Summer Intern Review

Was not expecting to enjoy the placement this much. A mixture of working abroad, it being my first ever proper job and the variety of tasks set out for us meant it was very enjoyable. The first two weeks in Beijing almost felt like a holiday!

The group of interns, 14 of us, were very close and I am sure I will remain friends and keep in contact with many of them. The permanent Huawei employees we interacted with were very friendly and very interested in what we were doing.

We were given a lot of guidance by our mentor. We would see them each day, multiple times where our tasks for the day would be explained, including what we were expected to do, when by and how the best way to achieve this could be.

The first 2 weeks in Beijing was the perfect balance. Language and cultural classes in the morning and afternoon, followed by sight seeing or eating out and sometimes going to bars, restaurants and clubs. In Shenzhen the balance was slightly off. I often felt as though I could work a lot longer - rather than the 5-6 working hours each day.

We were given some responsibility in terms of presenting the exhibition centre to important customers. Not just people off the street, but pre-arranged corporate customers interested in large amounts of Huawei products.

The Mandarin classes and spending such a time period in China inspired me to take up Chinese language modules at University. My knowledge of certain telecommunications technology has also improved and can relate to my studies.

It was very mixed. Some offices would be very lively and fun where as the atmosphere in others could be dull and we were left slightly bored with not a lot to do.

The logistics of it were very well organised. Transport from England to our accommodation in Beijing and our internal and return flights all went smoothly without any issues. Whilst on the placement, we were looked after well/

We were not given a massive amount of training in technical skills, but we did have quite a number of lectures/demonstrations/practical tasks that would help develop our skills.

There is no graduate scheme but perhaps in the future I could work for them

Very good social scene. Each night we ate together in local restaurants, went sight seeing together, went to bars and clubs and participated in sport.

Very cheap. Could eat dinner out in a fairly nice restaurant for under £3. A fairly basic restaurant for about 50p. Pints of beer were 30p, the tube was a flat rate of 20p.

Lots of places to eat, drink and socialise. Often went out in evenings with interns and employees.

Each day in Beijing we explored the city during the evening and were involved in a number of activities. In Shenzhen there were a lot of sports and recreational activities, as well as sight seeing.