To follow up on this week's Internship of the Week article, Sarah Fliesher talks about her experience with CRCC Asia and her internship in Beijing.

During her time in Beijing, Sarah worked for an international law firm during the summer of 2011 just after completing her undergraduate degree at Georgetown University and prior to beginning her Juris Doctorate degree at the University of San Francisco.

Since Sarah's undergraduate degree was in International Business, her responsibilities at the law firm included market research and sector analysis. Sarah also did research and outlined legal procedures to help the firm in analyzing potential joint ventures and international filings and proceedings.

As with any internship abroad, Sarah really felt that an internship in China gave her a new understanding on how to adapt and survive in a culture very different from her own.  She also felt that the experience provided her with additional knowledge about international law which really helped her in her courses this year in grad school.

Studying, interning, and working abroad are great experiences that employers and graduate schools really take into consideration in their selection process.  Since each program is different and not right for everyone,  I do encourage students to do their research to find the internship or internship program that is right for them.

About CRCC Asia:

CRCC Asia was started in 2006 and over the years has placed thousands of students with internship placements both in Beijing and Shanghai. In addition to providing great internship experiences for its students, CRCC Asia also provides housing, visas,and language lessons in Mandarin.  Some of the benefits of participating in the program are a welcoming banquet, weekly social and networking events, cultural training, and 24/7 onsite support.

Internship Placements:

Internship placements are available for students interested in career fields, such as: law, finance, marketing/PR, advertising, engineering, green technology, healthcare, hospitality, NGOs, business development, plus others. Internships are available for one, two, or three months and start dates are year-round.

Qualifications:

CRCC Asia seeks students who are intellectually curious, ambitious, hardworking, and excited about immersing themselves in a new and very different culture. An internship through CRCC Asia will help students gain a better understanding of some of the issues and concerns that are prevalent in a global economy and help them to learn about life from a totally different perspective. There is no Mandarin language requirement for students.

Indeed.com recently announced that in April the number of internships listed on the site had reached an all-time high. Just within the last year alone, there were 72% more internships posted by employers than in March 2011, which was the highest month for internship postings last year.

Indeed.com offers one stop shopping for internships and jobs. Indeed offers quick results and by tweaking the fields and including only the most relevant information, job and internship seekers can get fast results from their search. Thousands of opportunities for domestic jobs and internships as well as opportunities abroad exist on Indeed.com.

In addition, The National Association of Colleges and Employers recently released their 2012 Internship & Co-Op Survey results which showed that employers are planning to increase their level of internship hires by 8.5% over last year.

This is all excellent news for students looking to find internships for Summer 2012.

During the course of your career you will have ample opportunity to find your dream job. Carrying out a tailored internship, summer project, or volunteer work are just several ways to eventually get there. You can also decide to make your own job by identifying some of the needs in your community and then finding creative ways to solve them.

By becoming an entrepreneur you can learn a vast amount of skills that will be helpful in your future job search.  From creating a business to doing the marketing and financing you will learn many of the things it takes to be a success in business.

I know students who have started lawn, tutoring, selling ice cream from a truck, sailing, and music lesson businesses for the summer who have been quite successful. These small start-ups made them more money that they could have made working for an organization.  By assessing your own skills and interests, you may also have a talent  that could bring in some extra money. Starting your own business can be a great way to enter the workforce whether you're a college student or still in high school.  Starting a business is also a great resume builder since there are so many aspects needed to start a business (business plan, marketing, financial analysis) in addition to the transferable skills required to be successful (communication, interpersonal, organization, leadership).