First the good news... Real China internships with Fortune 500 Companies, MNCs. and international SMEs in China are totally free - except for your air fare. These internships are not advertised on line and they are not peddled by brokers or private "internship companies". YOU GET THEM DIRECTLY FROM THE HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENTS OF THE COMPANIES! Here is a list of China's top 100 companies and most of them want foreign interns although the pay is usually 2,000 yuan per month (about $350) which is now the minimum stipend mandated by Chinese law: http://www.china.org.cn/video/2014-0...t_32898972.htm
But before you get excited about China internships you should know that only 28% of interns with MNCs and Fortune 500 Companies receive job offers, and those offers are almost always at the entry level in terms of title and pay. See this http://chinainternshipreviews.wordpress.com
Now the bad news... approximately 500 to 800 expats are baited and lured into the black China internship market every month where they are basically snookered into believing they have a guaranteed high-paying job waiting for them in 90 days, but only if they buy a costly internship package that ranges from $499 to $4,999. These black internships are offered by private companies with glamorous websites, misleading ads, fabricated reviews, paid shills, and plenty of smooth-talking sales reps who rely on massive deception. None of the black internship companies deliver on their Fortune 500 nor MNC promises, and they rely heavily on bait and switch tactics that will cost an intern at least $7,000 by the time they leave China in 90 days due to hidden costs. If you pay attention, spotting the frauds are easy. Here are the 5 common red flags to watch for;
1) They ask for some up front fee. It could have many names...processing fee, registration fee, application fee, deposit etc. A sure sign of a scam in most cases.
2) The company instructs you to lie to Chinese visa officials when you apply for your visa. They will tell you not mention the internship and never to show your internship contract with them. BTW... lying on a visa application is a felony that can get you two years in prison.
3) Your questions are evaded or you receive very vague answers when you ask about total costs, guaranteed employment, housing, visa laws, and/or the details of your sponsor company
4) They refuse to provide you a scan of their SAIC business license which can be verified online at http://www.saic.gov.cn with the help of a Chinese friend or Google translator tool. No license = a sure scam.
5) They have a history of complaints on line when you google their company name together with the words "scam, problems, complaints"
If a company is flagged more than twice according to the above five flags, take a pass. More details about the internship industry can be found here below, and these article will balance all the propaganda and hype put out by the black China internship scam operators:
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/...udents/276959/
https://chinajobinternships.wordpress.com
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education...-for-work.html
http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum...ve-legal-scams
http://www.marketplace.org/topics/wo...t-expectations
If you still want to take the plunge after you know everything and not just what the internship companies want you to know, be sure you know the law in China or you will get yourself a few weeks in jail, a criminal record, and deportation with a 3-5 year reentry ban. Why? Because in 2013 the China visa and labor laws were changed and became very strict.
Today in 2015, foreigners are not allowed to do internships in China unless they fall into one of three groups:
1) You are enrolled exchange student of an accredited university
2) You are a registered "delegate" of a recognized foundation, NGO, or NPO
3) You are sponsored for pre-employment training by a licensed company in China
You must have a M, Q1, or Z before you leave your homeland, not an L or F visa. Unpaid internships in China are now illegal. Now that you have had the crash course on China Internships, you have enough info to stay out of harm's way. Good luck and safe travels.