9 Things to Know Before You Intern in China

Many search far and wide for experiences in life that are as adventurous as they are practical, and lucky for you, an internship in China is one of those phenomenal few. Despite having the largest population of any Earthly country, The People’s Republic of China maintains a mysterious aura to many in the western world—excluding the big, booming world of business, of course. China’s economy is growing fast, and as an intern in China, you’ll have the opportunity to grow up and glow up right along with it! 

Want to brighten your future? China internships can help.

Wondering what to know before going to China as an intern? First, internships in China are perfect for people who enjoy their chaos in a safe, controlled environment. A country massive in size and scale, China internships are available in almost all professional sectors, and in a number of diverse city and rural settings.

China isn’t known for any industry—it’s known for every industry. Many China internship providers offer complete program customization, so you’ll find opportunities ranging anywhere from accounting to the arts, economics to environmental management, media to medicine, tourism to...well, you get the idea.

Its overwhelmingly long history of powerful political dynasties, scientific innovations, and massive structural feats make up only a small fraction of China's extraordinary achievements.

As an intern in China, you'll have the priceless opportunity to add your own achievements to this growing list—so we're here to spill the [green] tea on how you can best prepare yourself before you go. 

What to know before going to China as an intern

1. It won’t be lucrative (at first, that is). 

Sorry to break it to ya, but [legal] paid internships in China are not a thing. To intern in China, you’ll need what’s called an “F Visa,” which will allow you to participate in your China internship—just not if you’re getting paid for it.

Don’t let that stop you. These 10 Affordable Internships in China are light on your wallet but will score you heavy resume points! You could also try applying for one of these 8 Internship Abroad Scholarships, or using a crowdsourcing tool like FundMyTravel to help with any expenses that might be keeping you from getting to your internship in China. 

Given the country’s increasingly heavy hand in international business affairs, your internship in China is sure to impress future employers and will undoubtedly pay in dividends in your future career endeavour.

Some program providers, like China Internship Placements (or CIP), even recruit intern alumni for actual paid positions, and a whopping 30% of CRCC Asia’s interns are offered employment with their host company!

If you’ve never lived and breathed a world city, now’s your chance.

2. There’s no better time to start learning Chinese than immediately. 

...partly because it will take you freakin’ forever—but also because it is so, so worth it. Standard Chinese (otherwise known as Mandarin) is the most commonly spoken language in the world, and the hard work you put in to learn it now will make your climb up the corporate ladder feel like a walk in the park.

Plus, if you’re still in the process of applying to internships in China, doubling up with a translated resume will give you a competitive edge with the company of your choice. Don’t stress about trying to coordinate your classes with your China internship—some program providers like ImmerQi, Hutong School, and Boston University offer language lessons as part of the package deal. 

3. Top tier doesn’t always mean best tier. 

All of China’s cities are organized into a hierarchy of four tier structures. While the “tier one” cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen) are meant to represent the most economically developed cities in China, the system fails to reflect the country’s erratic, ballooning economy as a whole.

Being that the country is vast as heck, awesome opportunities for international internships in China can be found in many of the cities classified as tier two, and even burgeoning tier threes. Don’t limit your search for an internship in China to so few places in such a giant country based an outdated ranking system. 

4. The American Chamber of Commerce is where the networking party’s at. 

We know that spending your Friday night at the American Chamber of Commerce might not sound like the most exciting use of your precious time off from your internship in China, so let’s stick to its endearing nickname: AmCham China.

We kid you not, AmCham China regularly hosts workshops and events ranging from annual women’s summits to space-themed dance parties. A huge benefit to interning in China is the networking—in the world of business, personal and professional contacts are everything.

Luckily, AmCham China hosts events all over the country, so whether you’re working with an NGO in Hong Kong, putting your engineering skills to the test in Beijing, or unveiling your eye for fashion in Shanghai, you’ll want to take advantage of whatever instructive, illuminating, and occasionally weird networking opportunity you can get. 

Network with other expats in China to improve your future career prospects.

5. There’s eastern equivalents of your all western apps. 

Ever heard of WeChat? No? Well, over a billion other people have. It’s the most popular messenger app in China! As an intern in China, expect to ditch some of your go-to apps for their eastern equivalents.

While Uber used to be available in the PRC, it was uberEaten alive by the competitive ride-sharing app Didi Chuxing. We can’t list what are sure to be all your new favorite apps here, so be sure to do some research before embarking on your internship in China. That, or, you can just do a tech internship in China and take a stab at designing your own. 

6. ...and you’ll need a VPN to access some of your go-to websites. 

China’s political climate can be described as, well, tense. The ruling Communist party is notoriously known for censoring anything they may deem as damaging to their cause, and some examples of such perceived threats are Facebook, Instagram, and even Gmail.

These popular western sites and others are blocked by what’s known as China’s Great Firewall. And yet, where there’s a wall, there’s a way. Download a VPN (or Virtual Private Network) before leaving your home country for your China internship program to get around this faulty barrier.

This tip might especially come in handy if you’re planning on a political science internship in China. That said, as China internships are professional endeavours, we don’t recommend using a VPN at work. 

7. Personal space is not a thing.

Work hard, but play hard, too!

...and your very presence can be a spectacle. In western cultures, people are generally keep “respectful” distances from each other by means of an invisible bubble. Prepare for this bubble to burst. This means that while you’re casually enjoying the scenic walk to your summer internship in China, some other pedestrian in a hurry may just unceremoniously push you out of their way.

Expect to feel cramped, hovered over, cut in line, and stared at regularly. Don’t take it personally, it’s just cultural. If you’re thinking “bring it on” right now, consider doing a program that offers a homestay option, like this internship in Shanghai with Connect-123! Embracing this with the quickness is critical to making the most out of your internship in China. 

8. One contract means two contracts—and you best read both. 

If you participate in an internship in China for international students, you may be asked to sign both an English contract and its Chinese equivalent. Don’t just assume it’s a perfect translation—if you haven’t noticed yet, English and Chinese are way different languages.

Enlist the help of a friend or professional translator to ensure that you know what you’re signing before you commit pen to paper. If this is sounding a tad complicated, consider choosing a program provider that makes a point of providing plenty of pre-departure support, like Go Abroad China Ltd.

The chances that you’ll actually need to worry about it while you intern in China are slim, but it’s good to know that unless otherwise specified, the Chinese contract is king in a court of law. 

9. You’re not alone!

There are hundreds of thousands of expats living there, so if you get lonely for people you can relate to during your internship, China has you covered.

Join one of the many online communities before you go (your new internet pals will have handy pre-departure advice, like these 8 Things I Wish I Knew Before Interning Abroad), make an effort to get out a lot, or simply choose a program provider that hosts lots of social events, like The Intern Group or Absolute Internship.

The people you meet during your internship in China won’t just become friends for life, but important professional contacts for years to come! Still teetering back and forth about whether or not a China internship is for you? These 10 Reasons Why You Should Intern Abroad in China will talk you down from that Great Wall. 

Whether makin’ deals in the CBD or getting involved in grassroots projects, you’re gonna learn a ton.

Next steps to interning abroad in China

Don't pack your poncho juuuust yet. There are a few items on your internship to do list you should check off first.

• Decide when to go. Give your calendar a good-hard look and figure out what time of year—and how long—you want to live in China as an intern.
• What type of internship do you want? You can find an internship in China for international students in a variety of fields, it's just a matter of YOU deciding which experience you want to pursue. Popular areas of focus include business and tech.
• Choose from the best intern abroad programs in China. Pay attention to past participants’ reviews, program/job reputation, location, and your ease of getting settled. Some providers may even provide contact info for past interns if you want the REAL dirt. Here's more advice on how to find the perfect program provider for you. Pro tip: You can use MyGoAbroad to compare programs side-by-side.
• Plan your finances. Sort out your ongoing funding before you go to afford daily essentials and splurge in travel (in addition to program costs and airfare). Do your research to have an idea of how much your day-to-day life in China will cost, and get to work on learning how to pay for your international internship.
• Get prepared. Preparing to intern abroad is as fun as it sounds. With the days til departure number dwindling and your excitement boiling, it can be easy to overlook the details. Lean on us to help guide you through your pre-departure process—that's what we're here for.

You’re nine steps closer to interning in China! 

Let’s kickstart your China internship already!

If you've made the decision to intern abroad in China, there's one thing we already know you have: courage. It's no easy feat to immerse yourself in a culture so foreign to your own for a prolonged period of time, and you should expect to have the occasional feelings of discomfort. It's true that on sometimes you might feel like your boss is yelling at you indiscriminately, but most likely, she just wants to know how your weekend went. China, right? 

In order for your world to widen, sometimes you gotta turn it on its head. Join the over 1.3 billion people across the sea who are spinning the wheels of industry from afar when you intern in China, and return home with the kind of rare wisdom and expertise that will jumpstart your own career! That is, if you ever decide to return home. Kick off your search by checking out the 8 Best Intern Abroad Programs in China in 2019!

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