What does your role as Marketing Manager for Asia Internship Programme look like?
I help to open up the Chinese market for international interns; we have a large amount of students looking to go abroad. I help facilitate partnerships and produce online content to help young professionals learn more about how to do interviews and prepare for interviews.
Asia Internship Programme staff deep in the heart of a meeting!
Tell us a little about your travel experience and background.
I studied abroad in Paris, France and Quebec, Canada. I also blogged for Asia Internship Programme and I actually used GoAbroad to find my program! I have a love for traveling, but am constantly homesick for family and China when I’m not there.
What makes Thailand a particularly good place to do an internship abroad?
Everyone is so friendly! I have heard so many warnings, but the truth is, Paris is way more dangerous. It really is the “Land of Smiles”, and the cost of living is very affordable. This country is paradise for students. You can easily live a high quality life and there is such a large expat community. There are many opportunities to interact and network with people from all over the world.
Then, of course, there are the Thai beaches and islands. You can travel around Southeast Asia easily too. It is a very good place to relax and also work hard. There are many companies that have an international presence. Many people speak English in Bangkok, so there is barely even a language barrier. Thailand is a very comfortable country to live in.
AIP helps interns create meaningful dialogue and engage with others. In this photo, AIP Managing Director Simon Osborne is at the Pattaya Redemptorist School for the Blind.
Why should someone choose Asia Internship Programme to help them arrange an internship in Thailand?
I was an intern myself, but now that I have worked for the company and have been able to see how it operates, I realize more and more that it doesn’t treat students as mere applicants. Whenever someone applies we don’t just connect them with any company; we interview them. We also do a background check, but it’s not just a check, we want to get to know the person. We want to get to know what kind of person they are so we can match them with the right work environment. We consider their personality and interests. For example, if they are outgoing or have kept a blog in the past.
What is something that makes the internships AIP arranges different?
In some organizations the process is very robotic, they seem to forget that you are moving to a new country and starting a new job. There are a lot of things that can happen and concerns that people have. Most of the time we actually make friends with each intern ourselves.
We want to make sure each individual has a good life here, not just an internship.
Sometimes when you move to a new country it is hard to make friends, so we usually take the interns out and introduce them to our friends too.
AIP Global Board Meeting Dinner
You were living in Thailand during the military coup and the country has a history of similar political unrest. Has this affected your life in Thailand? What would you say to someone who is nervous about interning in Thailand because of these situations?
The coup did not affect my life at all. I really wish the media would give some coverage to what it is really like and show that it is very safe here. The coverage affected tourism, which is very important to the Thai economy, but I really haven’t felt any danger at all. The political position of the people is actually very peaceful. It’s a very special country in that way.
