

Western Graduates Head to China for Internships - shiny
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303745304576354963157118104.html

======
newhouseb
Disclaimer: I realize that the article says that it isn't necessarily entirely
about China, and more about demonstrating certain personality traits, but
China's relevance is clearly the hot issue here. I know I find the Chinese
market fascinating and would love to get involved in its explosive growth in
any meaningful way I can.

TL;DR: If you want to be part of the future brain drain to China, merely
knowing Chinese culture/language isn't sufficient. Be an expert in something
that's needed world-wide and you will be needed in China.

I worked at Microsoft Research in Beijing as an intern and I think one of the
biggest lessons I walked away with was that in order to work in China and
actually have an impact prior experience in China is necessary but _not_
sufficient. Like anywhere else - you will always need to be an expert in your
field to have impact, regardless of the cultural context in which you work -
being a token part of an organization affords no influence.

I think a lot of people get involved with China thinking - "I'll learn Chinese
and I'm sure companies in China would love to have an American on board
connecting them with Western society!" The reality is, however, that most
people in the knowledge industry's English is probably a lot better than your
Chinese. I worry that some people fear China's impending growth and task their
kids on becoming an expert in Chinese instead of an expert in a field China
greatly demands (say photovoltaics).

Being a white guy who can speak Chinese is a neat party trick in a domestic
Chinese setting but is very much second to if you can warrant the insane pay
rate you might demand relative to a typical domestic employee. Think about
H1Bs and how they're designed to weed out anyone who's job couldn't be done by
an American worker. In China, I don't think the legal rules are quite as
strict, but there is plenty of swelling nationalism to more than make up for
it.

------
alexbowman
I do think its admirable to push your boundaries. The article and some
comments here recognize that greater interest is more valuable to employers
than specific experience, less of a China thing, more that you've done it.
But, if you're interested in China:

I've lived and worked in China for 5 years and wanted to make a few more
points:

* It is hard to get in touch with the key company person for intern opportunities;

* Even if you do, it might be the first such approach they've ever had;

* Outside the largest companies with formal intern programs there may be intern programs (and may not), but in partnership with local schools or other feeder companies;

* Global companies tend to have global intern programs with limited local admission.

That is by no means not a reason not to have a go applying. If anything, if
you can break through those barriers you're already a long way there.

Bear in mind the following:

* Companies are going to ask themselves "What's in it for me?"

* They might panic about visas, especially the headache of applying for a short term working visa;

* They'll need some very strong persuasion you're committed, will avoid significant culture shock, will not simply run away, and as sponsor of your visa will not damage their reputation;

* Cowboy language schools mascaraed as intern opportunities, beware.

An additional: The article doesn't state explicitly, but the consultant
company, CRCC Asia, mentioned as internship intermediator, organizes
internships for a fee. That does mitigate much of the above - both effort and
reward in my view. Link to their fee page:
<http://www.crccasia.com/internships/prices-dates>

Edit: Lines initially did not break

------
ronaldj
_"who had a two-week placement with Baoshang Bank in Beijing late last year"_

How much can you possibly learn in two weeks?

~~~
arethuza
As the article says it is mostly about being able to "demonstrate a
willingness to move out of their comfort zone".

I can understand why new graduates will do pretty much anything to
differentiate themselves from their peers - for a company with operations in
China having something like this may well be enough to catch the eye of
someone flicking through a stack of applicant CVs.

~~~
w1ntermute
> As the article says it is mostly about being able to "demonstrate a
> willingness to move out of their comfort zone".

OFC, the flip side of that is that working in a Westernized city like Beijing
or Shanghai isn't particularly far from your comfort zone. Other than for the
language barrier and the pollution, it's not really that different.

------
gommm
If any students reading this is interested by an internship in Shanghai, we
are looking for interns :-)

It would be doing ruby on rails and node.js development, 3 month minimum, paid
a small stipend (enough to cover cost of living in Shanghai)

Contact at interns@webagecorp.com

~~~
tomjen3
How difficult is it to get a visa to work in China?

~~~
wisty
You need a Z visa, which needs (from memory):

\- Living certificate, stamped by the local PSB (cops). \- A foreign expert's
card (which generally requires a degree). \- A health check (on arrival). \-
An employer that's able to employ foreign experts. (High tech should be easy
enough, as long as they employ locals too). \- A company that will "look
after" you (flights in and out, accommodation, medical insurance, maybe food
allowance).

It's not too hard. There's a lot of running around that the company needs to
do for you, which could take about a month (more if they haven't done it
before).

Note, you can work on an L or F visa, but risk fines and deportation.
Companies will say they have "connections", so the visa doesn't matter. If
they have "connections", they can get a visa.

------
tybris
Funny how history repeats itself, with different parameters.

------
omouse
Cool, they get to learn to rule with an iron fist in a few weeks. Now _that_
is progress.

