Looking to Intern in China

   It all started back in October of 2013. I decided that I would indeed undergo graduate studies somewhere in the middle kingdom. However, I knew that I wasn't prepared for my major. I searched the web for insight on the best step. Should I do an intense summer study to regain lost language skills? Should I just find a job and hope to recover some of the lost language skills? Could I do both legally at the same time?

   Well everything ended up boiling down to the hybrid of a language school program. Study for three months and then do a three month internship. This started to make a lot of sense and take the pressure off of trying to do both. I dug into various websites and browsed quite a few offerings:

• Getin2China / Gi2C Chinahttp://www.gi2c.org/

• ImmerQi China Internship Programhttp://www.immerqi.com/internships/china-internship-program

• Connect-123http://www.connect-123.com/programs/internships/shanghai-china/

and a few others that, believe me, no one even needs to remember they exist.

   I should have looked clearly into Intrax Global Internships or Go Abroad China :( A company with established relationships. (Find your own personal experience reviews as I have no information on them.)

   I decided I may have the better experience using Yudefang International School [http://www.yccshanghai.com/] or YCC Shanghai as they claim to be an affiliate of Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics. I saw them on LinkedIn and Facebook and decided to ask the Chinese Forums community. It turns out that one guy was indeed in the process of using their services! He had some visa issues in the beginning and then stated that he was satisfied with their beginner classes but was not on the internship program.

   "Alright!" I thought to myself. This is a real company and I can live on or off campus if I choose Hangzhou, but I should probably do Shanghai. In my initial conversations I made sure YCC was able to provide either a hotel internship or something related to conventions or events; things that I have some experience in. A language partner of mine warned me that although the site seemed OK, "it's probably just somebody paying ZUFE to use their name and they aren't really part of a university. Simply out to make money."

   In my clouded with recent life event judgment, I decided it must actually be related otherwise, how could they really do business?

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If you have used a program besides YCC and enjoyed it thoroughly, please leave a comment. If you have experience with YCC, please leave that comment on the last page of this story.