“You don’t have enough experience”. No fresh graduate wants to hear those dreaded words. Employers today are not only looking at your educational background but also how much practical work experience you can bring to the table. Do I think that it’s fair to expect someone who just received their diploma to know the ins and outs of the workforce? No. But the market is competitive and flooded with new graduates that landing a great first job has become a serious challenge.

When I started high school I was told that I should start looking into internships in my junior year. I didn’t know what I wanted to do in the future and choosing a company that would both interest me (and would want an inexperienced teen) wasn’t an easy task. I was naive and wanted to choose a company that looked good, sounded good, and let me do things that I was genuinely interested in. Hindsight is always 20/20 and looking back, I wish I would have taken the time to train in different industries and learn from multiple leaders.

While dining at one of my favorite restaurants in Beijing I was surprised to learn that the beautiful waitress who spoke both English and Chinese fluently was the daughter of the restaurant owner. Everyone in the F&B industry in this city knows who Ignace Lecleir is. The owner/founder of the TRB Group that owns TRB Hutong, TRB Forbidden City, Copper, Hulu, and Merci is known for his attention to detail and his staff is known for their impeccable service.

I found it interesting that his daughter Paris Lecleir happily waiting tables, without any sense of special privilege at her family business. I sat down for a chat with Lecleir. He built a successful restaurant group here in Beijing and I definitely wanted to hear his thoughts on teen internships.

Is this Paris’ first internship?
IL: Definitely not. Paris has been working in TRB since she was 11 years old. It wasn’t a full-time job since she was so young but she’d work 4 hours a day during the summer. Her younger brothers have also worked in the restaurants. Last summer the boys worked at Hulu washing dishes. It’s important to me that they start from the bottom.

Did you intern when you were a teen?
IL: I didn’t intern as a teen. I started working in a restaurant when I was 14 years old. I enjoyed learning the value of money and having the financial freedom. I was lucky enough to have discovered my passion at a young age.

How old do you think kids need to be before they intern?
IL: I think as long as you feel comfortable with it, why not? Back in Europe I knew people whose kids started working on simple things as young as seven.

What do you think having an internship teaches?
IL: Internships teach kids to respect money. When we first moved to Beijing from New York, Paris wanted to buy a new iPhone. Back then the latest model was an iPhone 6 or 7, I can’t remember. She wasn’t asking to have her first phone. By then she had already broken two brand new iPhones so my wife and I decided that we would buy her a regular phone so that we can keep in touch, but if she wanted to have an iPhone she would need to work and pay for it herself. She was 11 at the time and I gave her a job working at TRB for RMB 10 an hour. She worked for four hours and asked me to take her to buy an iPhone. Of course it wasn’t anywhere close to enough for one, but it was then that she began to understand the value of money.

Take a scroll through any job search website and you’re bound to see an ad looking for “qualified interns” offering nothing but experience in return. While it is important to gain some real work experience, unfortunately experience doesn’t pay the bills.

Should interns be paid?
IL: Yes. The purpose of an internship isn’t only about making money. It’s about learning real life experience, but real life experience also involves being paid for your work. I don’t believe in forcing my kids to behave a certain way. I want them to express themselves however they want. By working, they gain an appreciation for the value of money and their time. They enjoy working.

The idea of interning at your own family’s business may seem like a breeze. If your dad is the boss you automatically get special treatment, right? Not in this case. Lecleir firmly believes in keeping work and family separate. It gives his kids an authentic internship experience with no special treatment, and it gives his staff the privacy and respect they deserve. No one wants to feel like the boss’s kid is there to spy on them.

Do you think your staff treated her differently?
IL: For Paris the staff treated her the same as any other employee and I made a point to remind the managers of this. I try to be hands off. With my sons who are 10 and 11 years old, they need to learn that if they get in trouble they need to take responsibility for it.

Did she bring home any interesting work stories to share with the family?
IL: We really don’t talk about her work. I don’t want to talk about work with Paris so my staff feels confident that what happens at work stays here.

Is it important to intern even if she chooses to work in another industry in the future?
IL: One of the things about working in the restaurant business is that you learn teamwork and how to interact with different personalities. This is a kind of skill set that is important regardless of what industry you work. When my kids were little they worked in the back of house because back of house is very structured, like a military. It’s good for them to see that kind of hierarchy and discipline. I have no desire for them to take over the business. Their internship is more about them learning implant life and people skills.

Photo: Mina Yan, Hulu

In a statement given to China Daily, the Ministry of Education has announced that international students would soon be able to take up part-time work to supplement their studies in China.

There have been a number of moves taken in recent years which have paved the way for the opening up of China’s labor laws to foreign talent, including when in 2017 the central government introduced a program for international students with postgraduate degrees, or for those who had attended distinguished universities abroad, to obtain Chinese work permits after graduation. Previously, you needed to have a minimum of two years’ work experience outside China before applying for a work visa.

This move towards allowing part-time work will enable international students in Beijing and Shanghai to take jobs or internships off-campus, as long as they have permission from the university and the entry and exit administrative authorities.

While we aren’t entirely sure what kind of hoops students will need to jump through to get the permissions mentioned, it is a move in the right direction, especially for university students looking for real-world work experiences within China to further develop their language and professional skills.

Wang Huiyao, director of the Center for China and Globalization, explained to China Daily that it makes sense for the country to broadly expand such innovative policies, since it serves the strategy of reinvigorating China’s workforce development. He also added that foreign employees could give domestic enterprises an advantage as they expand overseas.

This will be welcome news for international high school students who would rather stay in China instead of going abroad for their university years, as they will ultimately want to get a taste of China’s job market to help decide whether or not it’s worth sticking around.

Photo: China Daily

We just love how people find a way to make urban areas in China greener, cleaner, and more sustainable. Okay, it will take a long time to transform Beijing into a more environmentally friendly city, but the seeds of an ecological future are being planted — especially in the minds of little ones.

There are a couple of groups and organizations promoting environmentalism in the city, but the “Nurseries for Nurseries” (Jardin d’enfants) project might be the only initiative geared towards young Chinese children. In our recent feature, project volunteer Tristan Macquet said Nurseries for Nurseries is a “bridge” that Beijing schools can use to maintain friendly relations, especially in environmental terms.

Now in its third season, the project has expanded to include 72 local and international schools in China. And that means that the team needs more people to help propagate the project’s objective: to teach children how to grow from seeds and take care of a garden, thus increasing their awareness of nature, the environment, and the importance of healthy eating.

Nurseries for Nurseries has just announced an internship opportunity. Students and young adults interested in joining the project can visit their official website or contact Macquet at tristan.macquet@gmail.com or WeChat at t06021988.

Nurseries for Nurseries intern responsibilities:
• Coordinating with the participating schools (there are currently 72 registered for this year)
• Delivering gardening kits
• Liaising with project board members
• Organizing of training sessions and schools visits
• Coordinating the award ceremony
• Managing website and WeChat account content
• Coordinating the publication of the e-book

Applicant profile:
• The position is open to Chinese and non-Chinese citizens
• No prior experience necessary but some project management experience would be a bonus

Requirements:
• Fluent Chinese and English (oral and written)
• Good reporting abilities

Working arrangements:
• The competition closes in June. There will be some follow-up but the internship will be completed in July
• Expenses covered
• Internship compensation to be discussed based on skills and experience

Photos: Courtesy of Nurseries for Nurseries

World of Work (WOW) is a program that Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) High School Counselor Michelle Chow created. It allows tenth grade students to intern at various companies for a week. Normally, the students start on a Monday and finish on Friday, but there are instances when this doesn’t apply. WOW gives WAB students an opportunity to experience real work environments. Along with working, students are required to write cover letters, resumes and participate in an interview with the employer.

My name is Sophie Li and last week I interned at beijingkids to find out more about journalism. I was with fellow WAB student Christian Neoh, who took photos for the magazine. During our internship, I caught up with some of our peers working at other companies to find out what they hoped to get out of their WOW experiences. This is what they had to say.

Michelle Leow
Michelle (pictured above) is 16 years old, of Singaporean and Vietnamese descent, and has been living in Beijing for three years now.

Where do you work and what do you do?
I’m currently working at a design company called Di Lusso Gaopin Beijing Design. I don’t really have a specific job, but I’m essentially following the General Manager Mr. Einar Tangen, and (hopefully) learning about this industry, how businesses work, how to work with customers, etc.

What are you hoping to gain from this experience?
Initially, I had just wanted to learn about design industries and the specifics of it. However, after meeting Mr. Tangen, I realize that there’s more I can learn (beyond just design). I’m hoping to gain more communication skills, knowledge about businesses, customers, processes and work in general – all of which can be applied outside of a design industry.

Will this internship help you pursue a specific career? Do you know what you want to do when you’re older?
Honestly, I’m not completely sure what I want to do when I’m older but I do have a brief idea. I’m leaning more towards careers involving politics, law and psychology. Although this internship is based on design industries, the knowledge about different processes, types of peoples and other business related aspects can certainly help me in my future career. Additionally, Mr. Tangen is a politician and lawyer himself- much of what he teaches me will influence me in the future.

Do you think WOW benefits all students? Why or why not?
I think WOW (World of Work) benefits all students who take full advantage of it. If you’re working in a place that peaks your interest or relates to what you want to do in the future, you’re bound to learn something helpful. Even if you aren’t completely sure what you want to do in the future, WOW can help you figure it out.

Maya Roberts Maya is 16 years old, half British and half Chinese and has been living in Beijing for 15 years.

Where do you work and what do you do? I am working at [beijingkids’ sister magazine] the Beijinger during my WOW week. I am doing research, contributing ideas and learning more about the company.

What are you hoping to gain from this experience? I am hoping to gain knowledge about the working world. It’s a terrific opportunity to get an idea on what it is like to be in an office and to see the process of how you collaborate within a group.

Will this internship help you pursue a specific career? Do you know what you want to do when you’re older? I’m not exactly sure what I want to do. However this internship gives me an idea of this line of work. I enjoy the creative atmosphere and could possibly pursue this interest and job.

Do you think WOW benefits all students? Why or why not? I think that WOW benefits most of their students. Since most of us probably have never had a job, we don’t know what working is like and it opens our eyes to the real world a bit.

Did you personally find your internship? If yes, why did you choose this job? I personally found my internship, I decided I wanted to do something that I would be interested in and then used connections to try and get the job.

Michael Jiang
Michael is 15 years old, Canadian and has been in Beijing for his whole life.

Where do you work and what do you do?
I work at Oasis Healthcare Hospital. I observe and learn from my qualified mentors and specialists at the hospital and it provides valuable experience for me to take with me into the future.

What are you hoping to gain from this experience?
Valuable experience in a hospital environment as well as information about medicine. 

Will this internship help you pursue a specific career? Do you know what you want to do when you’re older?
Not too sure about what I want to pursue, but this opportunity gives me an idea of how a hospital functions and this makes me want to learn more about medicine.

Do you think WOW benefits all students? Why or why not?
I think it benefits students who want to learn and observe, because then they will take actual valuable experience out of this. If the students choose not to make good use of this program, they lose valuable time and experience – especially because WOW gives an insight on future possibilities.

Photos: Courtesy of the students

Last week, all Western Academy of Beijing students had to do a one-week internship as part of the World of Work (WoW) program. Instead of going to school, students spent five days experiencing what it’s like to work. 

Students went to a wide range of workplaces. Some went to the Danish Embassy, while others taught elementary school kids, interned at law firms and hospitals, helped out at hotels and restaurants, assisted a professional balloon artist, and even flew out to diving resorts in the Philippines.

It all started in 2007, when a teacher from New Zealand, Faye Cowin, had the idea to give students an opportunity to experience what post-university work was like. Back then, WAB was a small school with only 30 to 40 students per grade.

Now, about 99 percent of WAB students attend university after high school. But during that time, not everyone did; some students went to work directly after graduating high school, which is why the teacher thought that the program would be a valuable experience for many. In addition, it’s not common for students to do internships and gain work experience in Beijing because it’s simply not part of the culture.

As part of the WoW program, students have to write a resume and cover letter and contact potential employers to set up an interview, in addition to doing the internship itself.

After interning at True Run Media for one week (the company that produces both beijingkids and the Beijinger), I think that the WOW program is fantastic, not only because it allows students to get a glimpse of what working is like, but also because it can give them a better idea of what they may or may not want to do in the future.

Through the internship, I’ve learned a lot about writing and have had to practice a lot of important skills. Last week, I went to few different places in Beijing to interview people for magazine articles were assigned to me.

I went to Chaoyangmen to interview the manager of the karaoke place, Party World, and Nanluogu Xiang to interview the owner of Plastered T-Shirts, a well-known local business.  

Due to the fact I had to commute long distances by myself (I live in Shunyi), I learned how to use the subway system extremely well. I’ve also improved my interpersonal and interviewing skills. In addition to this, I’ve had to practice my language skills, since one of my interviews was done completely in Chinese.

The fact that I had to go out to new places and meet new people helped me adopt a more open-minded attitude, especially towards the people and places in Beijing.

Throughout the internship, I gained a better understanding of journalism, specifically in the areas of interviewing and magazine/blog writing. The experience helped me solidify my interest in writing and fueled my passion for journalism.

If I were to give some advice to the future 10th graders doing this program, I would say “Keep an open mind,” because you can learn more that way. Also, if you take your internship seriously and put more effort into it, you’ll definitely gain more.

Even if you find that you don’t enjoy what you have to do and realize you don’t want pursue this profession in the future, it’s still a good experience because you can exercise your strengths and weaknesses, as well as learn useful skills that are transferable to life.

Talia Jin is a Grade 10 student at the Western Academy of Beijing. She is passionate about writing, has self-published a poetry book, and co-wrote a novel with a fellow student. Her other interests include tennis, songwriting, and visual arts.

Photos by Ellis Friedman (1) and Talia Jin (2 and 3)

Rachel Wang, Materials Engineering Major at Northwestern University (Evanston, US)

“Life Beyond Beijing” is a series of posts that chronicles a former international school student’s experiences in college. They’re written by Elizabeth Wu, a returning beijingkids summer intern.  A former student of BWYA and CISB, she just completed her freshman year of journalism and will be returning to The New School in New York City this fall.

If not – you should be, at the very least, interested in getting some experience in the media industry by interning with beijingkids.

Having kids of your own is not necessary (though helpful), but what is required is a keen interest in research, writing and editing articles, writeups and blog posts relating to Beijing’s booming family scene, a keen interest in working on websites and an outgoing personality and desire to network.

Internships can be full or part time (a minimum 20 hours per week is requested) with opportunities to work on assignments both in and out of the office. Chinese language ability is also preferred.

Send your resume and at least three writing samples to hr@truerun.com.

You: Are keen to gain a foothold in the media industry, love to research, blog and write, are socially active and outgoing, love kids and ideally have some of your own.

We: Are looking for full or part-time interns to contribute to our magazine and website. We love working with dynamic team-players and well-connected people in Beijing’s international family scene.

Whether full or part-time, interning with BeijingKids willl give you an insider’s view on the media industry, real opportunities to write and have your work read, and the chance to meet and connect with a large range of people and organizations in the community. To apply, send your cv and at least two examples of your writing to editor@beijing-kids.com.

Chinese language ability, previous writing, blogging, social networking and photography skills strongly preferred.

World of Work is an opportunity for WAB’s sophomore students to have a taste of what the “real world” is like. It allows them to explore their interests in a professional setting for a week. Students selected a field of interest of their choice whether it be education, culinary arts, journalism, or accounting, etc., they were then assigned to a company arranged by the students themselves or by assistance of the school. Jobs ranged from working with True Run Media to law firms; to working within WAB; to diplomatic jobs; to being an advertisement executive, students worked in a variety of different jobs. World of Work is a successful program and generally provides a very beneficial experience.

Choka Bikales worked with WABX, WAB’s sport office. He helped with organizing equipment in the storage room, setting up the gym for classes, moving equipment around and helping to manage paper work. “I never really knew what I wanted to do with my life, and I’m not saying after work experience I want to get into sports management, but the week was somewhat beneficial since I’m interested in sports and it showed me a possible option for me later in life. Additionally, it gave me a week off from school, which was cool too.”

Furthermore, the program allows students to work outside and in Beijing as well, whether it be in your home country or just on the outskirts of the Beijing. Theo Chapman traveled to Hong Kong and worked at Fine Foods. Other students such as Nick Ball traveled even further and worked at a hospital in Melbourne.

Though sometimes students may find this program useful and beneficial, other times students such as Grace Jia unfortunately have not gained much from the experience. Jia worked at Jones Day Law Firm writing reports and proposals and conducting research. Overall, she thought, “It was very boring and corporate.” However, with that said, “Despite the experience, I now have a clearer outlook on what I don’t want to do.”

Generally, students feel that work experience is a good idea, but sometimes some students are unlucky to be working in a company that does not allow them to do much. For example, when you are working in the education field, it is a lot easier and more flexible for the employer to guide you on what it is like to be a teacher, what you should and shouldn’t do and to give you tips and pointers along the way. Other situations such as in Jia’s experience, in a company that requires an organized and systematic structure, it is often much harder to provide students with an intimate experience. In the end, all students have gained something out of the experience that they can then take and apply to their choices later on in life.

Jodie is beijingkids’ student correspondent and is our eyes and ears on the ground. A junior student at Western Academy of Beijing, Jodie is also a contributor to the student-run magazine Unit-E. Check back for more of her blogs about student life.