Clarifying internship rules as graduate student in China

[azonglis]

Hello,

 

I'm currently in my first semester as a foreign masters student at a university here in Dalian. I was talking to some of the second year foreign graduate students about their internship options and it seems to be completely opposite of what I understood. I was told by them that they have to complete their internship within the city of the university in China (in this case Dalian) or go back to their home country to complete the internship. My goal was to find an internship in a different city other than Dalian in China, but I am now hearing mixed messages on this. They're saying this has to do with Visa requirements?  Can anyone clarify the rules on internships for foreign graduate students in China? 

 

Thank you,

 

AZL

[roddy]

Sound like you know more about internships than most of us already.

 

You need to have the internship approved by the university and then registered with the PSB. Either of those could require you to stay in the same city. Check with your university, but it won´t surprise me if this is the case. 

 

And welcome to the site. 

[azonglis]

Thanks for the prompt response Roddy! Its been interesting here hearing back from some of the other foreign students on their process here with the schools. I'm also hoping somebody might have info on the approval of a work visa upon successful graduation at a graduate level as well. Anybody here have any info or experiences with this? 

[roddy]

The post-graduation visa thing would probably be best in a new topic. Any info, even second-hand, you have on the internship process would be very valuable though - how easy it is to find / get approval for internships, how long the process takes, what people are doing, if the internships are actually useful or just something you've got to do.... etc. 

[shortcutz-china]

As always, each city or province might handle things a bit differently. You should talk to the International Student Office at your university and/or the local PSB.

Situation in Beijing for instance is that the local PSB does allow internships in other cities for students studying at universities in Beijing. Some universities in Beijing allow their students to go to another city, some apparently don’t. The university needs to issue a document allowing the internship, so their policy on the matter is pretty crucial. 

Work Visa upon graduation is definitively possible, but proving work experience might be an issue. The HR of your future employer should be able to assess your chances.