My time in Seoul was honestly some of the best weeks of my life. Being able to explore a new job and industry in a new city was a little overwhelming at first, but honestly felt so empowering and was an amazing opportunity. The internship I was placed at was really great and I had so many opportunities to see the city and its landmarks. I made some great friends with the other interns and buddies, and was able to experience a lot of fun things I couldn’t have at home. I really hope I never forget my time in Seoul, I will cherish it for as long as I can

The Generation UK CRCC scholarship program provided the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live and work in Beijing for two months. I adored the company, the culture, my bright, determined colleagues on the course and the experience. Thank you to both bodies for assisting me throughout this period, I’ll remember Beijing fondly and am keen to return!

Quando sono venuto a conoscenza del CRCC Asia ero da poco rientrato in Italia dalla Danimarca e perció cercavo lavoro e giravo spesso su siti internet di internship e stage. La motivazione principale che mi ha spinto ad andare in Cina é stata sicuramente la voglia di inserire sul mio cv un esperienza forte e “invidiabile” , con il tirocinio in Cina speravo di migliorare il mio network e allacciare rapporti con aziende europee e cinesi.

Durante tutto il mio viaggio verso la Cina ho sempre mantenuto una calma e tranquillitá incredibile, quando sono arrivato all’aereoporto di Pechino ero infatti in uno stato di trance e completamente in balia degli eventi. Mi hanno particolarmente impressionato la grandezza dell’aereoporto e i conrolli rigidissimi per passaporti e documenti.

Lo stage é andato alla grande, il rapporto con capo, supervisor e colleghi é stato eccezionale. In ufficio l ‘ambiente é sempre stato rilassato e sereno inoltre ho imparato tantissime cose che mi sono venute poi utili al mio rientro in Italia. L’orario di ufficio era dalle 10 alle 17 il mio capo voleva che lavorassi sodo ma anche che uscissi e vivessi Pechino al massimo.

Ci sono state un sacco di conversazioni in ufficio e in pausa pranzo, con i miei colleghi cinesi abbiamo confrontato spessissimo le nostre culture diverse, ma non li definirei scontri culturali!

Al di fuori dell ufficio uscivo, e facevo il turista con i miei coinquilini e gli altri stagisti. Posso dire di essermi goduto la nightlife di Pechino e grazie anche al CRCC ho trascorso delle serate sicuramente piú “culturali”!

Ritengo la mia esperienza in Cina un tesoro preziosissimo, oltre che un ricordo indimenticabile ed emozionante; questo periodo a Pechino ha sicuramente potenziato il mio curriculum, a diversi colloqui mi sono sentito fare i complimenti per la scelta fatta.

Spesso quando guardo le foto della muraglia mi torna ancora la pelle d’oca..a volte non riesco ancora a credere di avere vissuto in Cina per un mese, spero che tanti giovani abbiano la voglia e la possibilitá di fare quest’esperienza la consiglio vivamente a tutti!

“Sono Francesco Russo, ho studiato Ingegneria Chimica alla triennale e Green Technology per la mia laurea Magistrale in Inghilterra alla Newcastle University. Nel mio stage ho lavorato a diversi progetti nel sud e nel nord della Cina, riguardanti il riciclo di materiali tossici e progetti eco-sostenibili.

Devo ringraziare CRCC Asia sia per quanto riguarda la scelta e l’inserimento nell’azienda in cui ho effettuato lo stage, sia per avermi permesso di partecipare a una serie di eventi extra-lavorativi molto divertenti oltre che estremamente utili.”

My internship in Shanghai with CRCC Asia was not only a valuable professional experience, but also an enlightening opportunity to see life in a different corner of the world. I was fortunate enough to work for a small environmental company in Shanghai, which finally enabled me to feel like I was making a difference in a field that I cared about. I conducted research, wrote reports, assisted with translations, prepared company contracts, and collaborated on a number of other company projects, all of which undoubtedly helped me prepare for a career in the 21^st century. I would highly recommend this experience!

“Hi my name is Paulina Achramowicz, I’m an intern at a green technology company with CRCC Asia. I’m a recent graduate with a degree in International Business and International Politics from the University of East London. And I’m doing an internship in Shanghai for two months.

I ended up doing a lot of business development tasks – I did alot of research into a new potential market into Poland. Conducting policy research into expanding their market into the Polish region.

The food is amazing in Shanghai, from the international expensive restaurants to the small Chinese restaurants which produce the best quality food. You feel safe and comfortable throughout your entire time in China, which is really important when you are on your own and don’t have friends or relatives to rely on.”

Travelling to a foreign country is always unnerving when you don’t understand the language and culture. That is why going for the internship program with CRCC Asia helped eliminate those insecurities as they provide full support from airport pickups to periodic updates and follow up to ensure that I was satisfied with my work placement, accommodation as well as intern activities.

It is always good to have an open mind when you are in China because you never know what to expect. I had my fair share of culture shocks and some might be disgusting, weird and totally inappropriate, but it is something new to me and the whole internship experience would not be complete without it.

Work wise, I was in a business consulting company which specialises in industrial chemical products. I understood going in I would not be able to contribute much to the existing work as I had not much experience. I was upfront of my experiences and skills to my manager, and in any situation this could backfire resulting in no suitable work for 2 months, but I was given researching assignments on some tough topics which challenged me and was quite fulfilling. The key is to be proactive and ask around, and if not the CRCC Asia consultants would be happy to speak to the employers on your behalf.

After work is always a time I looked forward to as I get to see other fellow interns; go for dinner and socialise. The area which we stayed in is littered with restaurants and trying out different places every night was exciting and fun. It can get quite expensive with western cuisines, but don’t fret there’s always cheap, cheerful Chinese food around. Whenever I was stuck with dinner decisions, I would go on thebeijinger.com or Timeout Beijing to search for restaurants or places to go nearby.

During the weekends, there’s so much to see and do in Beijing that it’s hard to decide what to do. Planning is crucial for any sightseeing during the weekends, especially commuting to and fro. Some of the sights are not directly connected to the subway so there’s ought to be plan B when things go wrong. Also, planning helps to make the most out of the time I had as frankly, there just isn’t enough weekends!

All in all, my experience in Beijing as well with CRCC Asia was exceptional. The people I’ve met and befriended the sights I saw and the experiences I’ve gone through was invaluable and would serve me well in the future.

It finally hit me that I was starting an adventure, a journey and a job halfway across the world from my native island. Landing at Beijing international, walking towards immigration and baggage reclaim, it was clear just by the sheer size of the terminal building that I was in for a life changing experience.

Working for an energy and green technology investment company I met a number of notable people coming from all corners of the globe all with different academic backgrounds.

It wasn’t before long until I noticed that I was part of a pioneering firm with a diverse background, a sustainable and socially aware investment company with powerful ideas and notions. The staff were all incredibly friendly and keen to pull together to complete tasks on time. You do get the feeling of a family work force and that you are part of something important and moving.

The harmonious environment proved to be very useful especially with general issues foreigners face in China. My supervisor and directors were all very helpful and welcoming. The staff do not just work hard they also know how to make interns feel at ease, dinners and lunches with my colleagues became routine and were very enjoyable from authentic Chinese dumplings to Mexican enchiladas!

My experience with my supervisor has been a memorable one. She is a motivated, determined and hard working individual who was always at hand and provided me with guidance, direction and purpose in the Chinese business environment. I can honestly say that I have learnt a lot from her.

The language barrier during my stay in China was at times frustrating; nevertheless this was an incentive to learn Mandarin to get by on a day to day basis. At the office I never experienced any problems and was very impressed with the language expertise by the staff at my company.

Beijing has a lot to offer in the form of entertainment, nightlife, shopping and sightseeing. I can openly say that not once did I get bored of life in Beijing Beijing the lifestyle is like nothing I have witnessed before.

My time and internship in China was memorable and I would never rule out a return. I would certainly recommend CRCC Asia for their reliability, helpfulness and care. I would like to praise Ryan Hutzler (Program Manager) and Neil Fraser (Associate) for their outstanding commitment to the interns during my stay in China. I came to China seeking corporate work experience; I achieved that and much more.

I attended Philadelphia University for a BS in Biopsychology / Neuroscience and Purdue University and for an MS in Environmental Engineering and I worked on an oil spill in Michigan for two months before beginning an internship in Beijing through CRCC Asia.

I was placed within the environmental sector. My internship quickly elevated to something very serious as I came to recognize the connections that exist amongst the United States and China. These are skills that will help me greatly in my industry where the role of China is playing a massive role in the expansion of water clean-up and where conservation efforts are being drawn to the forefront. My knowledge and experience working with a fast-paced and expanding market like China, has provided me with the edge that I need to get ahead in a world where a well-rounded and comprehensive understanding of these issues is key. During my time in Beijing I made a wealth of new friends with whom I still communicate with regularly.

I still work for the company that I interned at in Beijing, under contract as a “Trade Adviser.” I have attended several conferences appealing to different environmental technologies in the US to bring those technologies to China. The CEO of US-PRI and I attended a conference together in New Orleans back in October. Upon returning from my internship I have also taken up studying Mandarin and look forward to returning to China as soon as possible.

I have been told repeatedly that my work in China looks great on my resume and I do feel my work in China has helped me a lot towards my career thus far. I have applied to get into a PhD program at Indiana University this year, and I am very confident.