I’m from Belo Horizonte , Brazil.  One unique thing about Brazil is the great weather during the entire year and also the kind way that people treat each other, especially foreigners.  I’m 22 and have lived in Canada during high school and France for one semester during university. I studied International Affairs in Brazil and chose this area due to my huge interest in other cultures and passion to go abroad. I will be interning at a pharmaceutical company which operates mostly in developing countries. Their main products are vaccines and medicines.  They are currently looking for partners around the world and working with local governments. I will be focused on export documentation and international marketing tasks such as finding new markets and making sure the products are in accordance with local laws.  My goal for this internship is to gain more experience in international trade and increase my network...

I’m from DR Congo, Kolwezi city. It’s a small town so people are united and it’s kind of quiet which is why I appreciate it even more. I’m 21 and something interesting that I’ve done so far in my life is to help in a fundraiser for orphans and abandoned kids that raised over $100,000 in 8 months. I’m currently majoring in Civil Engineering and Management at Jiangsu University here in China. I chose China for my education because it is a country that is currently excelling in Civil Engineering and in construction. I’m interning at an architectural company, which offers architectural schemes, interior design, planning and consultant services.  I’ll be an architecture assistant which basically includes： Preparing, developing and reviewing architectural drawings in order to meet the specifications of the customer Help the architectural team in producing the sections Work with computer programs, such as: AutoCAD, SketchUp, etc. for...

I’m originally from Nashville, TN USA. I grew up in Music City USA, so I was spoiled by living in a city full of musicians. Half of my friends were somehow involved with music. In terms of my background, I’m 32 and decided I wanted to get some international experience. I’ve had jobs in the design, tech, and marketing fields. So far, going to China beats anything I’ve done yet but some interesting things I’ve done in my life is traveling abroad and studying Italian in Italy. In school, I studied Advertising and Graphic Design. I have two degrees:  B.S Communications and B.F.A Graphic Design. I enjoy the mix between creative work, research, and marketing. I like to keep my interests broad. I will be interning with a US-based startup company that has an office in Beijing. They build apps and in-apps designed to market companies from the US to...

I am from Shenzhen in the south of China.  It is a young coastal city full of people coming from different places. I guess growing up in a culturally diversified place teaches you how to understand differences. People are more open in this type of environment and I am glad that I grew up with that kind of influence around me. I am 23 years old and the most interesting thing I’ve done so far in my life is travelling and studying in different places around the world. I’ve been able to see different cultures and to complete my academics. This international experience has always been very exciting to me. I was most recently studying in Australia and majoring in economics and finance. The reason why I chose this area was because, these days, they are hot topics and I did not know much about them.  I am interested in...

I am from Adelaide, South Australia. Adelaide is a small city in Australia and is renowned as: ‘The Festival City’ for the many festivals and events that are held there and ‘The City of Churches’ for the large array of old, new and in between churches to celebrate the multicultural society.  I am 25 and have just spent 6.5 weeks backpacking throughout Europe and the UK. My highlight was visiting Reykjavik, Iceland which allowed me the chance to ride a five gaited Icelandic purebred horse (also my first time on a horse), climb ice glaciers and experience one of the most spectacular places on earth. I have completed a double business degree of a Bachelor of Management Marketing and a Bachelor of Tourism and Event Management. In my 3.5 year Gap year between High School and University, I worked as Wedding Coordinator at a country club, this gave me a...

Before becoming a new Gi2C finance  intern in China, Tomas studied economics and international politics in Italy and Switzerland. Over the past three decades, he has had the opportunity to live in different countries, which provided him with an interesting perspective on life. Tomas will be interning in Shanghai at a finance company. He told us he can draw upon previous work experience in the field but looks forward to learning about China and getting more of the necessary financial know-how that all astute finance professionals need. Tomas chose China because he has friends that have worked here and they said great things about working in Shanghai. He stumbled upon the Gi2C website  by accident – isn’t life full of interesting coincidences! Tomas feels comfortable in China because he has a family member living here. He also is fearless to live abroad because he has lived in numerous countries before...

Tahnoon grew up in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Along with China, this Middle Eastern country has also developed a great deal in a short period of time. Tahnoon told us, “The country was changing so fast that it felt like it was growing up with me.” In only 22 years, Tahnoon has learned English, Bengali, and Hindi along with “slightly broken French and a bit of Arabic”. He studied Business and Economics in London since his friends and brother were also there. So what brought him to China? Tahnoon chose China because “China is leading the world in terms of finance and has recently overtaken the U.S. as the world’s largest economy (in terms of PPP ). Experience from China would be invaluable for the start of any career. Also, China is a beautiful country, I hear.” He learned a little bit about China ahead of time from other friends who...

I am from LeMars, Iowa, USA. While growing up, I was involved in many organizations such as Boy Scouts and 4-H. I am currently 22 years old and have had the opportunity to travel many places. Over the last 4 years, I completed college at Iowa State University with a major in Finance and Accounting. I will be interning at a network finance company in Beijing . My job description includes investor relations, customer service, and supporting the business development and sales teams. I hope to expand my professional network through this internship and learn more about financial markets in China. I am very interested in learning the cultural differences in financial positions in the US and China. Working in China has interested me for the last few years. China is a diverse landscape and its economy has expanded quickly. I do not have many contacts in China and hope...

Tamara is beginning her Gi2C China internship program  in Beijing and we had the pleasure of hearing her story.   I grew up in a small town pretty much in the countryside. The closest large, well-known city is Zurich, which is about 30 minutes away. Switzerland is infamous for our cheese and chocolate and I guess that's what foreign people identify Switzerland with and of course having great banks! I am 22 years old and something interesting about myself is that I have won the Swiss championship in Badminton when I was 13. Other than badminton, I also love travelling a lot. I am currently working on my Bachelor's degree in Business Communications. I chose to study this field because I like to learn languages and I think one of the most essential departments in an industry is the communications department as it represents the company. I will be working...

Christian has just completed his two-month Gi2C internship in the communications industry. His job was to assist in the production of design and branding for the company and clients. One thing about his internship that he was surprised by was the amount of responsibility he was given from the onset. However, this trust kept him motivated to succeed and to increase his professionalism. During his internship, Christian learned how to harness his creativity and passion and his organizational ability to create a powerful approach of satisfying both clients needs and time constraints. Christian said, “While working in a Chinese environment, I learned that the eastern approach to design must be understood before incorporating western styles of design.” His biggest challenge during the internship was a technical one. “As I am a Macbook user with my main input and output being Adobe software, PPT was something I always dreaded and had...

Yessenia’s family hails from Carazo, Nicaragua. She told us that the thing she enjoys most about her hometown is nature and the beautiful environment. One of the most interesting things she has done in her twenty-two years on this earth is riding a bull when she was little because her father used to own a farm. Yessenia moved to California to study Business and recently graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing. She chose to study in San Francisco because it is where she was born, and she loves the city! She decided to go do an internship in China  because the culture is very different from the culture in Nicaragua and the United States, so she wanted to learn more and this is what attracted her to intern in China . She will be interning with an international finance...

When we first interviewed Ben 6 months ago , he had just arrived in China and was about to start his internship in the renewable energy industry in Shanghai. For his internship, Ben was responsible for the UK and Irish markets. His role was to develop relationships with companies in these markets as well as support them in their sales and marketing activities. Let’s find out what Ben took away from his time and internship in China. “What surprised me most about the internship was the working conditions. Compared to Europe, they are very poor. We were expected to use our own equipment and a poor connection to the internet made carrying out my duties difficult. However, my internship helped improve my communication skills in both written and spoken format. My teamwork has also improved due to being part of a multinational department. Chinese business culture  is very different from...

Alena Kozina is a bit different from our typical first-time to China intern  as she is beginning her internship already quite familiar with China . She will be interning in a Beijing  company dealing with financial tools, stocks, and asset management. Alena is originally from Vladivostok, Russia and at the young age of 23, she already holds degrees from schools in Russia, Ireland and most recently a master’s degree from the prestigious Renmin University in Beijing , China. Alena is not sure what exactly she’ll be doing day to day at her new internship in Beijing but is looking forward to staying longer in China . She has spent the last 3 years studying in Beijing  and putting that education into practice in China is the natural next step. “My family has been coming to China for years since I was a child. We really like the country, the culture...

Despite media portrayals of China as "conservative," the country is quite liberal when it comes to alcohol, more so than most Western countries. Furthermore, alcohol consumption isn't relegated to the indoors like a bar or club and can be consumed almost anywhere. Tsingtao is the country's signature beer - and it isn't a bad one either! So if you're doing an internship in China  and like to drink, you're in the right place.   The legal drinking age in China is 18, suitable because you must be 18-years-old to do an internship in Beijing  or an internship in Shanghai . Alcohol is ubiquitous in Beijing and Shanghai , and China is hardly Puritan when it comes to the stuff. You can buy alcohol at the corner store, at the supermarkets and at the abundant liquor and cigarette shops. Beer is cheap . A 600ml (the standard size in China )...

Tell us a little about yourself. I'm 25, from Belgium. I was born in Brussels and I'm living and studying in a city called Louvain-la-Neuve. I have a bachelor in accountancy and I'm studying finance.   What do you know about your internship and hope to get out of it? Why China? I’ll be interning in the financial sector in Beijing and will be looking for investment opportunities and also doing risk and solvability analysis. I hope to go back to my home country with a unique experience that will help me for the rest of my career. I also hope to have a different perspective of the sector I have been studying and a new way of facing the different issues we will meet. I chose China to do my internship because, for the last 20 years at least, China has been drastically changing and opening itself to the...

Newly arrived Gi2C intern, Jamie, is 26 years old and hails from Hull, England. He studied Fine Arts at Chester University and will be starting his China internship at a gallery in Beijing. He selected the Art Industry in order to learn more about creating and advertising art exhibitions and also to put his education to good use. Jamie told us, “My hope is to further understand the field I will be working in, with an aim to full time employment. This Beijing internship will enhance my chances of further employment.”   Of all the places in the world to do an internship, Jamie chose China because the art scene is on the rise and expected to keep growing in the future. He thought it would be beneficial to have his foot in the door early on. He doesn’t have any preconceived notions of China but lives by the mantra...

I graduated from The Faculty of Economics, Nong Lam University (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) with a Bachelor Degree in Accounting in 2011, and have recently graduated from Master of Science in Finance of Bangor University, North Wales, The United Kingdom. I especially have interest in International Financial Markets, Investment Strategy and Portfolio Management, Financial Engineering and Modelling, and Financial Analysis . After completing the final step of my master's degree, while most of friends congratulated me on this, a friend told me that it has not finished yet; it is the beginning of the new journey – the most difficult stage of life – to find a job. Due to the fact that the global economy has been growing rapidly, the required calibre of human resource becomes higher. The requirements tend to be more severe, as some companies reduce their workforce, while some new companies entering the market want to...

Dear Sir/Madam, An opportunity to work in mainland China within the finance industry;  specifically the investment banking sector as a quantitative analyst would as Getin2China explained so eloquently “will put my international career on steroids”. I am currently studying at the University of York, UK where I am in my second year of an undergraduate masters degree in Mathematical and Theoretical Physics. As you may know studying Mathematical Science or Economics at a top 10 institution in the bare minimum required for one to enter investment banking (in any country) as an analyst or quantitative analyst. It is clear I need networks and international experience to compete in a global market like the one which we are in today. An internship in China is incomparable to any other international internship. The amount of knowledge one can attain coupled with the surreal experiences will give me an insight into how international...

My name is Jeannette and I have learned what it takes to have ambition.  I knew at a young age I never wanted to go to college because at eleven years old my mom got injured at work and it quickly down spiraled into something much worse.  Within a few short months she developed reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), a complicated nerve disorder that causes pain and slow deterioration of the body. We also never foresaw the coupling diseases that would add on over the years. I grew up so fast and I pushed away people because I no longer was able to connect on a fun and interesting level with people my age. So I put on a façade and took on a job to try to help my family. We fought and watched my mother go in and out of hospitals and knock on deaths door a few too many...

China is a massive country, one of the world's largest. But exploring this vast land isn't as difficult as it looks. The Middle Kingdom is in the midst of rapidly expanding its transport infrastructure. New flight and high-speed rail routes are opening up all the time. There's never been an exciting time to travel within China than now! Whether you're doing an internship in Beijing or an internship in Shanghai , you're in luck: Both cities - one the political capital, the other the financial one - are two of China's premier transport hubs. Getting where you want to be is cake. Below is some information about the country's high-speed trains to help you as an intern in China get your travel plans off the ground. In a later post, we'll look at travel by air. High-Speed Trains . One of the best ways to travel in China is no...