Internships in Beijing, China

China, being one of the biggest economies in the world, provides an advantage when it comes to internship opportunities. Although competition is intense with local and foreign students and having the relationship (Guanxi) with companies is important to secure your internship in Beijing, your best chance to get the placement you want is through consulting companies, which ensure you are placed in an internship and doing tasks related to your field, not just there to teach English to the local staff members.

Here are some of the areas to look into:

• Major Industries: Mining, textiles, chemicals, consumer products, telecommunications equipment, metals, machine building, food processing, and transportation,
• Growing Industries: Pharmaceuticals or health.
• Existing Industries: Manufacturing, engineering, environmental, IT, production, medical, and tourism

Internships abroad in Beijing last from a month to six months. The longer you intern in Beijing, the more options you’ll have for internships. There are individuals who opt for a year-long internship as long as it is paid. Companies will usually require you to be a full time intern (40 hours a week). However, if you are a student, it is understandable that you will only be able to intern for less hours (on average, 20 hours a week).

Knowing how to communicate in Mandarin is an advantage especially if you are looking into internship opportunities in technology, engineering, production, law, finance, and accounting. Apart from making sure you know how to communicate in basic Chinese, to give yourself an edge against other possible intern candidates, knowing other languages apart from English will also be an advantage.

If you don’t have experience in the field you want to intern in, make sure you have some of the basics in order to find a good internship placement in Beijing:

• Willingness to learn about the Chinese business environment and Chinese culture
• Positive attitude
• Flexibility in doing different tasks
• Reliable and responsible
• Have a University degree or graduating soon
• At least 18 years old