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Avoiding China Internship Scams - Easier Than You Think!
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3 hours ago
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Gap year is a great time to do an internship abroad to get some "international experience" Even China looks good for the summer months - when the pollution is the very least. And of course their economy is still booming and creating a lot of jobs. 100 of the world's Fortune 500 Companies operate out of China which makes it even more tempting. But we all hear the horror stories of endless scams targeting foreign visitors.
This is a reality, but knowing about it ahead of time means you are less likely to become a victim. At present 12 shady China internship scam companies operate not only from China, but also the UK and Thailand as well where they have boiler rooms full of friendly callers pretending to be knowledgeable and connected "Career Specialists". What they really are is a pack of wolves, well-trained what NOT to tell you and how to avoid tough questions. They will lure you with alleged "success stories" great web sites full of paid testimonials and reviews they made for themselves on separate websites.
Because they promise to get you high-paying jobs with an MNC or Fortune 500 Company, it is easy for them to get your attention and then lead you down a golden path where they eventually ask you to BUY an internship package for several thousand dollars!
BUT STOP RIGHT HERE! The real true Fortune 500 and MNC internships are ABSOLUTELY FREE! All they require is that you pay your own air fare and if you are in the group of 28% that actually get hired, they will pay you back the money for your tickets. So here and now you need to be able to tell the real China internships from the frauds. See: http://chinainternshipreviews.wordpress.com
If you are still confused, here are five red flags to use to spot and distance yourself from a scam no matter how friendly and "helpful" the caller seems to be...
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.co m
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
Knowing the visa law is complicated but if you are sponsored directly by the HR officials of your sponsor company, they will handle all of these tedious details.
I myself will be going to intern in China this year with the Canadian Business Council. I did not have to use any broker, agent, or internship company. For my money, this is the only safe way to find an internship in China. After reading about JJ's China adventures, have not stopped reading about interning in China.