You are likely never to have heard of Zhuhai – located in the southwest of China’s Pearl River delta, Zhuhai is southern China’s best kept secret. Having just been a small fishing village in the 1970’s before being granted Special Economic Zone (SEZ) status, Zhuhai was incorporated as a city in 1979. It’s growth since then has been remarkable – the quality of life as well as population size have shifted significantly in the past 30 years.

This blog is featured around Denise and her internship with International Futures (ZHBS48 and ZHIT06). See below her interview questions.

Tell us a bit about yourself:

“I am 23 years old and in my 2nd year of my International Communication and Multimedia studies in Denmark.

I am a role-player and in my free time I like to play video games.”

What made you come to China? And how did you find out about InternChina?

“For my internship I knew that I wanted to get out of Europe and a friend of mine recommended InternChina to me. So I applied and soon after an interview I got accepted by International Futures.”

How do you like your internship?

“I am very satisfied with my internship. I am given a lot of space to do my job because the company trusts me to finish my projects on time. I can bring in my own creative ideas. Also I like to do a lot of different tasks and this internship makes it possible for me. My boss is constantly looking for new ways to fully utilize my skillset and gives me tasks that can contribute towards my career after I graduate. I’ve never been asked to complete menial tasks. I learned many new skills.”

Tell us about your company:

“My company’s name is International Futures. It is a business English consultancy that specializes in teaching international business practices at the same time as they teach English. For each client, they make special programs which fits the client’s need. International Futures is a start-up company (2013) and they are one of the first firms offering the possibility to combine international business and English.”

What do you usually do on a normal day and what are your main roles and tasks?

“I am here for a Marketing Consultant position. I do graphical marketing, for example creating flyers. I also designed the characters an educational game for children and I made a website. I’ve also been involved in some non-graphical work, for example attending large trade fairs for networking purposes. A typical day starts with checking if my boss has any new tasks for me, then viewing my to-do list what needs to be done during the day and then I get started on these tasks.

I have a meeting with my boss twice a week to discuss the current projects and brainstorm on new ideas. Although my boss is not always in the office, he takes a very keen interest in my work and is always available either on the phone or via email”

How do you like IC’s service?

“It was nice being picked up at the airport on my day of arrival and being taken all the way to my host family. Also whenever I had a problem InternChina was there to help.”

China in one sentence:

“A unique culture with a lot of potential.”

Which are your best experiences so far?

“I had a lot of great experiences and it is hard to say which one is the best. Here the top three:

1. Living with a host family (getting close into a Chinese family and see how they live)
2. Seeing some of China’s cities
3. Living in another country.“

Why would you recommend your experience to others?

“It is a great experience. Getting out of your country and see the world before you settle down. A good way to really get an experience of life time.”

Have a look at the video here 

Interview with International Futures’ CEO, Andy Navias

Tell us about International Futures:

“IF specializes in teaching international business practices in English. I could go on all day about it, but in short, we give our customers a platform to practice speaking English whilst teaching them the different expectations and priorities that western customers have. Hopefully our customers develop stronger relationships with their western customers by behaving in an international manner. Although we are still in our first year we have already launched an online language school, we have an educational app in development and we are currently researching some other projects. It is fair to say that we are expanding rapidly and now is a really exciting time to join us.”

Tell us about your internship programs:

“There’s a real mixture of opportunities. You’ve already heard from Denise, who has been mostly focusing on graphic design projects. Over summer we’ve got three computer engineers coming in to work on the app, several multilingual marketing people who are going to promote the online school around Europe and a journalist who I am going to train to develop our syllabus further. The duties of our internships are very flexible depending on the candidates skill set and what they want to learn. With so many projects going on, we can find room for a large variety of skills!”

What can interns expect when working with you?

“To be trusted and respected. We really value our interns at IF and as such we always make sure that their to-do list reflects their skills and ambitions. We’ve all heard horror stories about people signing up to internships only to realize once they got there that they would spend most of their day either beside a photocopier or a kettle. I personally oversee all of our interns and although my schedule is extremely busy, I always make time to ensure that everybody has everything they need to get the most out of the internship.”

What do you look for in an intern?

Whether it is an intern or a full time employee, personality always comes first. Most of our branding is about being polished and credible, so it is important that anybody we work with has a professional attitude and demeanor. As I said earlier, we’ve got room for such a wide range of skill sets that we can look at people from almost any background. When I interview a candidate I’m generally thinking, what will this person be like to work with, or would I be proud to introduce this person to a key client.

 Want to intern in a company like International Future – Apply now and reference ZHBS48 or ZHIT06