Availability:
Accepting applications for Summer 2011.

American journalist Charles Kuralt once said: “If you really want to learn about a country, work there.”

Many young people who travel and study abroad in China end up living in a bubble. However, those lucky enough to find opportunities to work in China enjoy unparalleled opportunities to immerse themselves in the business culture of an emerging superpower that has broken nearly every record in the history of economic development.  Similarly, those who choose to volunteer in China experience first-hand the human face of the myriad social and environmental issues that a rapidly developing China may be ignoring or covering up.

Where There Be Dragons’ China Internship summer program gives students a rare opportunity to gain valuable work experience in China while attending intensive Mandarin classes, living with Chinese host families and participating in a variety of cultural activities and excursions.

Our China Internship summer program is based in the vibrant city of Kunming, the political, economic, cultural and communications capital of China’s Yunnan Province. Many international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including The Nature Conservancy, Habitat for Humanity, Save The Children and Population Services International, have offices in Kunming. The city is also home to a rapidly growing number of foreign businesses.

Students on this program can choose between a variety of volunteer and internship placements. Opportunities include interning with a local journalist, photographer, radio personality or television station, teaching English at a local school, working alongside development professionals on projects ranging from conservation to HIV/AIDs prevention to microfinance, or learning the ins and outs of doing business in China while interning at a local business.

Upon successful completion of their internships, all students will receive letters of recommendation from their mentors. Additionally, students who have volunteered at non-profits or local schools will receive certificates of completion of community service hours from Where There Be Dragons.

Many foreign businesspeople and development workers who arrive in China for the first time learn the hard way that language and cultural skills are a must for those who wish to work in China, understand the local culture and enage with the people. In order to better prepare our students for future employment in China, in addition to internships this program also offers 1-2 hours of Mandarin instruction per day, plus opportunities for additional one-on-one tutoring sessions. The program can accommodate students with varying levels of Mandarin proficiency, including beginners, and all Dragons Mandarin Instructors are native speakers of Chinese.

Four weeks of home-stays with Chinese families give students additional opportunities to immerse themselves in the language and culture of China and form close relationships with Chinese people. Students often spend weekends exploring Kunming and the surrounding areas with their Chinese home-stay families and many students come away from the summer program feeling as though they have a “home away from home” in China. Additionally, classes and activities at the Dragons Program House in martial arts, traditional Chinese medicine, cooking, ink painting, calligraphy, history, politics and economics help give students a balanced introduction to the ancient and modern traditions of the Middle Kingdom.

This program is appropriate for older high school students, recent high school graduates and college students interested in a guided introduction to working and volunteering in China. Students who perform exceptionally well at their internships can sometimes extend their placements, while a small number of outstanding older students may be offered the opportunity to continue their work as paid interns.

Younger students who desire a travel intensive overview of Chinese culture and tradition are encouraged to apply for our China Comprehensive summer program, while students for whom studying Mandarin is a top priority should consider one of our China language intensive summer programs.  Our gap year program in China runs in the fall and spring, and can accomodate both gap year students and college students taking a junior year abroad.  College credit is available for this gap year program.