Student on Chinese internship

Twenty-one New Zealand students and recent graduates have embarked on internships to learn how Asia does business.

The Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whitau Tuhono has been offering the business internships since 2009 and is continually growing the range of opportunities to keep up with today's business needs and Asia's diverse industries.

The opportunities are at some of Asia's top companies, and vary from tax, accounting and engineering to digital marketing, blockchain and space technology.

The internships, ranging from six weeks to three months long, give young people a chance to be immersed in an Asian business culture and industry sector, which builds valuable work skills for their futures.

The expenses-paid internships are highly sought after, with more than 550 applications for the 21 internship places.

One such successful applicant is former Whanganui woman Meghan Price, communications student at Massey University.

Meghan is now at United Media Solution (UMS) in Shanghai, China, working on online marketing and promoting commercial New Zealand brands to Chinese audiences through digital platforms such as Wechat. Meghan has been working in Melbourne for the past year while she had a break from her degree.

Midweek recently got in touch and asked Meghan a few questions:

When were you at Whanganui High School and what were your strengths then?

I attended Whanganui High School from 2013 and graduated in 2017. I really enjoyed my time there and felt that so many opportunities were available to students to travel and get involved with extra curricular activities. I had always been a keen writer so naturally enjoyed English based subjects, but also played a lot of sport, coaching junior volleyball, captaining the Senior volleyball team and playing hockey both for the school and regionally.

What were you doing in Melbourne?

During my first year of University I applied for a 4 week internship over the semester break at a technology company in Melbourne, Property Exchange Australia (PEXA). I was based in their communications/corporate affairs team and this was my first taste of "real work" outside of waitressing and part-time jobs. They invited me back over the following summer and I enjoyed it so much that I ended up staying for the entire year and taking a break from university. In my role I assisted in content creation, communications campaigns, video production, events/project management and general strategy creation.

What is the degree you are working on or have you completed it?

Currently one year through my Bachelor of Communications degree at Massey University in Wellington.

What led to your Shanghai internship?

I stumbled across an internship opportunity provided by Asia New Zealand who offers experiences and resources to help New Zealanders build their knowledge, skills and confidence to thrive in Asia. As part of this, they connect students and graduates with internships around Asia varying from journalism, arts to business opportunities. I was reading through the application and thought that it was too good an opportunity to pass up. China had always interested me — it is a hugely exciting place at the moment and after travelling to Argentina on an exchange during school, I had a strong desire to immerse myself in and learn more about other cultures. When I found out I had been accepted, it was a pretty surreal feeling. The Asia New Zealand Foundation did an incredible job organising the internship and I feel so lucky to have been given this opportunity.

I see you are promoting NZ brands via digital platforms — what brands and how does that work?

United Media Solutions (UMS) is a digital marketing agency that works with overseas brands to connect them to the Chinese market. In recent years China has further welcomed international trade and is now a highly attractive and lucrative market due to its growing middle class and huge potential for maximising business growth. But, with more businesses setting their sights on China, it is becoming increasingly competitive and difficult to cut through to the consumer without experience or a deep understanding of the culture and media landscape. UMS works with these brands to help them build a strong online presence on Chinese platforms and increase engagement as well as providing consultation and market research services. Some of the NZ brands UMS has worked with includes Tourism NZ, AirNewZealand, fresh produce brands, Villa Maria and New Zealand education institutions.

How long will you be in China?

Three months.

Now that you are in Shanghai, how are you adapting to Chinese culture? Is there much to learn about different work and social ways of doing things?

Initially, it was a huge shock arriving into Shanghai, especially as I barely spoke any Chinese. Shanghai is a great entrance point for foreigners wanting to live in or get to know China. Its beautiful culture remains dominant, but it's still possible to get by without knowing a wink of the language and find pockets of familiarity. Sitting in a packed bar, filled with expats drinking foreign beer, it's easy to forget that you are over 9000 kilometres from home. At other times, I'd be in a restaurant staring at a menu written in Chinese characters with no pictures, and remember that yes — I was indeed in China. Because my colleagues at UMS had all worked or lived overseas, I found that they followed a pretty Western style of working, so it was easy to settle in and find points of similarity with my workmates. Chinese culture is honestly so beautiful and special and it has really made me appreciate New Zealand culture and how lucky we are to have it.

Do you speak Chinese? If not, is there a language barrier?

While living here I have been taking four hours of beginner Chinese lessons a week which has really helped! Being able to ask for directions and order food were my staples of communication. Upon arriving I felt really isolated because I couldn't read or communicate with anyone, but once I was introduced to other expats and got over the initial shock it was fine. A lot of younger people can speak English and it's amazing how much you can get buy with a few phrases and gestures. Like most places, they really appreciate it when people give their language a go.

Is the internship anything like you expected it to be?

As part of my role in the marketing/communications team, I had to research and provide analysis on Chinese consumer trends and social platforms. It was through this that I started to understand how technologically advanced China was and the scale of development that was constantly occurring. It was nothing like I had anticipated and made me realise how the Western narrative for China desperately needs updating. I found the internship to be very engaging, well suited to my expectations.

Apart from work, how do you relax in your new environment?

Hutong School, where I study Chinese, runs weekly events for their students like majhong classes, trips around Shanghai, calligraphy lessons, Chinese cuisine nights, etc, and they're a great way to meet other expats and young people going through similar experiences. Apart from exploring the city my friends and I are always out trying new restaurants and going to bars.

Whanganui Midweek 19/2/20