Interns must play the game of hustle

"We recognize here in China that networking is essential, so we make referrals to our clients when we find a unique candidate. Interns should try to replicate this by talking to friends and going to events," Jones said.

My advice would be to persist with contacts by networking and networking hard. Almost all of the interns I have met got their positions through a connection. I found mine through speaking to an employee of the company in the London office, and slowly made my way through the rungs of the organization until I had the office manager of their Shanghai branch on the phone. Try to sound keen, interested and knowledgeable and you'll be there.

Trista Baldwin from the British Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai said she sees a lot of students trying to find internships in Shanghai. She said business picks up in September, after the "quiet summer months", so this is a good time to apply.

Her advice is to be organized about applying and get in touch three months ahead of time, with some follow-up correspondence after a month. She tells applicants to "find out what companies want from you, often organizations will want to see a writing sample and will want to know what skills you can offer them".

The many chambers of commerce in China all run social and formal seminar events that are attended by leaders of industries and potential employers. They all take on interns as well as having close connections with companies who also will potentially be taking on interns. Check out the classifieds in expat magazines and ask any contacts that you have.

From my experience, there aren't many internship systems in place just yet, as companies are operating outside their normal peripheries and don't have the time or budget to assign staff members to train interns. Baldwin said that unrealistic expectations can ruin the internship experience. She told me that "being invited into a company does not mean you will be spoon fed with tasks; you will often have to be proactive".

John Dodsworth is now an associate at the Sofia Group in Shanghai, a position he got after a period of interning.

"The huge number of Chinese graduates emerging from universities with good degrees and near fluent English put Western graduates in a difficult position," he said.

He said you cannot expect a luxurious company culture and must tolerate Chinese conditions of work.

"Working hours are 9-7, with an average of 10 days holiday a year," he said.

Limited budgets and a high number of students looking for internships mean that as an intern you will very rarely be paid in China.

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