An internship can help you gain valuable skills and practical experience so that you are work-ready when you start full-time employment. Your internship can help you identify what you like and don’t like in business, helping you better identify what you want to do in your early career. You may even learn about multiple industries as some internships allow you to work in multiple roles across multiple industries, helping you clarify your personal strengths, values, goals and interests.

Working in an internship will also help you understand workplace cultures, expectations, dress requirements and gain skills such as time management as you take part in different projects, meetings and assignments. You will also feel more confident once you start working.

There is no better way to learn about an industry than working in it. Whether you are working directly in the industry or in support services, you’ll gain specific knowledge about the ins and outs of the industry you are interning in. You will also gain country specific and global knowledge about the industry as you are working in China, learning about its trends and characteristics.  This will develop competency and understanding that can set you apart when you start your career.

You will also get to understand what skills employers seek in that industry and be able to see how you comply. You may be able to fill gaps in your skillset as you come to understand which skills are needed and which aren’t. You’ll also get to understand yourself, what you like and don’t like.

Learn about new cultures and how to work in them with sensitivity and resilience. Learn how to communicate across cultures and achieve cultural understanding of your host company and their business practices. Bust any cultural myths you may have about working in a different country and learn to quickly adapt.

Learn the nuances of communicating with different cultures, understand tone, hierarchy and how to be understood in a professional context. Learn new language skills and perseverance. These communication skills and the ability to adapt to different cultures will make you an asset to any global organization.

You will find that throughout your career, you will need to adapt to changing business situations, industry changes and challenges. The skills you learn in your internship abroad will give you a good base to build on the ability to adapt, making you a valuable member of any organization.

Immersing yourself in a new culture by living and working in it is the best way to develop an in-depth understanding of that culture and country. You’ll gain knowledge about daily life, business life, social dynamics and diversity and how each of these elements impact on economics, politics and more. When you intern in China you learn all this about us. We are the world’s largest exporter and second largest importer of goods. We have connections all across the world and being able to understand us and work with us can take your career places. Additional workshops will help you understand the business, political and economics of China.

Learn to build local and international business relationships, work in teams daily and cope with different personalities and situations. Learn to collaborate and work professionally with others so you fit in. Through additional networking events and meeting Alumni, you’ll start to develop your global network of connections. Learn to identify contacts who could benefit you in the future and grow your network of international connections. You’ll find you are grateful for the contacts you have made as your career develops and the need to utilize them develops.