Get into China Group

Highlights: The highlight of my trip from a professional standpoint would definitely be having the opportunity to work in an office setting and gain knowledge of the supply chain consulting industry. It is a massive industry with many opportunities, I am hoping that this experience will lead to future opportunities.

Overall, the highlight of my trip was having the opportunity to live and work in a city as fast-paced and exciting as Shanghai. I believe that Shanghai is becoming one of the world’s great cities, as it has so much to offer! The nightlife is incredible, dining options are endless, and I love how the architecture is a mix of traditional Chinese and colonial-style European. I miss spending evenings at coffee shops in the French Concession, watching all the activity up and down the tree-lined streets. If possible, I would love to return to Shanghai some day.

Morning: In the morning, Shanghai is quite busy and crowded. After getting up and taking a quick shower, the first thing I did on my way to work is to grab a breakfast at a local street kiosk. Then I would get into a crowded subway and arrive half-sleepy to work.

Afternoon: At my office, things got pretty hectic after lunch time. As an intern, my daily tasks would vary from day to day, however on a ‘typical’ day I would review and update spreadsheets with information from our suppliers. Many businesses want to know about the upstream and downstream value-added flow of materials, and it was my responsibility to research and calculate some of this information.

Evening: After a busy day at work, I would always love to take a walk along the riverside, enjoying the moist air and the incredible scenery of Shanghai’s Pudong skyline. As a city, Shanghai is always always alive and awake, so things stay open till pretty late. Sometimes I would join other interns from Get in2 China, and we would go for dinner or out to one of Shanghai’s many amazing bars and clubs.

I'm the Public Relations Director at Gi2C Group. I am also responsible for the majority of our North American recruitment. At a young age I developed a passion for entrepreneurship and technology. Throughout high-school and university, I worked for a number of young, energetic, and enthusiastic small businesses. While at university I participated in a student exchange program with Singapore Management University. Studying in Singapore completely changed my global outlook. It sparked my interest in Asia's diverse business and cultural landscape.

Five days after graduating with a BSBA in Accounting and Professional Writing from The Ohio State University, I boarded a plane bound for Beijing, China. I spent my first six months in China working as an education consultant at an international kindergarten before joining the team at Gi2C Group.

Safety and Support: Let's be clear, living and working in China is challenging. However, as with many life experiences, the most challenging can also be the most rewarding. At Gi2C Group, our goal is to put our interns in the position to succeed. This starts with providing a safe and supportive environment.

Opportunity and Understanding: We feel that China is ripe with career opportunities for motivated young people and we want to help others understand why. As the second largest economy in an increasingly interconnected and global world, China should be considered a premiere destination for students and graduates to gain valuable work experience. As many former interns have told us, an internship is what you make of it. Gi2C Group encourages all of our interns to approach their opportunity with a diligent enthusiasm and willingness to learn. This willingness to learn must go beyond what happens during work hours, it includes a desire to learn the language, interact with the locals, and appreciate the many cultural differences that make China such an interesting country.

Personal and Professional Development: Living and working in China will change you as a person, and it will change you for the better. Our internship program has been the catalyst that has opened doors to employment opportunities and professional development for hundreds of former interns. As more and more companies make moves to enter the Chinese market, the CV value of an internship in China continues to grow. An internship in China should be viewed as a personal and professional investment.