How to find an Internship in China

Posted on 19. Jul, 2009 by MariaAbroad in China, Internship Abroad

How to find an Internship in China

You want to do an internship in China? But you don’t know how to get things started? Well, after I finished my Bachelors Degree, I decided to get some work experince abroad before starting my Masters and an internship in China seemed the best solution. My university (CIBU in San Diego) offered a study tour to China and after visiting this amazing country for 2 weeks, I knew that I wanted to go back there and get a deeper insight into this culture. Here is some information on how to find an internship in china, things you need to organize before you go and other helpful advice:

1. Find an internship position:

- Contacts: Talk to any Chinese people in your network about your plans and ideas about going to China. Chinese are very helpful and will not only give you good advice and information about their home country, but it might happen, that they actually know someone in China that works in your field of study, who would be willing to become you host company. This is how I found my internship position and as networking in China is the way of getting things done, your chances are pretty high.

- Internet: Research on the web and check out the websites of your home country’s Chamber of Commerce network in China. Many of them do not only list jobs, but also internship positions in China. You can also research companies in your field on DMOZ or other industry directories and send your application directly to the companies that you want to work for. Regarding your resume, you should include a professional picture, date of birth, and list your work experience and education in chronological order.

- Internship placement programs and language schools: If you do not find an internship position in China through your contacts or the internet, you can also use an internship placement company. They will review your resume and find you an internship position in the field of your interest. Of course, this is less work for you, but it will cost you some bucks to find a good placement service. Also, some language schools offer an internship placement service, but you usually have to do a language course for a certain minimum period. This is actually an option worth to consider, as it will be a great advantage for you, if you already know at least the basics of the Chinese language. You will be able to take on more responsibilites during your internship and work more effectively with your Chinese colleagues. In addition, you will get a deeper insight into the Chinese culture and you can do more things on your own, as you don’t have to rely on others to help you with the language issues.

Here is a great book that I can really recommend for everybody that wants to organize an internship abroad DYI: The Imaginative Soul’s Guide to Foreign Internships: A Roadmap to Envision, Create and Arrange Your Own Experience It already came out in 1993, but it is still one of the best books on the topic out there. It has a step-by-step guideline of all the things you need to take care of and shows you why an internship abroad can be a great alternative in today’s job market.

If you are interested in going with an organized program, check out the following links:

Hutong Language School

InternAbroad

Tags: China, Internship Abroad

13 Responses to “How to find an Internship in China”

China – Top 5 Study Abroad Destination | Maria Abroad

07. Aug, 2009

[...] Want to more about finding an internship in China? Read my blog post on How to find an internship in China! [...]
My experience in China – MariaAbroad Miniseries | Maria Abroad

25. Oct, 2009

[...] How to find and internship in China [...]
Sean

06. Apr, 2010

It is pretty easy to find an internship in China especially if you are not looking for a paid internship. Many Foreign companies can always have a use for a foreigner if they are working for free.

Many times if you just look for jobs on Craig’s list and LinkedIn in the location in China you want to live; then you can usually find someone that will be willing to give you a job.
Joanna

16. May, 2010

This is Joanna liu from BJ, China. We are providing culture and education exchange between China and western countries. We are a comprehensive, affordable and service-oriented company. We run professional internship programs in China for several years. Our mission is to help students, graduates and young professionals bridging the gap between the students to the professional world by getting the best possible professional experience as an intern in China. We also aim at promoting professional and social connections between students from all over the world as we believe that life inside our internship program open eyes to the ways of a broader world. We have good relationships with local companies and established partnership with a number of businesses around China who are expectable to accept foreign talents from all over the world. Each internship placement is tailored to the individual according to their C.V. /Resume to ensure that they get the maximum benefit out of the internship program. We have placed interns in a diverse range of fields.

We hope to become the partner in China.Our website is :www.jahoodev.51.com

My email address: jahoodev@sina.com
vera

28. Sep, 2010

I think it’s easy to find a internship in China.Of course,if you know some basic Chinese,you can get more opportunities.
Before I came to China, I studied Chinese online from http://www.mandarinnetwork.com. It’s a pretty good website.There are hundreds of interesting Chinese video lessons. Then I moved in China. The local people was surprised by my Chinese when I had a interview. Surely my Chinese is not good enough,I continue learnning it.
peter

21. Oct, 2010

Internships placement
International business internship centre arrange internship and home stay for foreign student in Qingdao, please check the Website and get more details: http://www.myintern.org
E-mail :info@myintern.org
Diving Internships

07. Dec, 2010

Is it necessary to speak basic / decent mandarin before seeking an internship. I think probably the best way to gain fluency in Chinese is by immersing yourself and it would seem that at internship is the perfect way to do that?
Presumably there are many international companies offering internships which would accept candidates with little or no Chinese Language skills?
Internship in China

18. Dec, 2010

There is nothing to worry about an internship in china. if you really have an aim to be there as an intern then all your hard work will work for you.
vivin

22. Mar, 2011

we can provides tailor-made internship programs in China. we assure you will gain unique and positive work experience, learning Chinese language and tasting Chinese culture. If you’re interested in the internship program, please contact us. My msn: internshipqd@hotmail.com
i wong

22. Sep, 2011

I would like to do intern in China in agriculture aspect, Any help here?
Mark Smith

14. May, 2012

An internship in China is really helpful to enhance our CV in today’s tough economic times. Especially if its a paid one. I found the internships positions offered by Go Abroad China really interesting http://www.goabroadchina.org/
Tic Two

10. Jun, 2012

If you are looking for an Internship in China, you can contact us at Tic Two via our website at http://www.tictwo.com

We have over five years of international recruitment experience, an extensive knowledge and experience of Chinese business practice and a strong professional network.

This, complimented with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable team on the ground helps to ensure that you are able to make the most of your internship in China.
Jonathan

03. Mar, 2013

Many foreign or local Chinese interns face issues in getting placed as the companies feel they bring little experience to their prospective positions.

http://www.mybusinesschina.com offers a great Mini MBA program that, once interns have completed this training, in all aspects of global business best practices , have had a 100% placement rate for paid internships.