship experience turned out to be a lot more fruitful than expected. Because the start-up trend has grown so quickly over the past few years, not just in Malaysia but also in many other countries around South East Asia and East Asia, many of these new businesses rely on each other sharing support and information to continue to grow. It’s a great community that I was incredibly lucky to take part in, especially because the company I worked for trusted me enough to let me lead my own projects and take care of my own clients. There’s a lot more trust involved when working in a start-up, and definitely more responsibility is given. So, it was definitely an eye opening experience compared to the other internships/summer jobs I’ve done back home.

Start-ups, especially in Asia, definitely have their own work culture. If you’re looking to one day start your own business, or if you’re just looking to get a better understanding of Asia’s young business culture, I would definitely recommend applying to a start-up somewhere in Asia. Thanks to AIP, I was able to get my foot in the door. I’ll definitely consider coming back to Malaysia after my Masters!

My time in Malaysia was mostly good. My Dad is half Malaysian and it was a side of him I wish I could relate to more hence my deciding to go. I applied through Asia Internship Program and the rest is history.

I had an interview with AIP and it was fairly painless after that (I'd say it was about six or seven weeks later) I was set up with an intervire for a Hotel based in KL which I gladly accepted. I applied with a few months to spare before my interview was due to start which I think made the preperation more relaxed. I hate feeling rushed so I'm glad I was so overzealous.

The placement was pretty good, a little slow going for the first month as it was off season but it picked up for my last couple of weeks there. My favourite duty was talking behind the reception as I got to speak with lots of people from different backgrounds. Considering I was an intern I got a fair amout of exposure and responsibility, I can't say I love the feeling of being thrown into the deep end but I know it's the best way to learn.

Most of my time in Malaysia was amazing, the only down I has was leaving my bag unattended in a bar one night, of course it was taken and really it was more my own absentmindedness than anything else but it was still upsetting. Aside from that I was delighted to travel the country I've heard my Dad talk about for years, my favorite spots being Panang and Redang Island! So beautiful. I'm not really sure what else to say just that I'm delighted I decided to try this out!

I had requested to do a strategic management internship. Apparently, there is no such thing. During the interview with the AIP consultant, he just called it a "consulting internship." I suggest they change the title. In hindsight, why would any company give an intern any managerial role anyway?

After I paid my deposit, AIP soon found a company for me in Malaysia. In the job description, I saw roles for "market research," "partnership development," and support "in performing various projects." I asked what aspects of the job fell under consulting, and the reply was that the "consulting aspects of the internship would be represented through identification and evaluation of specific business opportunities and market trends, as well as in the partnership development aspect."

I had the interview with my potential boss, and I really got the impression that this was more a sales job--just send out e-mails to gain new clients. Furthermore, it was to be all online--I would not meet anybody to learn negotiation and consulting skills (let alone any "strategic management"). I expressed my concerns to my consultant, and he assured me I would "have more freedom and work on business development, strategic expansions and be more involved in terms of decision making." Well, that sounded good, and I was hoping to gain some business consulting experience; so, I took it.

It turned out that my first instincts were right. I was just sending e-mails all day: no market research, no partnership development, no performing various projects, no business development, no strategic expansions, and no decision making! Just sending e-mails! I only got to do something different after I spoke with my boss about it, but the crux of my job would still be sending e-mails. What’s worse, I looked on my company's website. It turns out that they were advertising for what I was doing, and my job role was not “Strategic Management Intern”; it was “Business Development Intern”!

My mistake was not contacting AIP after I began my internship. In the contract, it states that if you encounter any problems, AIP will talk to your company to try to resolve them, or find you a new company.

However, I really wish that AIP would have followed up with me. True, I failed to read the contract carefully, but, for these types of programs, a responsible agency will check in with you regularly to see if everything is going all right. If they had, perhaps I would have had a better experience. Moreover, it’s not always convenient (and cost-effective) for interns to simply switch companies, particularly if they are staying short-term.

Another thing, they came out with location offers in Taiwan and South Korea soon after they gave me my internship in Malaysia. I really wish they had told me about them when I was applying. I would happily have gone to either of those two countries since they are more aligned with my background.

As for what was included in my internship package, I was never informed of any networking events, and I did not receive any certification of achievement from my host company. Frankly, I never heard from AIP again after I paid them the money.

In summary, while my boss was very nice, I didn’t learn very much, and my responsibilities as listed on my initial offer turned out to be inaccurate. I admit that I should have taken a more proactive role in resolving the issue, but I am just surprised there was so much miscommunication between AIP and my company.

After two months of having the opportunity of working at the Asia Internship Programme, I have learned not only various facets of the business realm but also a lot about myself. An internship is there to provide an individual with work experience and also for said individual to figure himself / herself out; Do they like the type of work they are doing? Will they pursue that in the future? How would one fight for a different career path if they realize that the area of business the internship was is not for them? These are all questions that I can now answer.

The meetings, strategies, and people that I had the chance to work with made me more accustomed to how to carry myself in different business situations. For example, in the networking events where I had to convince various heads of different companies to partner with us, through trial and error and repetition I am now able to approach and discuss opportunities with potential partners in a naturally convincing manner. I learned that sometimes I have to be more tough because people don't always see that I'm a firm person because of the way I act. Although this was not my task, it was something that I felt was a great experience and useful in any area of business for me in the future. In my role of marketing manager, I learned that this area isn't necessarily for me. The constraints for marketing were rather tight and the mentorship in this aspect was understandably lacking for a few weeks, as my mentor could not be present.
However, I did learn how to use new marketing tools such as mail chimp, and Google analytics that I'm certain will be useful in the future. Additionally, I had a lot of room to create my own marketing strategies, which is something I am definitely grateful for and glad I had a chance to utilize my creative side.
The marketing manager position made me realize because of the research I did during and outside of it, is that my goal is now to work in the consumer behaviour research side of marketing. And this is what I was searching for this summer, my aspirations and my goal so I can work towards something.

To sum up my entire internship experience, I would have to say that it was a wonderful one, and apart from the aforementioned epiphanies I had, here is a main reason why. I worked with an outstanding group of people. Everyone coming from different parts of the world and everyone being so different allowed me to learn different traits of how to behave in different scenarios. For example, my superiors Simon Osborne, Vincent Houzet and Sainzaya Chuluuntuya taught me something invaluable, the courage to "go and get it". By this I mean if there is something that you need from someone you're working with or an idea you want to make happen, you just have to speak your mind and don't stop until you get what you want. I even learned a lot from my fellow interns. Specifics include the ideas that came up when working to tighten up the Broadsight magazine and how to act or not act in the business meetings.

Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that I worked with at the Asia Internship Programme, and specifically Simon Osborne, Vincent Houzet and Sainzaya Chuluuntuya because the things that I learned at AIP over the 2 months is something I could not have learned elsewhere, and I will always be grateful to have been a part of the young company that is slowly but surely making its way to the top. I will always have AIP in my blood and if there is anything I could do to help, within reason, I will do so. The family of AIP will definitely be missed!