Chinese Flagship Fall 2014 Internship Manual
实习手册 2014 年秋季美国国家中文领航项目
美国国际教育委员会 2014 年 1 月 10 日
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CHINESE OVERSEAS FLAGSHIP INTERNSHIP MANUAL (For Students/Institutions) As of January 10, 2014 (subject to change)
CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION TO INTERNSHIP A. Introduction B. Objectives II. INTERNSHIP REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES A. Description of the Internship Placement Process B. Internship Requirements C. Procedures for Internship Placements III. INTERNSHIP POLICIES A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K. L. M. N. O.
Expectations Overseas Program Timeline Communication Travel Academic Semester Completion Health and Safety Privacy Policy Training Workshop Spoken Chinese Enhancement Course and Chinese Language Support Vacation and Sick Policy Termination Compliance with Visa Statutes and Internship Compensation Program Completion and Evaluation Disciplinary Policy Post-Program Language Assessment
IV. APPENDICES A. Initial internship questionnaire (Please return completed forms on pages 18-19 with Chinese Overseas Flagship acceptance package.) B. Sample Student Report C. Academic Program Completion Checklist D. Internship Program Completion Checklist E. Acknowledge Form (Please return the signed form on page 23.) Page | 2
I.
INTRODUCTION TO INTERNSHIP A. Introduction The Chinese Overseas Flagship Program consists of direct enrollment studies at Nanjing University and internship placement in a Chinese professional setting. The internship component of the Chinese Overseas Flagship Program is designed to enhance each participant’s language ability and professional experience in their field of interest. Participants work closely with the Chinese Flagship Program Internship staff in Nanjing to find and secure a substantial internship with a company, organization, or institution. Participants are expected to conduct their internships in a Chinese-based setting, using their high level language skills.
B. Objectives The aim of the internship module is to provide each participant with opportunities to apply their high-level language ability and cultural comprehension in a Chinese professional setting. As Chinese Flagship participants are lauded as high-level global professionals, they are expected to take initiative in searching for their internships. The Internship Staff is available to support and guide participants as needed. Expected outcomes may include but not limited to: 1. The ability to apply professional Chinese language in a broad range of communicative functions and in a wide variety of work-related tasks. 2. A firm grasp of Chinese social interactions, behavioral norms, and perspectives, as well as an understanding of administrative, commercial, and political processes in China. 3. The ability to interact appropriately and function efficiently in a professional Chinese setting. 4. Demonstrated professionalism and independence in a language immersion environment.
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II.
INTERNSHIP REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES A. Description of the Internship Placement Process
The Internship Placement Process is conducted using a combination of the following methods: 1. Student-driven/initiated search: Participants are strongly encouraged to take initiative in searching for internships related to their domain interest. Internship staff will support and advise students throughout the process. Participants should research any connections they might have to Chinese employers before departing for China. These connections can be found through a variety of sources such as university faculty and staff, family members, friends, former employers, alumni networks, and religious organizations among others. 2. Former and new contacts: The internship staff can contact former alumni/former internship providers to assist participants with their internship search. The internship staff also establishes new internship contacts and maintains relationships (“关系 guanxi”) with potential employers across Mainland China.
B. Internship Requirements All internships must meet the following requirements: 1. Students must intern in a Chinese-speaking professional setting within Mainland China, preferably with Chinese organizations. The most beneficial work environments for Flagship interns are those with the least number of colleagues who are native-level English speakers. 2. Teaching English may not be a primary job responsibility. 3. Students must work full-time for a period of at least four months, but are encouraged to work for periods of up to six months if possible. Part-time work completed prior to the end of the academic portion will not count towards this requirement. The minimum four-month requirement consists of sixteen weeks on the job broken down into eight biweekly reporting periods. 4. Students' internships must correspond to the participant’s field of interest and abilities, subject to certain political or cultural limitations. Certain internship locations are highly discouraged due to safety concerns.
C. Procedures for Internship Placements 1. RESUMES: Students will provide both English and Chinese versions of their resume to Flagship staff before departing for China. After arriving in Nanjing, students will work with advanced composition faculty members to revise and improve their resumes. Page | 4
2. INTERNSHIP BREIFING AND INITIAL INTERVIEW: Students will attend a mandatory presentation introducing the internship module approximately one month after arriving in Nanjing. The Internship Staff then conducts an initial interview with each student to discuss (a) domain interest; (b) internship goals; (c) the student's existing contacts; and (d) desired internship location and opportunity. 3. STUDENT SEARCH AND APPLICATION PROCESS: Students initiate their internship searches based on the objectives identified in individual meetings with staff. Internship staff are available to provide advice and guidance to students on a daily basis. Students are encouraged to regularly discuss their search process and application materials with staff. Note: Students are not allowed to accept internship positions in any region of Mainland China that requires an additional visa or entry permit, such as Hong Kong, Macau, or Tibet. Flagship staff will make the final decision regarding internships in regions of China that pose safety concerns. Flagship students will not be allowed to accept an internship if conditions in that area are unsafe. 4. UPDATE: Students provide internship contact information and internship responsibilities to Internship Staff for follow up and maintenance in a database. 5. ENGAGE: The Internship Staff engages the internship provider: (a) Introduce Flagship and goals; (b) Confirm internship opportunity and responsibilities for students; (c) Location and start/end date; (d) Confirm expectations from internship provider and from students. 6. WORKSHOP: The Internship Staff will schedule mandatory training seminars and workshops for students throughout the semester. Discussion topics include job search tips, professional etiquette in China, working in a professional Chinese environment, and the previous internship experiences of Flagship alumni. 7. FOLLOWUP AND EVALUATION: Once internships begin, students are expected to provide the Internship Staff with frequent status updates, respond to the Internship Staff’s questions and requests in a timely manner, and submit bi-weekly reports by each deadline (see “INTERNSHIP POLICIES” for more details). A database of student internship information including (a) Student location and contact info; (b) Internship provider contact/info; (c) Internship site and responsibilities will be collected and retained by the Nanjing Chinese Flagship Internship Staff.
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III.
INTERNSHIP POLICIES A. Expectations
Students are expected to: 1. Work collaboratively with the Nanjing Chinese Flagship Center Internship Staff to secure an internship placement. 2. Communicate frequently with the Internship Staff on concerns or issues regarding both the internship search and internship work. Students must respond to messages from program staff, be reachable at all times during the program, and submit all reports on time. 3. Acquire the right attitude (“when in Rome”) when searching for and securing internship placements, as finding a perfect match is challenging. Preferences to a particular city or location in China should not be a reason for turning down a good internship opportunity. 4. Be flexible, open-minded, and realistic about internship opportunities. Some local employers may only want native Chinese interns who are versed in the language, culture, and professional etiquette. 5. Be professional representatives of both their domestic institution and the Chinese Flagship Program (show up on time, keep a positive attitude, and be open-minded, etc.) 6. Maintain cultural awareness and appropriate conduct during both the internship search and when meeting or working with your provider. Remember that your placement may be a process of using “guanxi” (example: changing your mind last minute after confirming your internship placement is viewed to be unprofessional and damaging to the program's guanxi or reputation). 7. Adhere to all local laws and program policies laid out in this handbook. 8. Be committed to an internship for a duration of 4 to 6 months. The Nanjing Internship Staff is expected to: 1. Serve as gatekeeper, mediator, and follow up contact with students and internship providers. Staff also serves as the point of contact for students and internship providers to confirm placement. 2. Engage Internship providers to ensure productive internship experiences for students. 3. Arrange and conduct training seminars and workshops to support student preparation for the internships. 4. Facilitate internship search by meeting with students, contacting former providers when appropriate, or establishing new relationships. 5. Be responsible for monitoring each student's status (internship experience, student’s health, etc), contacting students when necessary, and collecting reports and evaluations . 6. Conduct internships site visits to meet with both providers and students. Page | 6
7. Provide reports and correspond with American Councils regarding the status of internships , student progress, and any issues. American Councils for International Education is expected to: 1. Serves as the administrative support and oversight of the Internship process under the directions of the Chinese Overseas Flagship Academic Council. 2. Communicates frequently with the Internship Staff regarding the status of internships, student progress, and any issues. 3. Reports and updates the Chinese Overseas Flagship Academic Council on internship progress and status. Domestic Chinese Flagship Institutions are expected to: 1. Prepare Flagship students linguistically, culturally, and emotionally for overseas capstone (please review the pre-capstone preparation document). 2. Encourage students to be flexible (sensitive to culture and open-minded) and independent, as is expected of Flagship students. 3. Be responsible for internship credit transfer and articulations. American Councils and the Nanjing Chinese Flagship Center Internship Staff may facilitate as needed. 4. Encourage students to investigate all possible existing relationships with Chinese internship providers and share potential provider contacts if available. 5. Support Internship Staff and American Councils in efforts related to the internship module. Internship Providers are expected to: 1. Provide learning opportunities for Chinese Flagship interns (this may not be the same for all internship opportunities as providers have varying outlooks on foreign interns). 2. Provide evaluations on their student interns on (1) Language proficiency; (2) Work Performance: and (3) Cultural readiness and professional etiquette.
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B. Overseas Program Timeline Please note that the academic calendar in China varies.
Fall: DIRECT ENROLLMENT Late August through Mid January [Students are expected to arrive by late August for orientation. Classes at Nanjing begin either at the end of August or in early September.] INTERNSHIP
Early/Mid February (varies due to holidays) – End of July Students should leave one free week to transition to the internship module.
Spring: DIRECT ENROLLMENT End of Spring Festival (January/February) – Early July [Students are expected to arrive in Nanjing at the end of Spring Festival for orientation.] INTERNSHIP
Mid July – Mid December (before Christmas) Students should leave one free week to transition to the internship module.
C. Communication Students Student communication with the Nanjing Internship Staff is mandatory and should be conducted regularly during the internship placement process, whether via email, over the phone, or face-to-face. Bi-weekly reports are required to be submitted to the Internship Staff once the internship commences (see “Program Completion and Evaluation” for details). Students must respond to all messages from staff in a prompt manner. As cell phones are an important means of communication between staff and students, cell phones must be charged with credit and have sufficient battery power at all times. Students must have their phones turned on and answer calls and texts from internship staff. If a phone number is changed, students must immediately notify internship staff. If a cell phone is lost or stolen, students must purchase another phone to maintain contact with internship staff. Lost phones must be replaced within 24 hours without exception. Nanjing Internship Staff The Internship Staff will report to American Councils by submitting regular reports and conducting meetings via Skype on student progress, status, and issues. Page | 8
American Councils Based on the reports submitted to American Councils by the Internship Staff, American Councils Chinese Overseas Flagship staff will submit monthly updates to the Academic Council.
D. Travel Outside travel during internship Prior to all overnight travel outside the internship city, students must submit an outside travel form. Prior approval is required for all personal and business travel during which a student spends one or more nights away from the city where they intern. The form requires students to provide specific train, bus, or flight numbers, a detailed address and contact phone number for accommodations at the destination(s), date(s) of travel, and the best way of contacting the student during travel (usually a cell phone number). After receiving these forms in advance, the internship staff will approve all safe and reasonable requests. Completing this form will require students to plan in advance. Though travelers in China often purchase train and bus tickets at the station just prior to departure, general plans such as "I will take a late afternoon train from Nanjing to Shanghai" are not sufficiently detailed and will not be accepted. Students must provide a specific bus, train, or flight number. If travel plans change, students must call or text internship staff prior to boarding their means of transportation. The following message would be sufficient to inform staff of a modification: "I had planned on getting on train G2077 from Nanjing to Shanghai at 12:30, but I missed the train. I have changed my ticket and will now be taking train G2079 on the same route departing at 1:30". The outside travel form procedure is in place for safety reasons to ensure that staff are aware of students' whereabouts in case of emergency. Failure to adhere to this policy will result in disciplinary action. International Travel Fall students must notify the internship staff of any international travel planned during the Spring Festival break. Students must provide an itinerary to the Internship Coordinator and request permission to travel at least one week prior to the planned departure date. Travel to internship site Students must incorporate the internship time and testing requirements when scheduling their return to the US. Depending on scheduled date of return to the United States, it may be necessary for a student to report to internship providers immediately following the end of the Page | 9
semester at Nanjing University. Especially for students starting their internships during the summer, any break between final exams and the start of your internship will be contingent upon both your internship provider and the Flagship program's four-month time requirement. Additionally, each student who is relocating to another city outside Nanjing should leave approximately a one week transition period between moving to a new host city and the start of internship work. Based on past students' experiences, this transition period is necessary due to legal requirements such as registering with the local police as well as a variety of other timeconsuming logistical issues associated with moving to a new city.
E. Academic Semester Completion Students are required to finish all portions of the academic program/direct enrollment studies before leaving school at the end of the semester. This includes any make up tests, reports, homework, or other missing assignments. A student’s eligibility to continue to the internship component is contingent upon successful completion of the academic program/direct enrollment studies and positive remarks on his or her mid-program evaluation. All requirements must be completed before the Internship Workshop held at the end of the semester. For a detailed list of the academic program's requirements, see Appendix C.
F. Health and Safety Your safety is the paramount concern of the Flagship staff. Many of the internship policies in this handbook are specifically designed to keep students safe during the capstone program. In addition, students should always use common sense regarding safety: be aware of your surroundings and always inform staff when traveling outside of your internship city. In the event of an emergency, the please contact the internship staff immediately: 1. Students should contact the Internship Coordinator first. The Internship Coordinator will work with students to resolve the emergency. If additional support is needed, the Internship Coordinator will contact the Nanjing Center Director. 2. The Nanjing Center Director will correspond with American Councils DC staff to address the emergency and provide updates on the situation. 3. American Councils DC staff will update each Chinese Flagship institutions on the status of their students and inform them when the emergency has been resolved.
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EMERGENCY CONTACTS: NANJING CHINESE FLAGSHIP CENTER, CHINA QIN ZHANG Director [email protected] CELL PHONE: 86-13813073066 Skype: qzhang88888 DOUG HUGHES, Internship Coordinator [email protected] 24-HOUR - CELL PHONE: 86-13701464831 Office phone: 025-8337-6561 Skype: DougACNanjing AMERICAN COUNCILS FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION, WASHINGTON DC LINDA LARSEN Program Manager [email protected] 24-HOUR: 1-800-621-9559 OR 1-202-498-3481 Office phone: 202-833-7522 Students choosing to live with roommates during their internships should be prudent in their selection. When searching for a roommate, especially if the student has no prior relationship with that person, the Flagship internship staff recommends that male students look for male roommates and that female students look for female roommates. In addition to potential safety issues, roommate situations involving men and women are often frowned upon in Chinese culture.
G. Confidentiality American Councils and Nanjing-based Internship staff respect students’ privacy and maintain confidentiality concerning medical information. However, if a student is endangering either himself/herself or others, the internship staff and American Councils have a right to share information with the necessary program staff and medical professionals as well as with domestic institutions. H. Training Workshop The Nanjing Internship Staff will organize mandatory internship training workshops and seminars throughout the semester. All students must attend these trainings. Failure to attend the training workshop and all seminars can result in disciplinary action.
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I. Spoken Chinese Enhancement Course and Chinese Language Support Students are required to take part in the spoken Chinese enhancement course during the internship module. The class consists of twelve one-on-one tutoring sessions with Nanjing University teaching staff. These tutoring sessions will mainly be held over Skype and focus on speaking skills. This course is mandatory for all students and requires students to prepare assigned topics in advance. Teachers will schedule trainings with students outside of internship work hours. Students will need to be flexible as each teacher will be coordinating tutoring sessions with multiple students. Students should contact Spoken Chinese Development before the end of the academic semester to schedule the first two tutoring sessions in a face-to-face setting. Students should call or email their teachers directly to schedule tutoring sessions and exchange Skype user names. These tutoring sessions will be recorded and reviewed by internship staff in order to track each student's language improvement. If students miss a session or arrive late without notifying the teacher 24 hours in advance, disciplinary actions will be taken (see "disciplinary policy"). The Chinese Overseas Flagship program also offers an optional Chinese Language Support program to students. Nanjing University teaching assistants are available to answer questions related to Chinese, including inquires regarding HSK test preparation, throughout the internship module. The names and contact information for Chinese Language Support teachers will be made available to students at the beginning of the internship module. J. Vacation and Sick Policy In keeping with Flagship Program expectations as well as Chinese business culture, students are not allowed to request or take any discretionary vacation time during the internship module. This policy overrides any allowances of personal leave granted by internship providers. The Flagship program requires students to maintain full-time employment throughout the internship (40 hours or more per week). If a student is sick and unable to attend work, he or she is required to contact their direct supervisor and e-mail the internship staff in Nanjing prior to the start of the workday. If a student is unable to attend a second day of work, the student must notify the Internship Staff by text message or phone call prior to the start of the second workday. Students should always notify their direct supervisor of any illness prior to notifying Flagship staff. During the academic portion of the capstone year, it not appropriate for Flagship students to frequently request time off from class to attend internship interviews. Initial interviews will typically be conducted over the phone. Students should be able to schedule most interviews outside of class time without significant difficulty. Students are allowed to request a maximum Page | 12
of three excused absences from class to attend interviews. Requests for this kind of absence must be submitted in writing to the Program Director well in advance.
K. Termination In extenuating circumstances, a student might be allowed to terminate an internship placement. If a student wishes to terminate their internship for any reason, including a medical issue, he or she must submit a request in writing to Flagship staff both in Nanjing and at their home institution. Permission to terminate a Flagship internship will only be grating after the student, the Flagship staff, the internship provider, and the student’s domestic institution have discussed the matter. If all these parties agree that terminating the internship is in the best interest of all involved, permission will be given for the student to resign. Participation in the Overseas Flagship Program requires that students are in good physical and mental health throughout their time in China. Health issues that during the capstone year may render a student unable to complete the program. In the case of an illness that affects student safety, American Councils and the Flagship internship staff will make recommendations concerning the student's continued participation in the capstone year to the relevant parties involved.
L. Compliance With Visa Statues and Internship Compensation Flagship students obtain an X-type student visa in order to attend the Chinese Overseas Flagship Program. According to Chinese law, foreign passport holders on an X-type visa may not receive work related compensation or benefits. Students are only allowed to work as uncompensated interns while using an X-type visa. Penalties for Foreigners working illegally in China are severe. Foreign nationals can be detained for up to 15 days and can be fined as much as RMB 20,000. In addition, illegal workers can be deported and blocked from returning to China for either 5 or 10 years. Some Chinese companies may require students to sign an internship contract. If students are required to sign a contract, they must first carefully verify that the text contains absolutely no stipulations concerning compensation or benefits. If students do sign a contract, the document should be scanned and immediately provided to Flagship internship staff. If internship providers do not require a contract, it's best not to have one. Flagship students should not seek out compensated part-time work during any portion of the capstone program. Students will be held personally responsible for any violations of Chinese visa laws or Flagship program policies. Page | 13
M. Program Completion and Evaluation Evaluation is an important component of the overall internship process. Students must be diligent with submitting their reports on time as they will be a part of an overall grade. Reports Upon starting work, students are required to submit biweekly reports by email to the Internship staff. The content of the eight biweekly reports due should include, but is not limited to: (a)Chinese language use and development; (b) summary of student’s internship experience during the reporting period, including details about specific tasks and assignments; (c) whether or not the student has issues to discuss with staff, (d) brief status update (how the student is doing, health concerns, safety etc.), (e) additional remarks. Please see Appendix B for a sample report. In addition to the eight bi-weekly reports, students are also required to submit a final summary report during the last week of their internship. Students will provide a summary and evaluation of their overall internship experience in this report. Internship grade and academic credit transfer The Internship Staff will provide an overall evaluation on the students on the following criteria: a) Timely submission and adequate content of biweekly reports (35%). These reports will be due on every second Sunday by 11:59 pm during the internship period. This schedule gives each student two days' time to reflect on the last two weeks of internship work and write a detailed report. Each report is worth five points. One point will be deducted for each day late after the scheduled deadline that a report is submitted. Thus, a report submitted two days late will be given 3 points out of 5, or 60%. A report submitted 5 days late will receive a score of 0. At the end of 16 weeks, the scores for all 8 reports will be averaged together to produce a grade worth 35% of your overall internship grade. Reports with insufficient information will be returned to students to be redone and 2 points will be deducted from the report's grade. b) Spoken Chinese Development Course: attendance, preparation, and performance (35%) Students should log onto Skype five to ten minutes before each class begins and must prepare their discussion topic in advance of each class. Students will receive a grade for each class session. Instructors will deduct points from the grades of students who are either tardy or unprepared for class. Page | 14
c)
Frequency of communication and timely responses to staff inquiries as well as attendance of all training sessions (15%). This includes emails or texts notifying internship staff of illness and any sick days.
d) Timely submission and adequate content of student final report (10%). Ten percent of the grade for this assignment will be deducted for each day late that the report is submitted. The Internship Coordinator will send out a message about the upcoming final report deadline and format a few weeks in advance of the report deadline. This report will be submitted at the end of each student's internship. For some students this will be the same day as their eighth biweekly report. e) Timely submission of completed internship provider evaluation form (5%) Each student will help Internship Staff coordinate with internship providers to obtain a completed evaluation prior to the internship end date. In addition to point deductions, students can earn extra credit. Some examples of earning extra credit include taking part in more than 12 Spoken Chinese Enhancement sessions, taking part in the voluntary Chinese Language Support program, submitting content for the internship newsletter, and other academically valuable pursuits. Please check with staff in advance regarding any activities you think might qualify for extra credit. A copy of each student's grade will be kept on file with the Nanjing Flagship office. The Nanjing Flagship Center will only provide verification letters to support academic credit requests to students who both a) complete all the internship requirements (See Appendix D for a list) and b) receive a passing internship grade. Students who fail to complete the requirements will receive an incomplete. If students wish to earn academic credit but are not eligible to earn credit at their home institution, please contact the internship staff. Final grades, including incompletes and failing marks, will be shared with each student's home institution at the end of the capstone year. Internship Provider Evaluation Two weeks prior to the end of the Flagship internship, each student is additionally responsible for ensuring that internship provider’s evaluation forms are submitted to Nanjing internship staff by their internship provider. The evaluation form will be provided directly to the student's supervisor and must be returned directly to internship staff prior to the internship's end date. Providers will list duties and tasks assigned to the intern and evaluate the students in the following areas: (a) language proficiency, (b) cultural readiness and ability to adapt, (c) overall work performance, and (d) professional conduct.
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N. Disciplinary Policy Students who do not adhere to the policies outlined in this manual, fail to provide timely updates to program staff, or engage in unsafe behavior will be subject to disciplinary action. The Chinese Overseas Flagship program employs a three strike disciplinary process that consists of the following steps: a verbal warning, a written warning, and dismissal from the program. A verbal warning will be issued to students who violate a Flagship policy, break a local law, or exhibit dangerous behavior (a non-exhaustive list is provided at the end of this section). Staff will inform the student that they have received a verbal warning and document the issue in Flagship program records. Depending on the severity of the issue, internship staff may notify the student's home institution and the Flagship administration in Washington DC. A second violation of Flagship policies will result in a written warning being issued to the student. A written warning will include a description of the behavior at issue and list the consequences if the student does not modify said behavior. The student will be required to sign and return the written warning. A copy will be provided to both students home institutions and the Flagship administration in Washington DC. Please note that verbal and written warnings are not solely issued for repeated violations of the same policy. Additionally, in cases where a student engages in exceptionally dangerous or disruptive behavior, staff reserve the right to skip one or more of these steps and proceed directly to either a written warning or dismissal. A decision to dismiss a student will only take place after consulting with the Flagship administration in Washington DC and staff from the student's home institution. Here are some examples of violations that will result in the issuance of a warning. Note: this list is not exhaustive. a) Receiving a grade of 2 or less on more than one biweekly report b) Violation of Chinese law (working a part-time job) c) Failure to attend work without notification or reason d) Failure to obtain prior permission to travel outside of the internship city e) Failure to maintain contact with staff, including not responding to emails, not answering your phone, or failure to maintain a working phone (lost phones must be replaced, new numbers must be shared with staff, you must have credit on your phone) f) Aggressive or disruptive conduct either at or outside of the student's workplace. g) Failure to adhere to agreed upon schedules for Spoke Chinese Enhancement sessions.
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O. Post-Program Language Assessment All Chinese Flagship students are required to participate in all post-program testing, which is similar to the pre-program assessment process. The required tests are as follows: 1. Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI): This test will be scheduled by the AC internship staff and must be taken in China prior to each student's departure. The OPI testing will be conducted in a face-to-face setting. Depending on the internship location in China, participants may be required to travel to another city to take the OPI test. In this case, Flagship will cover travel expenses.; 2. HSK test: A second round of HSK tests, both the HSK 6 and Advanced HSKK, will be scheduled during the third or fourth month of the internship module. Students interning in cities where HSK tests are not offered on the chosen dates may be required to travel to another city. In this case, Flagship will cover travel expenses.; 3. Online reading and listening tests: These online tests will be scheduled in testing blocks by American Councils for International Education. The testing blocks are normally scheduled during the same week as the face-to-face OPI exam. Students may need to find a neutral party to act as a proctor for this exam or travel to another city. If travel is required, Flagship will cover those expenses.; 4. Additional tests as required. Some students may be required to take additional language tests related to individual scholarships or fellowships. Please Note: These tests require a significant time commitment from students. Program Staff make efforts to find mutually convenient times to schedule assessment, but students must be flexible and adapt to the schedule they are given.
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APPENDICES A. Initial Internship Questionnaire PLEASE RETURN THE COMPLETED FORMS TO AMERICAN COUNCILS DC OFFICE. To help us learn more about your internship goals, please complete this questionnaire. Name of Student (English/Chinese):______________________________________________ Domain Interest A domain interest is not the same as your major. Responses such as "business", "Chinese", or "computer science" do not narrow a job search down to a manageable task. Responses such as "international fashion marketing", "teaching Chinese as a second language" and "web development and design" help to identify a list of companies that relate to a student's domain interest. Please provide as specific of a response as possible. My domain interest is: _________________________________________________________ Please list three goals you want to achieve during your internship. Please give specific and achievable responses such as "master enough specialized vocabulary to deliver a 10-minute presentation on China's environmental protection laws". 1.______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 2.______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 3.______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Internship Timeline The Overseas Flagship internship component lasts between four and six months' time. Generally, Fall semester students begin their internships just after the Spring Festival holiday, while Spring semester students begin their work shortly after the end of final exams. Please provide your expected timeline with your intended departure date from China following the completion of your internship: ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Existing Connections As you know from studying Chinese culture, relationships are very important when doing business in China. One of the most valuable assets when searching for an suitable internship is connections. We ask all students to think long and hard about what connections they might have in China. These connections can be made through parents, friends, professors, coworkers, fellow church goers, alumni networks, and any other people in your life with ties to Page | 18
China. Once you have clearly laid out your domain interest, please investigate the network of people around to see if you have untapped resources before you leave for China. After investigating, please provide some information on the contacts and connections you have in China (Name of company, name of contact, email, phone, etc). _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Internship Location Students sometimes have specific preferences in terms of the geographic location of their internship. The Nanjing Flagship internship staff work to help students secure internship in their desired location if possible. However, the Nanjing staff value an internship's relevance to your domain interest more than its geographic location. Students will need to be flexible when it comes to a preference for a certain city or region. If possible, I prefer to intern in___________________________________________________ Have you ever applied for a job? □ Yes □ No Have you ever interviewed for a job? □ Yes □ No Have you ever had a job? □ Yes □ No Please circle all that apply: Full-time job / Part-time job / Seasonal (summer) job Have you ever worked or interned in China? □ Yes □ No
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B. Sample Bi-weekly Report Sample student internship report: Please submit as a word document attachment with a clear title. Doug Hughes Student Internship report #1, February 28th, 2013 Working at American Councils, Nanjing China Part 1: Work Update 1. Hours worked Week 1 hours worked: 40 Week 2 hours worked: 45 If less than 40 hours, please explain (e.g. sick 1 day, holiday, etc). 2. Language Use Use of Chinese at work (approximate percent of time): 85% 3. Tasks using Chinese A. Speaking / Listening: - Contacted suppliers to discuss sales proposals - Met with my supervisor in her office about my work tasks (20 minute conversations each day) - Discussed American culture with my colleagues over lunch (1 hour a few times each week) - Made a 15 minute presentation to my department colleagues about our company's new products and target markets. - Attended two marketing strategy meetings (1 hour each) - Sat down with my colleague to learn the company's accounting procedures B. Reading / Writing: - Researched new products online (4 hours total) - Prepared a report on that research (5 hours total) - Studied my company's product manuals - Read customer e-mails, wrote responses. - Communicated with colleagues over instant messenger. 4. Summary of language usage: During the first two weeks of my internship, I have found many opportunities to speak and listen. I feel that my vocabulary and grammar related to professional tasks have improved significantly. I have spent some of my down time at work reviewing industry publications to learn more relevant terminology. Most of my opportunities to read and write have come in the form of e-mails and instant messenger. Because I struggle with professional writing, I have purchased a book on formal communication writing styles. I hope to be able to write formal responses to clients by the end of my internship. I'm struggling to understand my boss, who is from Fujian and speaks with a very thick accent. Page | 20
Part 2: Student Update Outside of work, I have been having a problem with my apartment. I found black mold and my landlord has refused to help me take care of the issue. I have started a volunteer position on the weekends teaching English to the children of migrant workers. I find Shanghai/Nanjing/Beijing/Chengdu to be........ Medical issues? For any serious issues, please call Doug directly. Part 3: Changes or verification of contact information. I have changed my phone number - it is now 1234567890 My Office has moved addresses, we are now located at: 中山北路 95 号 议事园大厦, 1615 室 江苏 南京鼓楼区 210009 Part 4: Upcoming travel plans Please include all work and personal travel. Also, we need travel information as early as possible. Thank you in advance for adhering to this safety measure. Trip to Shanghai – Personal Departure Date: 3/2/2013 Return Date: 3/3/2013. I am going to visit a friend. I will be reachable on my cell phone: 1234567890. Trip to Beijing – Work I will be traveling to Beijing to attend an international conference. I will be traveling with my supervisor and a colleague. Departure Date: 3/9/2013 Return Date: 3/10/2013 Part 5: Does the student wish to be contacted to discuss issues My company's general manger came to see me yesterday and told me my internship now requires me to teach his son English for one hour each day. I don't want to offend him, but I do not think this should be part of my work responsibilities. I would like to set up a time to talk with you about this issue. (Note: the Nanjing internship are here as a resource when you encounter difficult situations, but there will be lots of smaller issues you will need to solve on your own. Overcoming smaller challenges is one way that Flagship Students learn how to function in a local work environment. However, if you ever feel unsafe or if you think you’re being asked to do something that is wrong, please let us know immediately.) Part 6: Additional comments: Need to talk? Want to share a funny story? Want to share insights? Please feel free to do so here.
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C. Academic Program Completion Checklist In order to be allowed to continue from the Capstone academic program to the internship program, students must first complete all of the following requirement. a. Submit 8 English Language Reports b. Submit 12 Class Summary Reports c. Complete 15 Hours of Community Service d. Submit 4 Community Service Reports e. Complete all final exams and submit all final papers. f. Receive an overall grade of 75% or higher in the Flagship advanced writing and media classes. g. Complete 2 spoken Chinese enhancement sessions in Nanjing
D. Internship Program Completion Checklist Students must complete the requirements below in order to be eligible to receive certification of capstone completion or supporting documentation from the Nanjing center for academic credit transfers. a. 8 Biweekly Internship Reports b. Complete 10 spoken Chinese enhancement class sessions with an overall grade of 75% or higher during your internship. c. Submit final summary report. Instructions will be provided towards the end of your internship. d. Confirm that your internship supervisor has filled out and submitted your Flagship internship evaluation form. e. Complete all post-program testing including an OPI, American Councils for International Education Test of Reading and Listening, and a second round of HSK 6 and HSK Advanced Speaking Test.
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E. Acknowledgement Form PLEASE RETURN A SIGNED COPY TO AMERICAN COUNCILS DC OFFICE. I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE CHINESE FLAGSHIP INTERNSHIP MANUAL. BY SIGNING IT, I ACCEPT THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS IN THE INTERNSHIP MANUAL. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED POLICIES MAY JEOPARDIZE YOUR STANDING IN THE CHINESE FLAGSHIP PROGRAM.
Student Name (please print): __________________________________________
Domestic Home Institution (please print): ____________________________________
Student Signature: ____________________________________________
Date:
Nanjing Chinese Flagship Internship Staff: __________________________________
Date:
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美国国际教育委员会 2014 年 1 月 10 日
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CHINESE OVERSEAS FLAGSHIP INTERNSHIP MANUAL (For Students/Institutions) As of January 10, 2014 (subject to change)
CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION TO INTERNSHIP A. Introduction B. Objectives II. INTERNSHIP REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES A. Description of the Internship Placement Process B. Internship Requirements C. Procedures for Internship Placements III. INTERNSHIP POLICIES A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K. L. M. N. O.
Expectations Overseas Program Timeline Communication Travel Academic Semester Completion Health and Safety Privacy Policy Training Workshop Spoken Chinese Enhancement Course and Chinese Language Support Vacation and Sick Policy Termination Compliance with Visa Statutes and Internship Compensation Program Completion and Evaluation Disciplinary Policy Post-Program Language Assessment
IV. APPENDICES A. Initial internship questionnaire (Please return completed forms on pages 18-19 with Chinese Overseas Flagship acceptance package.) B. Sample Student Report C. Academic Program Completion Checklist D. Internship Program Completion Checklist E. Acknowledge Form (Please return the signed form on page 23.) Page | 2
I.
INTRODUCTION TO INTERNSHIP A. Introduction The Chinese Overseas Flagship Program consists of direct enrollment studies at Nanjing University and internship placement in a Chinese professional setting. The internship component of the Chinese Overseas Flagship Program is designed to enhance each participant’s language ability and professional experience in their field of interest. Participants work closely with the Chinese Flagship Program Internship staff in Nanjing to find and secure a substantial internship with a company, organization, or institution. Participants are expected to conduct their internships in a Chinese-based setting, using their high level language skills.
B. Objectives The aim of the internship module is to provide each participant with opportunities to apply their high-level language ability and cultural comprehension in a Chinese professional setting. As Chinese Flagship participants are lauded as high-level global professionals, they are expected to take initiative in searching for their internships. The Internship Staff is available to support and guide participants as needed. Expected outcomes may include but not limited to: 1. The ability to apply professional Chinese language in a broad range of communicative functions and in a wide variety of work-related tasks. 2. A firm grasp of Chinese social interactions, behavioral norms, and perspectives, as well as an understanding of administrative, commercial, and political processes in China. 3. The ability to interact appropriately and function efficiently in a professional Chinese setting. 4. Demonstrated professionalism and independence in a language immersion environment.
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II.
INTERNSHIP REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES A. Description of the Internship Placement Process
The Internship Placement Process is conducted using a combination of the following methods: 1. Student-driven/initiated search: Participants are strongly encouraged to take initiative in searching for internships related to their domain interest. Internship staff will support and advise students throughout the process. Participants should research any connections they might have to Chinese employers before departing for China. These connections can be found through a variety of sources such as university faculty and staff, family members, friends, former employers, alumni networks, and religious organizations among others. 2. Former and new contacts: The internship staff can contact former alumni/former internship providers to assist participants with their internship search. The internship staff also establishes new internship contacts and maintains relationships (“关系 guanxi”) with potential employers across Mainland China.
B. Internship Requirements All internships must meet the following requirements: 1. Students must intern in a Chinese-speaking professional setting within Mainland China, preferably with Chinese organizations. The most beneficial work environments for Flagship interns are those with the least number of colleagues who are native-level English speakers. 2. Teaching English may not be a primary job responsibility. 3. Students must work full-time for a period of at least four months, but are encouraged to work for periods of up to six months if possible. Part-time work completed prior to the end of the academic portion will not count towards this requirement. The minimum four-month requirement consists of sixteen weeks on the job broken down into eight biweekly reporting periods. 4. Students' internships must correspond to the participant’s field of interest and abilities, subject to certain political or cultural limitations. Certain internship locations are highly discouraged due to safety concerns.
C. Procedures for Internship Placements 1. RESUMES: Students will provide both English and Chinese versions of their resume to Flagship staff before departing for China. After arriving in Nanjing, students will work with advanced composition faculty members to revise and improve their resumes. Page | 4
2. INTERNSHIP BREIFING AND INITIAL INTERVIEW: Students will attend a mandatory presentation introducing the internship module approximately one month after arriving in Nanjing. The Internship Staff then conducts an initial interview with each student to discuss (a) domain interest; (b) internship goals; (c) the student's existing contacts; and (d) desired internship location and opportunity. 3. STUDENT SEARCH AND APPLICATION PROCESS: Students initiate their internship searches based on the objectives identified in individual meetings with staff. Internship staff are available to provide advice and guidance to students on a daily basis. Students are encouraged to regularly discuss their search process and application materials with staff. Note: Students are not allowed to accept internship positions in any region of Mainland China that requires an additional visa or entry permit, such as Hong Kong, Macau, or Tibet. Flagship staff will make the final decision regarding internships in regions of China that pose safety concerns. Flagship students will not be allowed to accept an internship if conditions in that area are unsafe. 4. UPDATE: Students provide internship contact information and internship responsibilities to Internship Staff for follow up and maintenance in a database. 5. ENGAGE: The Internship Staff engages the internship provider: (a) Introduce Flagship and goals; (b) Confirm internship opportunity and responsibilities for students; (c) Location and start/end date; (d) Confirm expectations from internship provider and from students. 6. WORKSHOP: The Internship Staff will schedule mandatory training seminars and workshops for students throughout the semester. Discussion topics include job search tips, professional etiquette in China, working in a professional Chinese environment, and the previous internship experiences of Flagship alumni. 7. FOLLOWUP AND EVALUATION: Once internships begin, students are expected to provide the Internship Staff with frequent status updates, respond to the Internship Staff’s questions and requests in a timely manner, and submit bi-weekly reports by each deadline (see “INTERNSHIP POLICIES” for more details). A database of student internship information including (a) Student location and contact info; (b) Internship provider contact/info; (c) Internship site and responsibilities will be collected and retained by the Nanjing Chinese Flagship Internship Staff.
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III.
INTERNSHIP POLICIES A. Expectations
Students are expected to: 1. Work collaboratively with the Nanjing Chinese Flagship Center Internship Staff to secure an internship placement. 2. Communicate frequently with the Internship Staff on concerns or issues regarding both the internship search and internship work. Students must respond to messages from program staff, be reachable at all times during the program, and submit all reports on time. 3. Acquire the right attitude (“when in Rome”) when searching for and securing internship placements, as finding a perfect match is challenging. Preferences to a particular city or location in China should not be a reason for turning down a good internship opportunity. 4. Be flexible, open-minded, and realistic about internship opportunities. Some local employers may only want native Chinese interns who are versed in the language, culture, and professional etiquette. 5. Be professional representatives of both their domestic institution and the Chinese Flagship Program (show up on time, keep a positive attitude, and be open-minded, etc.) 6. Maintain cultural awareness and appropriate conduct during both the internship search and when meeting or working with your provider. Remember that your placement may be a process of using “guanxi” (example: changing your mind last minute after confirming your internship placement is viewed to be unprofessional and damaging to the program's guanxi or reputation). 7. Adhere to all local laws and program policies laid out in this handbook. 8. Be committed to an internship for a duration of 4 to 6 months. The Nanjing Internship Staff is expected to: 1. Serve as gatekeeper, mediator, and follow up contact with students and internship providers. Staff also serves as the point of contact for students and internship providers to confirm placement. 2. Engage Internship providers to ensure productive internship experiences for students. 3. Arrange and conduct training seminars and workshops to support student preparation for the internships. 4. Facilitate internship search by meeting with students, contacting former providers when appropriate, or establishing new relationships. 5. Be responsible for monitoring each student's status (internship experience, student’s health, etc), contacting students when necessary, and collecting reports and evaluations . 6. Conduct internships site visits to meet with both providers and students. Page | 6
7. Provide reports and correspond with American Councils regarding the status of internships , student progress, and any issues. American Councils for International Education is expected to: 1. Serves as the administrative support and oversight of the Internship process under the directions of the Chinese Overseas Flagship Academic Council. 2. Communicates frequently with the Internship Staff regarding the status of internships, student progress, and any issues. 3. Reports and updates the Chinese Overseas Flagship Academic Council on internship progress and status. Domestic Chinese Flagship Institutions are expected to: 1. Prepare Flagship students linguistically, culturally, and emotionally for overseas capstone (please review the pre-capstone preparation document). 2. Encourage students to be flexible (sensitive to culture and open-minded) and independent, as is expected of Flagship students. 3. Be responsible for internship credit transfer and articulations. American Councils and the Nanjing Chinese Flagship Center Internship Staff may facilitate as needed. 4. Encourage students to investigate all possible existing relationships with Chinese internship providers and share potential provider contacts if available. 5. Support Internship Staff and American Councils in efforts related to the internship module. Internship Providers are expected to: 1. Provide learning opportunities for Chinese Flagship interns (this may not be the same for all internship opportunities as providers have varying outlooks on foreign interns). 2. Provide evaluations on their student interns on (1) Language proficiency; (2) Work Performance: and (3) Cultural readiness and professional etiquette.
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B. Overseas Program Timeline Please note that the academic calendar in China varies.
Fall: DIRECT ENROLLMENT Late August through Mid January [Students are expected to arrive by late August for orientation. Classes at Nanjing begin either at the end of August or in early September.] INTERNSHIP
Early/Mid February (varies due to holidays) – End of July Students should leave one free week to transition to the internship module.
Spring: DIRECT ENROLLMENT End of Spring Festival (January/February) – Early July [Students are expected to arrive in Nanjing at the end of Spring Festival for orientation.] INTERNSHIP
Mid July – Mid December (before Christmas) Students should leave one free week to transition to the internship module.
C. Communication Students Student communication with the Nanjing Internship Staff is mandatory and should be conducted regularly during the internship placement process, whether via email, over the phone, or face-to-face. Bi-weekly reports are required to be submitted to the Internship Staff once the internship commences (see “Program Completion and Evaluation” for details). Students must respond to all messages from staff in a prompt manner. As cell phones are an important means of communication between staff and students, cell phones must be charged with credit and have sufficient battery power at all times. Students must have their phones turned on and answer calls and texts from internship staff. If a phone number is changed, students must immediately notify internship staff. If a cell phone is lost or stolen, students must purchase another phone to maintain contact with internship staff. Lost phones must be replaced within 24 hours without exception. Nanjing Internship Staff The Internship Staff will report to American Councils by submitting regular reports and conducting meetings via Skype on student progress, status, and issues. Page | 8
American Councils Based on the reports submitted to American Councils by the Internship Staff, American Councils Chinese Overseas Flagship staff will submit monthly updates to the Academic Council.
D. Travel Outside travel during internship Prior to all overnight travel outside the internship city, students must submit an outside travel form. Prior approval is required for all personal and business travel during which a student spends one or more nights away from the city where they intern. The form requires students to provide specific train, bus, or flight numbers, a detailed address and contact phone number for accommodations at the destination(s), date(s) of travel, and the best way of contacting the student during travel (usually a cell phone number). After receiving these forms in advance, the internship staff will approve all safe and reasonable requests. Completing this form will require students to plan in advance. Though travelers in China often purchase train and bus tickets at the station just prior to departure, general plans such as "I will take a late afternoon train from Nanjing to Shanghai" are not sufficiently detailed and will not be accepted. Students must provide a specific bus, train, or flight number. If travel plans change, students must call or text internship staff prior to boarding their means of transportation. The following message would be sufficient to inform staff of a modification: "I had planned on getting on train G2077 from Nanjing to Shanghai at 12:30, but I missed the train. I have changed my ticket and will now be taking train G2079 on the same route departing at 1:30". The outside travel form procedure is in place for safety reasons to ensure that staff are aware of students' whereabouts in case of emergency. Failure to adhere to this policy will result in disciplinary action. International Travel Fall students must notify the internship staff of any international travel planned during the Spring Festival break. Students must provide an itinerary to the Internship Coordinator and request permission to travel at least one week prior to the planned departure date. Travel to internship site Students must incorporate the internship time and testing requirements when scheduling their return to the US. Depending on scheduled date of return to the United States, it may be necessary for a student to report to internship providers immediately following the end of the Page | 9
semester at Nanjing University. Especially for students starting their internships during the summer, any break between final exams and the start of your internship will be contingent upon both your internship provider and the Flagship program's four-month time requirement. Additionally, each student who is relocating to another city outside Nanjing should leave approximately a one week transition period between moving to a new host city and the start of internship work. Based on past students' experiences, this transition period is necessary due to legal requirements such as registering with the local police as well as a variety of other timeconsuming logistical issues associated with moving to a new city.
E. Academic Semester Completion Students are required to finish all portions of the academic program/direct enrollment studies before leaving school at the end of the semester. This includes any make up tests, reports, homework, or other missing assignments. A student’s eligibility to continue to the internship component is contingent upon successful completion of the academic program/direct enrollment studies and positive remarks on his or her mid-program evaluation. All requirements must be completed before the Internship Workshop held at the end of the semester. For a detailed list of the academic program's requirements, see Appendix C.
F. Health and Safety Your safety is the paramount concern of the Flagship staff. Many of the internship policies in this handbook are specifically designed to keep students safe during the capstone program. In addition, students should always use common sense regarding safety: be aware of your surroundings and always inform staff when traveling outside of your internship city. In the event of an emergency, the please contact the internship staff immediately: 1. Students should contact the Internship Coordinator first. The Internship Coordinator will work with students to resolve the emergency. If additional support is needed, the Internship Coordinator will contact the Nanjing Center Director. 2. The Nanjing Center Director will correspond with American Councils DC staff to address the emergency and provide updates on the situation. 3. American Councils DC staff will update each Chinese Flagship institutions on the status of their students and inform them when the emergency has been resolved.
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EMERGENCY CONTACTS: NANJING CHINESE FLAGSHIP CENTER, CHINA QIN ZHANG Director [email protected] CELL PHONE: 86-13813073066 Skype: qzhang88888 DOUG HUGHES, Internship Coordinator [email protected] 24-HOUR - CELL PHONE: 86-13701464831 Office phone: 025-8337-6561 Skype: DougACNanjing AMERICAN COUNCILS FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION, WASHINGTON DC LINDA LARSEN Program Manager [email protected] 24-HOUR: 1-800-621-9559 OR 1-202-498-3481 Office phone: 202-833-7522 Students choosing to live with roommates during their internships should be prudent in their selection. When searching for a roommate, especially if the student has no prior relationship with that person, the Flagship internship staff recommends that male students look for male roommates and that female students look for female roommates. In addition to potential safety issues, roommate situations involving men and women are often frowned upon in Chinese culture.
G. Confidentiality American Councils and Nanjing-based Internship staff respect students’ privacy and maintain confidentiality concerning medical information. However, if a student is endangering either himself/herself or others, the internship staff and American Councils have a right to share information with the necessary program staff and medical professionals as well as with domestic institutions. H. Training Workshop The Nanjing Internship Staff will organize mandatory internship training workshops and seminars throughout the semester. All students must attend these trainings. Failure to attend the training workshop and all seminars can result in disciplinary action.
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I. Spoken Chinese Enhancement Course and Chinese Language Support Students are required to take part in the spoken Chinese enhancement course during the internship module. The class consists of twelve one-on-one tutoring sessions with Nanjing University teaching staff. These tutoring sessions will mainly be held over Skype and focus on speaking skills. This course is mandatory for all students and requires students to prepare assigned topics in advance. Teachers will schedule trainings with students outside of internship work hours. Students will need to be flexible as each teacher will be coordinating tutoring sessions with multiple students. Students should contact Spoken Chinese Development before the end of the academic semester to schedule the first two tutoring sessions in a face-to-face setting. Students should call or email their teachers directly to schedule tutoring sessions and exchange Skype user names. These tutoring sessions will be recorded and reviewed by internship staff in order to track each student's language improvement. If students miss a session or arrive late without notifying the teacher 24 hours in advance, disciplinary actions will be taken (see "disciplinary policy"). The Chinese Overseas Flagship program also offers an optional Chinese Language Support program to students. Nanjing University teaching assistants are available to answer questions related to Chinese, including inquires regarding HSK test preparation, throughout the internship module. The names and contact information for Chinese Language Support teachers will be made available to students at the beginning of the internship module. J. Vacation and Sick Policy In keeping with Flagship Program expectations as well as Chinese business culture, students are not allowed to request or take any discretionary vacation time during the internship module. This policy overrides any allowances of personal leave granted by internship providers. The Flagship program requires students to maintain full-time employment throughout the internship (40 hours or more per week). If a student is sick and unable to attend work, he or she is required to contact their direct supervisor and e-mail the internship staff in Nanjing prior to the start of the workday. If a student is unable to attend a second day of work, the student must notify the Internship Staff by text message or phone call prior to the start of the second workday. Students should always notify their direct supervisor of any illness prior to notifying Flagship staff. During the academic portion of the capstone year, it not appropriate for Flagship students to frequently request time off from class to attend internship interviews. Initial interviews will typically be conducted over the phone. Students should be able to schedule most interviews outside of class time without significant difficulty. Students are allowed to request a maximum Page | 12
of three excused absences from class to attend interviews. Requests for this kind of absence must be submitted in writing to the Program Director well in advance.
K. Termination In extenuating circumstances, a student might be allowed to terminate an internship placement. If a student wishes to terminate their internship for any reason, including a medical issue, he or she must submit a request in writing to Flagship staff both in Nanjing and at their home institution. Permission to terminate a Flagship internship will only be grating after the student, the Flagship staff, the internship provider, and the student’s domestic institution have discussed the matter. If all these parties agree that terminating the internship is in the best interest of all involved, permission will be given for the student to resign. Participation in the Overseas Flagship Program requires that students are in good physical and mental health throughout their time in China. Health issues that during the capstone year may render a student unable to complete the program. In the case of an illness that affects student safety, American Councils and the Flagship internship staff will make recommendations concerning the student's continued participation in the capstone year to the relevant parties involved.
L. Compliance With Visa Statues and Internship Compensation Flagship students obtain an X-type student visa in order to attend the Chinese Overseas Flagship Program. According to Chinese law, foreign passport holders on an X-type visa may not receive work related compensation or benefits. Students are only allowed to work as uncompensated interns while using an X-type visa. Penalties for Foreigners working illegally in China are severe. Foreign nationals can be detained for up to 15 days and can be fined as much as RMB 20,000. In addition, illegal workers can be deported and blocked from returning to China for either 5 or 10 years. Some Chinese companies may require students to sign an internship contract. If students are required to sign a contract, they must first carefully verify that the text contains absolutely no stipulations concerning compensation or benefits. If students do sign a contract, the document should be scanned and immediately provided to Flagship internship staff. If internship providers do not require a contract, it's best not to have one. Flagship students should not seek out compensated part-time work during any portion of the capstone program. Students will be held personally responsible for any violations of Chinese visa laws or Flagship program policies. Page | 13
M. Program Completion and Evaluation Evaluation is an important component of the overall internship process. Students must be diligent with submitting their reports on time as they will be a part of an overall grade. Reports Upon starting work, students are required to submit biweekly reports by email to the Internship staff. The content of the eight biweekly reports due should include, but is not limited to: (a)Chinese language use and development; (b) summary of student’s internship experience during the reporting period, including details about specific tasks and assignments; (c) whether or not the student has issues to discuss with staff, (d) brief status update (how the student is doing, health concerns, safety etc.), (e) additional remarks. Please see Appendix B for a sample report. In addition to the eight bi-weekly reports, students are also required to submit a final summary report during the last week of their internship. Students will provide a summary and evaluation of their overall internship experience in this report. Internship grade and academic credit transfer The Internship Staff will provide an overall evaluation on the students on the following criteria: a) Timely submission and adequate content of biweekly reports (35%). These reports will be due on every second Sunday by 11:59 pm during the internship period. This schedule gives each student two days' time to reflect on the last two weeks of internship work and write a detailed report. Each report is worth five points. One point will be deducted for each day late after the scheduled deadline that a report is submitted. Thus, a report submitted two days late will be given 3 points out of 5, or 60%. A report submitted 5 days late will receive a score of 0. At the end of 16 weeks, the scores for all 8 reports will be averaged together to produce a grade worth 35% of your overall internship grade. Reports with insufficient information will be returned to students to be redone and 2 points will be deducted from the report's grade. b) Spoken Chinese Development Course: attendance, preparation, and performance (35%) Students should log onto Skype five to ten minutes before each class begins and must prepare their discussion topic in advance of each class. Students will receive a grade for each class session. Instructors will deduct points from the grades of students who are either tardy or unprepared for class. Page | 14
c)
Frequency of communication and timely responses to staff inquiries as well as attendance of all training sessions (15%). This includes emails or texts notifying internship staff of illness and any sick days.
d) Timely submission and adequate content of student final report (10%). Ten percent of the grade for this assignment will be deducted for each day late that the report is submitted. The Internship Coordinator will send out a message about the upcoming final report deadline and format a few weeks in advance of the report deadline. This report will be submitted at the end of each student's internship. For some students this will be the same day as their eighth biweekly report. e) Timely submission of completed internship provider evaluation form (5%) Each student will help Internship Staff coordinate with internship providers to obtain a completed evaluation prior to the internship end date. In addition to point deductions, students can earn extra credit. Some examples of earning extra credit include taking part in more than 12 Spoken Chinese Enhancement sessions, taking part in the voluntary Chinese Language Support program, submitting content for the internship newsletter, and other academically valuable pursuits. Please check with staff in advance regarding any activities you think might qualify for extra credit. A copy of each student's grade will be kept on file with the Nanjing Flagship office. The Nanjing Flagship Center will only provide verification letters to support academic credit requests to students who both a) complete all the internship requirements (See Appendix D for a list) and b) receive a passing internship grade. Students who fail to complete the requirements will receive an incomplete. If students wish to earn academic credit but are not eligible to earn credit at their home institution, please contact the internship staff. Final grades, including incompletes and failing marks, will be shared with each student's home institution at the end of the capstone year. Internship Provider Evaluation Two weeks prior to the end of the Flagship internship, each student is additionally responsible for ensuring that internship provider’s evaluation forms are submitted to Nanjing internship staff by their internship provider. The evaluation form will be provided directly to the student's supervisor and must be returned directly to internship staff prior to the internship's end date. Providers will list duties and tasks assigned to the intern and evaluate the students in the following areas: (a) language proficiency, (b) cultural readiness and ability to adapt, (c) overall work performance, and (d) professional conduct.
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N. Disciplinary Policy Students who do not adhere to the policies outlined in this manual, fail to provide timely updates to program staff, or engage in unsafe behavior will be subject to disciplinary action. The Chinese Overseas Flagship program employs a three strike disciplinary process that consists of the following steps: a verbal warning, a written warning, and dismissal from the program. A verbal warning will be issued to students who violate a Flagship policy, break a local law, or exhibit dangerous behavior (a non-exhaustive list is provided at the end of this section). Staff will inform the student that they have received a verbal warning and document the issue in Flagship program records. Depending on the severity of the issue, internship staff may notify the student's home institution and the Flagship administration in Washington DC. A second violation of Flagship policies will result in a written warning being issued to the student. A written warning will include a description of the behavior at issue and list the consequences if the student does not modify said behavior. The student will be required to sign and return the written warning. A copy will be provided to both students home institutions and the Flagship administration in Washington DC. Please note that verbal and written warnings are not solely issued for repeated violations of the same policy. Additionally, in cases where a student engages in exceptionally dangerous or disruptive behavior, staff reserve the right to skip one or more of these steps and proceed directly to either a written warning or dismissal. A decision to dismiss a student will only take place after consulting with the Flagship administration in Washington DC and staff from the student's home institution. Here are some examples of violations that will result in the issuance of a warning. Note: this list is not exhaustive. a) Receiving a grade of 2 or less on more than one biweekly report b) Violation of Chinese law (working a part-time job) c) Failure to attend work without notification or reason d) Failure to obtain prior permission to travel outside of the internship city e) Failure to maintain contact with staff, including not responding to emails, not answering your phone, or failure to maintain a working phone (lost phones must be replaced, new numbers must be shared with staff, you must have credit on your phone) f) Aggressive or disruptive conduct either at or outside of the student's workplace. g) Failure to adhere to agreed upon schedules for Spoke Chinese Enhancement sessions.
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O. Post-Program Language Assessment All Chinese Flagship students are required to participate in all post-program testing, which is similar to the pre-program assessment process. The required tests are as follows: 1. Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI): This test will be scheduled by the AC internship staff and must be taken in China prior to each student's departure. The OPI testing will be conducted in a face-to-face setting. Depending on the internship location in China, participants may be required to travel to another city to take the OPI test. In this case, Flagship will cover travel expenses.; 2. HSK test: A second round of HSK tests, both the HSK 6 and Advanced HSKK, will be scheduled during the third or fourth month of the internship module. Students interning in cities where HSK tests are not offered on the chosen dates may be required to travel to another city. In this case, Flagship will cover travel expenses.; 3. Online reading and listening tests: These online tests will be scheduled in testing blocks by American Councils for International Education. The testing blocks are normally scheduled during the same week as the face-to-face OPI exam. Students may need to find a neutral party to act as a proctor for this exam or travel to another city. If travel is required, Flagship will cover those expenses.; 4. Additional tests as required. Some students may be required to take additional language tests related to individual scholarships or fellowships. Please Note: These tests require a significant time commitment from students. Program Staff make efforts to find mutually convenient times to schedule assessment, but students must be flexible and adapt to the schedule they are given.
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APPENDICES A. Initial Internship Questionnaire PLEASE RETURN THE COMPLETED FORMS TO AMERICAN COUNCILS DC OFFICE. To help us learn more about your internship goals, please complete this questionnaire. Name of Student (English/Chinese):______________________________________________ Domain Interest A domain interest is not the same as your major. Responses such as "business", "Chinese", or "computer science" do not narrow a job search down to a manageable task. Responses such as "international fashion marketing", "teaching Chinese as a second language" and "web development and design" help to identify a list of companies that relate to a student's domain interest. Please provide as specific of a response as possible. My domain interest is: _________________________________________________________ Please list three goals you want to achieve during your internship. Please give specific and achievable responses such as "master enough specialized vocabulary to deliver a 10-minute presentation on China's environmental protection laws". 1.______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 2.______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 3.______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Internship Timeline The Overseas Flagship internship component lasts between four and six months' time. Generally, Fall semester students begin their internships just after the Spring Festival holiday, while Spring semester students begin their work shortly after the end of final exams. Please provide your expected timeline with your intended departure date from China following the completion of your internship: ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Existing Connections As you know from studying Chinese culture, relationships are very important when doing business in China. One of the most valuable assets when searching for an suitable internship is connections. We ask all students to think long and hard about what connections they might have in China. These connections can be made through parents, friends, professors, coworkers, fellow church goers, alumni networks, and any other people in your life with ties to Page | 18
China. Once you have clearly laid out your domain interest, please investigate the network of people around to see if you have untapped resources before you leave for China. After investigating, please provide some information on the contacts and connections you have in China (Name of company, name of contact, email, phone, etc). _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Internship Location Students sometimes have specific preferences in terms of the geographic location of their internship. The Nanjing Flagship internship staff work to help students secure internship in their desired location if possible. However, the Nanjing staff value an internship's relevance to your domain interest more than its geographic location. Students will need to be flexible when it comes to a preference for a certain city or region. If possible, I prefer to intern in___________________________________________________ Have you ever applied for a job? □ Yes □ No Have you ever interviewed for a job? □ Yes □ No Have you ever had a job? □ Yes □ No Please circle all that apply: Full-time job / Part-time job / Seasonal (summer) job Have you ever worked or interned in China? □ Yes □ No
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B. Sample Bi-weekly Report Sample student internship report: Please submit as a word document attachment with a clear title. Doug Hughes Student Internship report #1, February 28th, 2013 Working at American Councils, Nanjing China Part 1: Work Update 1. Hours worked Week 1 hours worked: 40 Week 2 hours worked: 45 If less than 40 hours, please explain (e.g. sick 1 day, holiday, etc). 2. Language Use Use of Chinese at work (approximate percent of time): 85% 3. Tasks using Chinese A. Speaking / Listening: - Contacted suppliers to discuss sales proposals - Met with my supervisor in her office about my work tasks (20 minute conversations each day) - Discussed American culture with my colleagues over lunch (1 hour a few times each week) - Made a 15 minute presentation to my department colleagues about our company's new products and target markets. - Attended two marketing strategy meetings (1 hour each) - Sat down with my colleague to learn the company's accounting procedures B. Reading / Writing: - Researched new products online (4 hours total) - Prepared a report on that research (5 hours total) - Studied my company's product manuals - Read customer e-mails, wrote responses. - Communicated with colleagues over instant messenger. 4. Summary of language usage: During the first two weeks of my internship, I have found many opportunities to speak and listen. I feel that my vocabulary and grammar related to professional tasks have improved significantly. I have spent some of my down time at work reviewing industry publications to learn more relevant terminology. Most of my opportunities to read and write have come in the form of e-mails and instant messenger. Because I struggle with professional writing, I have purchased a book on formal communication writing styles. I hope to be able to write formal responses to clients by the end of my internship. I'm struggling to understand my boss, who is from Fujian and speaks with a very thick accent. Page | 20
Part 2: Student Update Outside of work, I have been having a problem with my apartment. I found black mold and my landlord has refused to help me take care of the issue. I have started a volunteer position on the weekends teaching English to the children of migrant workers. I find Shanghai/Nanjing/Beijing/Chengdu to be........ Medical issues? For any serious issues, please call Doug directly. Part 3: Changes or verification of contact information. I have changed my phone number - it is now 1234567890 My Office has moved addresses, we are now located at: 中山北路 95 号 议事园大厦, 1615 室 江苏 南京鼓楼区 210009 Part 4: Upcoming travel plans Please include all work and personal travel. Also, we need travel information as early as possible. Thank you in advance for adhering to this safety measure. Trip to Shanghai – Personal Departure Date: 3/2/2013 Return Date: 3/3/2013. I am going to visit a friend. I will be reachable on my cell phone: 1234567890. Trip to Beijing – Work I will be traveling to Beijing to attend an international conference. I will be traveling with my supervisor and a colleague. Departure Date: 3/9/2013 Return Date: 3/10/2013 Part 5: Does the student wish to be contacted to discuss issues My company's general manger came to see me yesterday and told me my internship now requires me to teach his son English for one hour each day. I don't want to offend him, but I do not think this should be part of my work responsibilities. I would like to set up a time to talk with you about this issue. (Note: the Nanjing internship are here as a resource when you encounter difficult situations, but there will be lots of smaller issues you will need to solve on your own. Overcoming smaller challenges is one way that Flagship Students learn how to function in a local work environment. However, if you ever feel unsafe or if you think you’re being asked to do something that is wrong, please let us know immediately.) Part 6: Additional comments: Need to talk? Want to share a funny story? Want to share insights? Please feel free to do so here.
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C. Academic Program Completion Checklist In order to be allowed to continue from the Capstone academic program to the internship program, students must first complete all of the following requirement. a. Submit 8 English Language Reports b. Submit 12 Class Summary Reports c. Complete 15 Hours of Community Service d. Submit 4 Community Service Reports e. Complete all final exams and submit all final papers. f. Receive an overall grade of 75% or higher in the Flagship advanced writing and media classes. g. Complete 2 spoken Chinese enhancement sessions in Nanjing
D. Internship Program Completion Checklist Students must complete the requirements below in order to be eligible to receive certification of capstone completion or supporting documentation from the Nanjing center for academic credit transfers. a. 8 Biweekly Internship Reports b. Complete 10 spoken Chinese enhancement class sessions with an overall grade of 75% or higher during your internship. c. Submit final summary report. Instructions will be provided towards the end of your internship. d. Confirm that your internship supervisor has filled out and submitted your Flagship internship evaluation form. e. Complete all post-program testing including an OPI, American Councils for International Education Test of Reading and Listening, and a second round of HSK 6 and HSK Advanced Speaking Test.
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E. Acknowledgement Form PLEASE RETURN A SIGNED COPY TO AMERICAN COUNCILS DC OFFICE. I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE CHINESE FLAGSHIP INTERNSHIP MANUAL. BY SIGNING IT, I ACCEPT THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS IN THE INTERNSHIP MANUAL. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED POLICIES MAY JEOPARDIZE YOUR STANDING IN THE CHINESE FLAGSHIP PROGRAM.
Student Name (please print): __________________________________________
Domestic Home Institution (please print): ____________________________________
Student Signature: ____________________________________________
Date:
Nanjing Chinese Flagship Internship Staff: __________________________________
Date:
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