Is this a good offer? (Internship)

[MPR94]

Hello,

 

I applied for a marketing internship in Shanghai. It is part-time. I receive 1000rmb/month plus three free Mandarin language classes per week.

 

Please let me know!

 

Thank you!

[vellocet]

Nope.

[ZhangKaiRong]

A thousand RMB?! No, it's not.

[abcdefg]

Do you get a bowl of rice per day as well?

[roddy]

IF it's a genuinely useful internship where you're going to be working for a good company acquiring real skills and experience, and that's going to provide a career boost you can't get otherwise, maybe. But to be honest I suspect those companies pay their interns a bit more and let them sort out their own Chinese lessons. 

[Lu]

The money is almost an insult, with such rates they might as well not pay you at all. But, as Roddy said, if this is a useful internship with a reputable company (or if you just want to hang around Shanghai for a while), and if you can afford to put your own money into it, then it might work. Make sure they can get you the right visa though.

[MPR94]

Hello,

Thank you for the responses. I will already be in Shanghai on a CI Scholarship with free boarding and a monthly stipend.

[Angelina]

1000 can buy you a nice dinner in Shanghai.

Depends on the quality of both the internship and the languages classes. Can you tell us more?

[L-F-J]

This is an internship, guys. Not a real job! You shouldn't be looking to live off of an internship. Usually kids are supported by their parents until they get a real job.

 

In Shanghai, the minimum for internships is 50 RMB per day. So, 1k RMB per month for an internship is actually the minimum, and what most companies are going to offer.

 

With this in mind, if you are looking to come live in China starting out with an internship, this is not liveable income. If you already live in China and can support yourself otherwise in Shanghai, then the offer is a pretty standard expectation.

[ChTTay]

As above, you'd need your own money to support yourself on this internship. Agree that if the company is reputable and offer a worthwhile internship then it doesn't really matter on the money front. Think of the 1k as a 'stipend' more than a salary. You wouldn't be looking at much more than lunch and travel expenses in the UK as well with many internships.

 

However, if the company are just looking ot get someone in and don't really have any idea what to do with you once you're there ... then it might not be worth it.

[MarsBlackman]

Internships are a real job like any other. They're just seasonal. You're doing work for a company that would otherwise be performed by a full-time employee and therefore paid for. This isn't volunteering. I agree 1000 RMB/month is almost an insult.

 

With that being said, marketing is an industry that is difficult to break into and often requires unpaid internships even after graduating with a degree. So even getting paid pennies is a step up in some cases. Marketing work in a big city like Shanghai, New York, etc. seems hard to come by from what I hear (depending on the firm).

 

Will they help you get a work/business visa? The last thing you want is to be working illegally. 

 

Be careful regarding "internships" in China. From talking with college students (实习生) in China, they seem to consider ANY work done while in college to be an "internship," regardless if its in line with career goals because summer and part time jobs for students are not common. 

[L-F-J]

 

Internships are a real job like any other...

...With that being said, marketing is an industry that is difficult to break into and often requires unpaid internships even after graduating with a degree.

 

Would a real job be unpaid?

 

 

 

They're just seasonal. You're doing work for a company that would otherwise be performed by a full-time employee and therefore paid for. This isn't volunteering. I agree 1000 RMB/month is almost an insult.

 

An internship may lead to a career, but it is not one. People shouldn't expect regular salary for marketing internships in Shanghai. It just doesn't work like that here.

 

1k RMB is the minimum for internships in Shanghai (50 RMB per day), and when a company is looking for young interns, you can believe they will be looking to pay the very minimum because the trainee may not be worth it. They go through young people regularly until they get one that's worth keeping around.

 

1k RMB is definitely an insult for a regular salary, but don't expect to find much more for an internship.

[MPR94]

Hello,

 

Thank you for all your input.

 

I have actually come across numerous unpaid internships in the U.S. as it is a very common thing.

 

This internship is purely for overseas marketing experience, and I have negotiated 1,200rmb/month plus two Mandarin classes a week.

 

I took the internship! It is also my very first one!

 

I have no doubt that this will open the doors to even more! I am interviewing for a 2016 summer internship with a department store chain in the U.S., and feel that having the Shanghai internship under my belt will help me perform better in the long-run.

 

Thank you again for all your help! This was my first thread, I'm excited to be a part of this online community.

[Lu]

Congratulations! I hope you'll have a great time in Shanghai.

 

Although unpaid internships are common, and in some cases they might be reasonable, all too often they are just a way for companies to milk people for what they know without training them in any way. It's understandable on part of the companies (why pay someone if you can get them to work for free?) and the students (I need experience to get a job - I need a job to get experience - I might as well pay my way through an internship), it is often still wrong and exploitative. Even in a regular, real job the new hire won't know everything and will need some training, and companies ought to calculate this in and pay the new employee their salary even if at first they can't do everything yet. And although interns are usually not fully qualified yet, they often do a lot of useful work for the company.

 

But apart from all that: make sure you get the right visa.

[MarsBlackman]

 

 

Would a real job be unpaid?

If students are paying thousands of dollars in tuition to take courses to learn skills that are ultimately required to get an internship, they're paying for a skill in order to work for free. Its criminal. You're right. Its not a career. But it is most certainly a job. Realistically, it doesn't always work that way. Sure. The industry standard in marketing is to offer unpaid internships. That's the sad reality. But simple compensation doesn't classify something as a real job, career, etc. 

 

Congratulations to the OP on accepting the offer. You'll learn a lot more outside of your day to day responsibilities. Make the most of it. 

[MPR94]

Hello Lu,

 

Thank you! I lived in Shenzhen before, and never traveled to Shanghai. It will be exciting.

 

Also, in their job description they mentioned that I will be assisting with blogging and online marketing updates. I will have them teach me SEO and SEM as well.

 

Furthermore, I have no expenses in Shanghai so this money will go straight into pocket! I will try to learn as much as I can about marketing through this internship.

 

Also, what kind of visa would I have to get as a student/intern in Shanghai?

[MPR94]

Thank you MarsBlackman! I plan to gain a lot from this experience and to network as well!

[roddy]

If you're in Shanghai anyway, maybe. I kind of suspect you're going to end up churning out cheap keyword laden articles for SEO purposes (Are you looking for car insurance? Car insurance is a hot topic today, with many people unsure about the best way to get car insurance). I'd be looking for some details on exactly what I'm going to be learning to do. 

[L-F-J]

@MarsBlackman: Yeah, by "real job" I meant what one does to earn a living. An internship is rather to earn experience.

 

@MPR94: The visa issue should be handled by the company bringing you in, no? You can find more info by searching the Visa Issues section. That topic has come up before.

[Lu]

Yeah, by "real job" I meant what one does to earn a living. An internship is rather to earn experience.

So by that definition anything you don't get paid for is not a real job. That definition leaves a bit to be desired, in my opinion.