Why did you choose this program?
It was actually very serendipitous! I was really disappointed to be rejected from a job in the UK due to not having enough experience. That same day I stumbled into a talk run by CRCC Asia about internships in China. I was inspired and applied to the program.
When I got home from Shanghai I was employed within weeks. Employers were so interested to meet me and hear about my experiences.
I was really impressed by the professional service that CRCC Asia offered me. It is the contacts I made at their networking events, the excellent company that they placed me at, and the reference I received from them that secured me my job.
What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?
The information that CRCC Asia provided me about my host company was invaluable for getting through the interview stage. It was also really helpful that they made all the arrangements for my visa and accommodation, without which I'm sure would have been stressful!
It was nice to have the support of their staff and the other interns when I first arrived in China to help point me in the right direction and not feel quite so alone in a big new city.
I was ill for a few days whilst in China and that would have been very scary without the support of my CRCC Asia program manager.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
Living overseas is an invaluable experience - you learn so much about the world and about yourself. It's so important to push your comfort zone and prove to yourself that you can survive. It's also great to have that experience on your CV to evidence your personality and soft skills to future employers.
What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?
Very similar to the average work day in any 9-5 job except in the evenings there are so many opportunities to explore your new city, bond with new friends and network with new contacts.
On the weekends, my friends and I tried to see as much of Shanghai and China as we could. It was such a privilege to have that time to really get to know a part of the World that many people never go to.
Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?
I was concerned about how much my internship would cost - from the program fee to flights and spending money.
Three years later it is honestly the best investment in my future that I have ever made. I have certainly made that money back given that I found a permanent job almost immediately after the internship (the loss of earnings in that 3-6 months of job hunting had I not gone to Shanghai would have cost as much if not more).
I also think I earn more than I would have done without the experience as I was able to be hired at a slightly higher level than I would have done and I have been promoted more quickly since then.
