Back in 2010 when I did my last year of studies at the university I took a course on Chinese culture. It was an optional one, and I needed it only to get enough scores to graduate. However, it was exactly that course to trigger my interest in China. Right after my graduation paper had been submitted, I started to look into the possibility of going to China to study the language a bit and preferably to do an internship. I didn’t hope that much to be able to find an internship in China. After all, I studied journalism, and with that and no Chinese language abilities chances seem to be pretty slim for a professional kick-off in a country like China.
After an hour of googling and checking the websites I opted for Getin2China. Their combined courses of internship and language appealed to me a lot. Besides, they seemed rather professional with their services and organization. I sent them an e-mail and got reply next day. Information exchange followed, and two weeks later I got enrolled in a combined ‘internship + language’ program. One week more, and I had my first job interview via Skype. It went well with all the tips Getin2China staff gave me. So, I got an internship with China Radio International - a large state media holding in Beijing.
That’s how my professional career started. I went to work 5 days per week, working 9 to 5. But I really enjoyed it - getting to know the operation engine of an enormous state media machine. At first my tasks were too simple to call my job demanding. I was only proofreading and polishing the news and programs our department published on website or broadcast. Then I was transferred to the team of editors for the online magazine the department published monthly. Once in a while I was also assigned to present radio programs. On the fourth month of my internship I was offered to try myself as a real-TV journalist. We have also a video section in our department, and my assignment was to cover various stories about China. Thus, within half a year of internship I managed to try various aspects of working in media area. The last two months were crazy - in the morning I edited and corrected, in the afternoon I would record a program for radio or our team would go to some place or event for video shooting. Also, three times per week after work I would join the other students of Getin2China for the Chinese language classes. It helped me a lot to establish good relations with my Chinese colleagues. I also had a chance to practice my Chinese skills with them.
By now my internship is over but I am still in China, and now officially working for China Radio International. I was offered one-year contract within the company upon completion of my internship. I still do not know how long I will stay here after the contract is over, but what I know for sure is that the experience of working in China and studying the language has already laid solid foundation for the future career. Now I only need to apply my skills and knowledge as much as possible, develop them more and keep on growing professionally.
Response from Get into China Group
It is important to keep in mind that “expensive” is a relative term, and it’s definition varies from person to person. Our service is providing students and graduates with meaningful internship experience in China. There are many companies that provide similar services. That being said, one of the ways that Get in2 China differentiates itself is that our placement program is more reasonably priced than most of our competitors. We invite all potential interns to explore other programs. They will find that our placement fees are only a quarter of the cost when compared with other internship providers.
This particular applicant applied for our most basic internship placement package. The program witch includes: a) Internship placement, b) Visa Assistance, c) Certificate upon Completion. We understand the importance of managing the expectations of potential interns. As with most things in life, “you get what you pay for.” More expensive placement options provide comprehensive, around the clock support, from our dedicated staff. However, some interns choose to participate in the more basic, budget-friendly placement programs. Our company is named “Get in2 China.” For those that choose the most basic placement option, we do just that - we get you into China. The rest is up to you...
For this particular applicant, we have fulfilled all three of our obligations as placement coordinators. To avoid problems like this from occurring again in the future, our staff will do a better job of articulating what is included in each program package and work harder to appropriately manage the expectations of incoming interns.
The amount of the stipend for interns is determined by each individual company, not by Get in2 China. We offer paid and unpaid positions, though we do our best to focus on companies that will provide at least some sort of remuneration for interns.
We will be completely honest and tell you neither 20 RMB/day nor 80 RMB/day is a lot of money. This stipend is more of an appreciative gesture than anything else. In an internship, you are an INTERN, you are NOT an EMPLOYEE. As an intern, you are provided an opportunity - an opportunity to get your foot in the door, an opportunity to add significant value to your CV and boost future career prospects - and the individuals who succeed during their internships are the ones who understand this.
When we spoke more in-depth with this particular intern about exactly who promised him the 80-100 RMB stipend, he was unable to provide us with any more detail than “someone did.” In addition, prior to confirming his internship placement, this intern had a phone interview with the company he would be interning for. Since stipends are determined by the company and not by Get in2 China, it is in every interns best interest to confirm the stipend amount with the company prior to submitting their internship confirmation. In any case, this is at least a partial reflection of our staffs failure to manage the expectations of our clients. We have addressed this problem with our staff in effort to prevent further misunderstandings.