China Internship Program FAQs

Please see the application procedure page for information on how to apply.

All applicants must have completed or be currently enrolled in a degree program. We are also looking for you to exhibit a strong academic record, and an interest in foreign travel and culture. Fluent English is essential; if you speak some Chinese and would like to practice your language skills we can find you a company where this is possible.

It would be possible to arrive in Beijing or Shanghai and search for your own internship, but it can be extremely difficult without a good business network. By applying to CRCC Asia you are ensuring that you get a high quality internship, good quality accommodation, and that all the pre-departure preparations are taken care of by a team of experts.

We organize the paperwork for your business visa, which needs to be obtained from Beijing or Shanghai with co-operation from the relevant authorities – this is something that other companies may bypass by providing a tourist visa, which is not legitimate for an internship in China. We arrange your safe arrival into the city by meeting you and your fellow interns at the airport, after which you will all be taken to your accommodation, and you will be given a full day of comprehensive training on Chinese culture and business etiquette.

You’ll be living and socializing alongside your fellow interns, who will offer significant camaraderie and companionship throughout the program. You will take part in the weekly social and professional activities that CRCC Asia organizes on your behalf including karaoke, a Chinese banquet and business networking events.

Click here to see full details of what we provide.

Our program takes away any hassle and allows you to focus on your ambitions for your time in China.

Certain vaccinations are often advised for China including: Tetanus, Polio, and Hepatitis. We recommend that you consult your doctor prior to traveling.

Your accommodation is included within the program fee. We place everyone in modern, comfortable, serviced apartments in the centre of Beijing and Shanghai. We ensure that all the apartments are clean, pleasant spaces to live in with TV, internet access, a lounge, a kitchen and air conditioning.

You will have your own private bedroom and share living facilities with one or two other interns of the same gender. CRCC Asia is different from other programs in that we accommodate all of our participants in the same building. This allows everyone to have the same standard of accommodation and to socialize with each other more easily.

CRCC Asia will give you comprehensive training on working in China once you arrive. This includes an introduction to Chinese business etiquette and culture, which will help you feel more comfortable working in a foreign environment. In addition, once you join the program and before you travel to China, we will send you a pre-departure pack with advice on how to prepare yourself for your time in China.

The cost of living in Beijing and Shanghai varies depending on how you choose to spend your money - residents earn very diverse levels of income and as a result the city offers a huge amount of choice in everything from restaurants to transport. It is possible to live comfortably on a budget of as little as 30RMB ($4/£3/€3) per day by eating at snack stalls, taking the bus and limiting your time in bars, but if you eat at Western style restaurants, take many taxis and spend more time out and about, you could spend up to 300RMB ($40/£30/€34) per day. As a rule of thumb we recommend a budget of 50RMB ($7/£5/€6) per day during the week and 150RMB ($20/£15/€12) per day for weekends.

Yes. CRCC Asia provides Chinese lessons up to twice a week for beginners. This will give you a great opportunity to learn new language skills while in China and will help you get around the city and communicate with locals.

If you can already speak Chinese and would like to brush up on your skills, CRCC Asia can help you organize your own lessons.

Click here if you are interested in combining a Chinese language course with an internship. 

CRCC Asia arranges internships for both multi-national firms and Chinese companies in many industry sectors. We match you with a company relevant to your study or previous professional experience. All applicants should discuss their areas of interest or expertise with the CRCC Asia team, which will help with the matching process.

We continually work to assess the suitability of our partner companies to ensure that they provide meaningful and valuable internships for you. For more information on industry sectors and the types of company we work with, click here. 

We are always developing relationships with new companies. Please let us know your preferred sector and we will endeavor to facilitate a placement in your area of interest.

In the past, some interns have gone on to secure permanent employment in the company at which they interned, but this cannot be guaranteed.

We can only inform you of the company at which your internship once you have paid your full program fee. This is for a number of reasons:

• CRCC Asia has worked hard to build up business relationships with our partner companies over many years. This relationship is built on the trust that we will efficiently and reliably provide interns on a regular basis. If we assign you to a company and then you do not join the program by paying the full fee, this damages our business relations.
• Many companies do not want to advertise for interns publicly, and prefer to rely on us to provide interns. If we make public which companies are looking for interns, they may receive unwanted applications.
• If we inform people of the companies before they have paid, they may approach that company directly and damage our business relationship. 

Once you have paid in full, we are happy to give you all the information you will need about your company. Additionally, we work closely with the companies and interns during the internships to make sure that you get the most out of your time in China.

If you are located in the UK or the EU, the CRCC Asia UK office will process your visa for you. After you apply to the program, you will receive more information about this process.

If your program application is processed through the UK office and you have a non-EU passport then we can usually process your visa if you are currently in the UK and you have a valid visa for the UK.

If your program application is processed through the UK office but you are located outside of the EU then you will have to apply for your visa yourself. This will involve visiting your nearest China Visa Application Service Center, or applying by post.

If you live in SA, NT, or ACT you should apply to the Chinese Embassy in Canberra. If you live in WA you should apply to the Chinese Consulate in Perth. If you live in QLD you should apply to the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in Brisbane. If you live in NSW you should apply to the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in Sydney. If you live in VIC or TAS you should apply to the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in Melbourne. If it is not convenient to apply in person, the next best option is to apply by mail. To do this you need to place all the required documents in an (Express) Registered Post envelope addressed to the Embassy, Visa Service Centre, or your local Consulate. The required documents include: your passport, a completed Visa Application Form with photo attached, Invitation Letter, payment details (bank cheque etc), A self-addressed, pre-paid (Express) Registered Post envelope (so that the Visa Office can post your passport back to you). Applying by post will generally take a longer time to process (approximately 8 working days), so you must be well prepared.

CRCC Asia will provide you with your visa application form and your invitation letter which you must print out in high quality. Sign the visa form, and attach your photo. You will see that we automatically put 90 days as the duration. Take them to the Chinese visa service centre in Singapore - http://www.visaforchina.com.sg - you will need to make an appointment before going (probably 24 hours in advance).