Interns must play the game of hustle

For years now China's economic growth has dominated finance headlines around the world. As Europe sinks deeper into economic gloom, and Western nations see rock-bottom employment rates, in China expats are sitting quietly smug in their Xintiandi apartments. They sip on imported Italian coffee and mull over whom else to hire in their ever-expanding offices. It is this wave of wealth that has attracted a new generation of enthusiastic pioneers to China.

The expat interns are arriving, just like I did two weeks ago at Antal International in Shanghai. Antal is a global human capital consultancy based in People's Square, and my job here is to develop the office's press relations. It's a great position to be in because of their growing operations. I'm learning how to operate within an international organization of a hundred offices worldwide and how to function in a Chinese-oriented business culture. My day consists of investigating the latest recruitment market, going to networking events and communicating with journalists.

So I wanted to find out why students come to intern in China, how easy it is for others to find internships in China and finally, what is the real value behind them?

Arguably it is worth coming to intern in China, otherwise I wouldn't be here, not only for the bright future it paves but because, quite honestly, it's great fun. My weekends are spent sunbathing by hotel pools and dining on delicious spicy Sichuan food in the former French concession. I wouldn't be anywhere else.

I tried looking for an internship in London, I really did, but nothing jumped out at me and since I study Chinese, I would be insane not to make the jump. And anyway, research suggests your employers back home will be applauding your stance.

China is recruiting big time, so finding a growing organization won't take much searching. Antal International has reported that 70 percent of Chinese organizations are hiring. When compared to Western organizations, this is a phenomenal difference.

Sarah Jones, manager in Shanghai, is delighted by hiring reports. "We are rapidly expanding into new sectors as more and more multinationals are looking for talented employees, getting vacancies is not the problem, it's filling them with qualified people," she said. As a result, organizations are relying on extensive recruitment and training programs, so we students and interns are in luck.

But there are setbacks and getting your dream internship won't come easily. Without knowledge of Chinese language, your options are confined to multinational corporations and English-speaking services. Within most organizations, including Antal, most of their operations will probably be in Chinese.

So, depending on what you're interested in, think about applying to English-speaking newspapers and magazines, galleries, international businesses and embassies or chambers of commerce.

So, how do you go about finding internships in China? The first thing to bear in mind is connections. One way to get placed is by going through a designated agency's internship schemes. It is apparent that referrals from a friend or contact are a big deal in China because organizations will want to know where you're from and how you know about them.

Let's consider what the recruitment norms in China are: Antal International will often refer a good candidate to clients.

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