Internship in Shanghai

An internship in Shanghai is not just about work experience, boosting your career or studying abroad. It is an experience of a lifetime. Discovering the Chinese business world, meeting people from all over the world and experiencing the energy of this amazing city is an adventure very few get to experience. Internships are offered in many different industries. They can last from one to six months and the intern program already includes accommodation, visa help, social program and 24/7 support. We will find a suitable internship for you depending on your background and preferences, but if you want to have a look at some internships currently being offered have a look at our internships in China page.

Internship in Shanghai - Join LTL's Intern Program

Internship in Shanghai
Accommodation included
Visa support
Join the LTL intern community
Social events
24/7 support in Shanghai

With the Shanghai internship program LTL will organize your whole internship experience in Shanghai for you. The program includes accommodation, local support, visas, finding the right internship and overcoming culture shock in China. We will take care of you. You are not required to be able to speak Mandarin to do an internship in China, however fluent English skills are needed. Relevant work experience is of course helpful, but you will be trained on the job as things in China often work very differently to abroad.

Internship in Shanghai – The process

Learn Business Chinese in China

First you will send us a message telling us a bit about you, what you are looking for and any questions you might have. If you already have a CV please send it to us too, but if not do not, it’s no worry as we will help you to create one.

You will have a reply from your personal internship advisor within less than a working day. As a next step your internship advisor will organize a WhatsApp or Skype interview with you so we can understand a bit more about you and what you are looking for.

You will then decide on the kind of internship you want, the dates, accommodation, Chinese language course options and your advisor will book your internship program accordingly.

Then we start the internship hunt for you and will organize Skype interviews for you with suitable companies until we have found the right internship for you.

Once you have decided on an internship, we will send you the contract and visa documents, you book your flights and apply for your visa. And that is it, just get on the plane and we will be at the airport waiting for you.

Accommodation in Shanghai

Shared Apartment Small Room

Our shared apartments are located near the center of Shanghai, close to public transport so you can explore the city with ease. Rooms are for single occupancy and have a shared bathroom. Many local, cheap restaurants surround the apartments so there are many food options for you to choose from. The cost of bills and WiFi is included in the price.

Intern in Shanghai – Prices

Please note and be aware of the fact the prices are listed in Chinese Yuan (CNY) in the table below.

Duration	% OFF	Intern & Small Standard Apartment
1 month	0%	16,105
2 months	-31%	22,115
3 months	-41%	28,515
4 months	-46%	34,915
5 months	-49%	41,315
6 months	-51%	47,715
extra	-60%	6,400/month

Includes

Internship finding services
Small room accommodation
Airport pick-up
Metro card, SIM card
Bicycle for your stay
24/7 support
The LTL intern community

Does not include: flight, insurance, and day to day expenses

Accommodation Upgrade

Room Upgrade
Live in larger room with private bathroom + 2,000 CNY / month

Homestay Upgrade
Live with Chinese family. includes breakfast and dinner + 4,000 CNY / month

Chinese Courses Upgrade

Learn Chinese while working
6 hr/week group or 2 hr/week 1-on-1 class at your office + 1,440 CNY / month

Many of our interns decide to start their internship experience with studying a few weeks of Chinese language at our Shanghai Mandarin school. You can either learn Mandarin in a group or study the language in individual classes in China.

Emergency Internship in Shanghai

We will help you to find your internship within less than two weeks after you booked the program. Recommended only if you are very late with your booking and we always recommend to organize this all much earlier. However if you are really late, we got you covered.

Price: +3000 CNY

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the internship finding service?

We will organize the interviews, visa invitations, contracts etc. for you, advice you on the process and help you to make a choice if you are unsure what fits best. However, we of course do not organize the internship itself, as you will be working at a real company that hires you as a member of their team and they provide the internship. After the interview both you and the company will decide whether this is a good fit. With our internship finding service we will help you to find the internship, help you prepare and make sure you jump the application queue straight to the interview. However, after the interview you and the hiring manager need to take the final decision whether this is a good fit or now. If you did not pass an interview, do not worry though as we have many options and will simply organize another one for you. Also make sure you ask a lot of questions during the interview as only you can decide whether this is the position you want or if you would prefer for us to organize further interviews with other companies.

Do I need to be able to speak Mandarin?

No, during your internship your work language will be English and you are not required to know Mandarin.

Should I learn Mandarin?

This is up to you. We would definitely recommend doing so. To start your China adventure with studying Mandarin is a very good way to settle into the culture. Also during your day to day life, Mandarin will be very helpful. The language is much easier than many people think and you might be surprised how much Chinese you will be able to speak after just a few weeks in a Chinese language course.

Booking a Chinese language course at the beginning will also increase the choice of internships available to you. Many companies prefer interns who start their China trip with a language course. Studying Mandarin at the beginning allows interns to first settle into China and learn the basics of life here. This means you will be ready to work once the internship starts instead of still trying to figure out how things work in Shanghai which could be a bit of a burden for your employer.

Are the internships paid?

Some are and others are not. An intern in China is legally not allowed to earn a salary, however some internship companies in Shanghai offer a food allowance or other stipends. This is usually in the range of a few hundred USD per month. While the choice of internship offers in Shanghai is very big, the number of people wanting to do internships in Shanghai is even bigger and companies can choose whom they take. This means that many of the interesting internships do not offer payment. Let your internship advisor know what your preferences are, but be aware that if a stipend is essential for you, you might be missing out on some interesting work opportunities.

When should I book?

In general as early as possible, because the more time we have to organize the internship the more choices you will have. However, it is possible for us to organize an emergency internship within less than two weeks if you are really late. You will definitely have to be more flexible on your choices in that case though. Most people apply about half a year before coming to China.

What is important during the interview?

During the interview the company will decide whether they want you to work for them or not. It is important that you make a professional impression and are well prepared. Make sure your webcam and microphone work properly and you do not have your parents, cat or a friend walk into the room during your internship interview. Also while we can advise you, in the end only you know what is suitable for you or not. Make sure you ask a lot of questions during the interview so you can decide whether this internship is right for you or not.

What will I do?

What you will do every day during your internship will depend on the company you are working at and its business, so this is very much depends. You will definitely be involved in real projects though as these companies are hiring you to help them with their business and want you to actually do work and not just make coffee.

What are the working hours?

Working hours in China depend on the company, but normally in Shanghai people work 40 hours a week from Monday to Friday.

Can I take holidays?

This depends on the company, but most companies do not have a problem with you taking some time off to travel through China. This is a good question to ask during the interview.

How long should I come to China for?

In general the longer you come to China for and the longer a Chinese course you take before your internship the more companies will be interested in you. Internships can be as short as one month, but tasks then will be much simpler as it is not possible to train an intern to do a complex projects within just a month. It is up to you of course, but most of our interns do their internship for two to five months and take one to two months of Chinese courses beforehand.

Will I be trained?

Of course your company will provide training for you and explain to you what the job requires. However, each company has different training schedules and methods, so it is important that you find out during the interview if this company and what they offer is suitable for you and your career.