Job Discussion Forums

[Kerstan]

Hello all�

First let me honestly thank you for opening and reading yet another �Help me with a job / internship� thread. Having lurked on this and other boards for months (sorry for not posting until now), I too have seen countless posts similar to that which I am about to make. Reading your past responses, although at times humorously chastising, were often quite helpful and informative. I hope to avoid some of the condescending replies by explaining my situation upfront.

I�m a 27 year old, 1st year ESL teacher currently living and working in Qingdao. During the final semester of my undergraduate pursuit of my Business degree 2 year ago, I enrolled in Mandarin and international business courses in Shanghai. It was then that I first got a glimpse of understanding regarding what my stateside professors had been lecturing about � China�s importance in the future of business. I decided that because of my love for Asian culture and desire to pursue international business as a profession, coupled with the amazing educational experience I had studying here, I would return to China as soon as possible. �What better way to learn about Chinese culture and business practices than to live it?� I thought �

I found my current teaching contract through a 3rd party (US) placement agency, the same agency I used to study abroad in 2007. Although a bit pricey, I knew they were established and legit. My original intent was to network and turn this teaching adventure into a longer term business opportunity. Being placed in the very rural, factory laced outskirts of the �Industrialization District (Huangdao)� of Qingdao city, I am actually 40 minutes from the nearest city, and 2 hours from Qingdao. Although I have come to love my unique surroundings and the experience they offer, I have found networking to be quite difficult.

From reading previous posts on multiple expat forums, I became aware of how na�ve I was. I read about the difficult reality regarding the expensive cost of hiring foreigners and the numerous hoops and red tape a domestic company must navigate. This coupled with the unlikelihood of a company hiring a relatively young foreigner, especially one with limited relevant work experience, changed my short term goals.

As many of you know, ESL teachers often have a lot of down time, and my rural setting did much to negate time consuming distractions. 8 months ago I decided I would return to school after my fulfilling my teaching contract and set a course to accomplish this goal. I began to build my grad school application using most of my free time to study for GMAT exam, while acquiring local volunteer work. I also landed a part-time marketing internship downtown.

As this chapter of my life is coming to an end, I am hoping that some of you can assist me in starting the next. I have completed my GMAT exam, my teaching contract expires in 4 weeks, and its time to focus on the relevant internship part of my grad school application. I would like graduate schools to view my teaching experience as an obvious stepping stone in my career rather than as a seemingly unrelated tangent.

I have read some opinions about the difficulties of finding useful internships. Because it�s a relatively new phenomenon in China, and since most interns get more out of the company than they contribute, many have reservations about hiring foreigners for these short-term positions.

I have done my research, found and contacted a few internship companies. However, I am still a little leery about trusting another 3rd party placement agency. If I knew then what I know now, I never would have used a placement agency for this teaching position. Teaching positions with better salaries, support, and locations are abundant.

Here�s my current VISA situation: Working residence permit (Teachers VISA) expires July 31st. My current university employer will extend to tourist visa through August 31st. I understand I may have to leave China for a week or two to reapply for a visa

I am extremely sorry for the lengthy autobiography, as I did not intend for my post to be this long when I began writing it. The intent was to explain my situation, show my sincerity, and assure potential responders that I am not one to post a question and disappear into the depths of the internet never to be heard from again.

Thanks in advance everyone!

-Kerstan


[MODS: I hope this is the correct forum to post this topic.]

[Ferne]

[foreignDevil]

[Kerstan]

Thanks Ferne and foreignDevil for responding so quickly! I appreciate your insight.. I'll expand on some of the unclear points in my original post, and I also have additional questions

[Kerstan]

The information I gathered from the sticky (http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=26047)

[Kerstan]

An update:

Just got off the phone with some old contacts in Shanghai and I learned some new information.

Tourist visas are good for 90 days (30days + 2 extensions). Since internships do not officially qualify as employment, especially since the ones I am pursuing are unpaid, I was told this wouldn't be a problem.

As far as housing goes, I was directed to check out Craigslist or Cityweekend for apt. availability. Does anyone have experience with this? I've never dealt with apartments abroad before...

[danielb]

Why not try contacting one of the chambers of commerce in Shanghai? There are programs that offer paid internships such as
http://austcham.org/home/services/graduateprogram.html

The company I work for employed two graduates from this program this year for six-month internships and it worked out great for all concerned. The above is a link to the Australian Chamber of Commerce but one of our interns in from the US.

[Kerstan]

Thanks danielb.. thats great advice!

I got roasted and labeled "self absorbed" in another forum for leaving such long post so I'll be concise...

I don't expect all of you to care about my life story, I was intending to answer the canned questions I've seen replied to posts such as mine.

I'll figure out the VISA and housing situation myself. My intention was just for a quick response from anyone with experience or a nudge in the right direction.

I would like insight into potential internship opportunities or additional networking events that would be beneficial. Thanks!