Shanghai changed my life

I interned with CRCC Asia in Shanghai over the summer of 2014. Three years later and I am still seeing the benefits of my experience!
I had always wanted to go to China - plenty of my friends had travelled South East Asia but few had been to China so it seemed like a great place to go to get something different for my CV. Shanghai in particular is such a vibrant city. There's always so much going on so you're never stuck with nothing to do! My highlights included lazy afternoons in the markets and the parks, and further afield I will never forget camping on the Great Wall!
I chose CRCC Asia primarily because I valued their professional approach to the internship. I wanted professional experience as opposed to simply travelling. I also got a lot from the business seminars and mandarin lessons that CRCC Asia provided - it was great to have something extra to talk about in interview that showed that I hadn't just partied whilst in China!
When I arrived in China I made friends for life, and three years later am still regularly in contact with many of my Shanghai friends. All CRCC Asia interns are serious about their futures and passionate about their careers. We all quickly found common ground and made not just friends for life but also a professional network that we often rely on on the year's since Shanghai. It's also great to be in contact with other CRCC alumni at the events that CRCC Asia put on throughout the year. Our China internships are the common ground and it's fantastic to be part of a network of such successful and driven people.
I interned with Riviera Events. I loved my internship, getting experience and responsibility that I couldn't have imagined receiving in the UK. The most important transferable skills in my career since China have been: problem-solving, adaptability and confidence - China really threw me in at the deep end, I learnt to think on my feet and adapt to a new way of working but more importantly be confident in putting my ideas forward. It's great to be able to have examples from China to evidence these skills to future employers. Since returning from China I got a job within a month of being home. My employer was really interested in my experience in China - in the company, it was a country that few people had been to and less had worked in. The team valued my different experience and knowledge.
My advice to anyone thinking of interning in China is that it is a fantastic investment in your future. It shows you take yourself and your career seriously and are able to take on challenges that not every graduate has the courage to do. You learn so much about yourself, the World and your area of employment. And you genuinely make friends for life!