Interns must play the game of hustle

So is it worth losing money while you work as an intern? In my mind, the value must exceed your losses. You'll be working in a major Chinese city where it'll be hard to resist a nice and central apartment (as expensive as Europe). You'll be buying countless coffees from boutique cafs every week, irresistible shopping malls and spas will lure you and needless to say there'll be the nights out on the weekends where you spend in excess of 300 yuan (33 euros).

Life as an unpaid intern leaves you in the red - there's no doubt about it. Make it worth your while. Don't accept an offer unless it will give you real responsibility, build on your skills and is in line your interests or degree. That's the best way to make sure the internship is of value to you. Whether it is valuable to employers back home is down to what you take from it.

"Students tend to come out on the back of an internship to have fun, and why not? But employers back home won't be impressed if you haven't learned any Chinese and didn't gain any transferrable skills from the work you did," Jones said.

Baldwin agreed. "Interns who have learned to operate in unfamiliar territory and have navigated the myriad of challenges China faces are certainly more employable than those who just stick to the expat life," she said.

Interns must step out of their comfort zone and learn some Chinese in order to cash in from what China has to offer. I've certainly taken this on board and constantly nagged my poor Antal colleagues to translate various phrases to me in Chinese. They're patient and I'm gradually getting better, all credit to them.

Admittedly it's hard to bridge that culture gap, but try and hang out with your Chinese colleagues and friends. The Antal International office is alive with chatter and there are several languages spoken, which is not surprising since there are Antal offices in 33 countries around the world.

Anyone would rightly forecast that Chinese business partnerships will be getting more important in the English speaking world. I've witnessed people getting jobs in financial services in Sydney because of their knowledge and experience in China. As the nation's trade relations begin to touch every corner of the globe, I reckon a knowledge of the Chinese language and business will become fundamental.

"Many companies are looking to expand and establish themselves in China, so your internship could set you apart from others," Dodsworth said.

Baldwin added that "China's reputation of growth and emerging influence will give that wow factor to your CV".

What would my advice be? First, be organized and proactive about finding a job, planning far in advance to locate your internship. Try to build up connections and network like mad until you find an interested employer. Then when you've landed your internship, utilize the environment you're in to develop your interests and skills by pushing to work in interesting spheres.

Finally, and most importantly, learn Chinese. Dodsworth told me that he plans to stay in China until his language is at a "workable level", because quite honestly, it's not worth your airfare if you don't.

The author is an intern at Antal International. The opinions expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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