珍貴的海外實習經歷該怎麼合理運用

Krishan Neelendra (below) felt a 2.1 in law from the University of Oxford was not sufficient to win a training contract at a good law firm. Nor his list of private pursuits: playing football, tennis, cricket and hockey for his college (Somerville), presenting a show on Oxide, the university radio station, a role on his college’s undergraduate committee and contributing poetry to Cherwell, the student newspaper. Despite working at a pro-bono law organisation, he still believed his CV needed something extra to make him sparkle. So he did an internship at Lantai partners, a Chinese law firm, in Beijing.

克里尚•尼倫德拉(Krishan Neelendra)認爲，他在牛津大學(University of Oxford)法學專業二等一級的成績（2.1，相當於中國大學本科平均分75分以上，譯者注），還不足以讓他贏得一家優秀律師事務所的培訓合同（training contract，在英國，在律所完成兩年培訓是成爲正式執業律師的必要步驟，這種合同本質上是工作合同——譯者注）。他曾爲他所就讀的牛津大學薩默維爾學院(Somerville)踢足球、打網球、板球和冰球，在大學廣播電臺Oxide主持一檔節目，在所在學院本科生委員會任職，還在學生報紙《查韋爾》(Cherwell)上發表過詩歌，但他的這些經歷，都不足以幫他實現贏得律所培訓合同這個目標。儘管他當時正在一家非盈利法律機構工作，但他仍認爲，他的簡歷中還需要有一些別的內容，才能讓他脫穎而出。因此他來到北京，在一家名爲蘭臺的中國本土律師事務所實習了一段時間。

“I had my eye on a training contract. Even if you have good academics and extracurricular activities it’s not enough to distinguish yourself,” says 23-year-old Mr Neelendra.

23歲的尼倫德拉表示：“我的目標是拿到培訓合同。即便你成績優異而且有豐富的課外活動經歷，也不足以讓你出類拔萃。”

While in Beijing, Mr Neelendra worked in intellectual property, guided by “a great mentor” at the firm who introduced him to a variety of experts in different areas of law. When it came to interviews with potential employers, his instincts proved correct. “They were all interested in my internship. Law firms wanted to discuss Asia.” He was offered a place at Olswang, a London-based law firm.

在北京，尼倫德拉從事的是知識產權方面的工作，律所負責指導他的那位“棒極了的導師”把他引見給了不同法律領域的各路專家。接受潛在僱主面試時的情況證明，他當初的直覺是對的。“他們都對我的實習經歷感興趣。各家律師事務所都希望跟我聊聊亞洲。”總部設在倫敦的奧尚律師事務所(Olswang)給了他一份工作邀請。

Amid stiff competition for jobs, including from overseas students, undergraduates are seeking new ways to mark themselves out from their peers. Companies, meanwhile, are keen to employ graduates with experience in overseas markets, especially emerging economies.

面對就業市場的激烈競爭（包括來自海外留學生的競爭），本科生正尋找新的方法讓自己脫穎而出。與此同時，企業也希望聘用具備海外市場（特別是新興市場）經歷的畢業生。

Many, like Mr Neelendra are finding that overseas internships fit the bill. They are so keen, they will pay for the privilege to work for free.

與尼倫德拉一樣，很多人發現，海外實習經歷恰好符合這個要求。他們的實習意願如此強烈，甚至願意爲獲得無薪工作機會付費。

CRCC Asia, the City-based company that organised Mr Neelendra’s internship, charges from £1,995 for a one-month placement to £3,495 for three months in China. Another, City Internships, offers work experience from £2,750 to £5,150 at companies in London, Hong Kong, New York and Los Angeles. It claims demand has increased steadily since its inception in 2011, particularly for students hankering for placements in banking, finance, law, marketing and technology companies in New York and Los Angeles. The price includes accommodation, organised social activities, networking opportunities and in some cases, language lessons.

爲尼倫德拉安排了實習的是總部位於倫敦金融城的士亞商務諮詢(CRCC Asia)，該公司的服務收費1995英鎊（1個月實習項目，地點：中國）至3495英鎊（3個月實習項目）。另一家公司City Internships能爲學生安排在倫敦、香港、紐約和洛杉磯的企業裏實習，收費2750英鎊至6.35萬港元（合5240英鎊）。該公司宣稱，自從2011年創立以來，需求一直穩步上升，尤其受到那些嚮往在紐約和洛杉磯的銀行、金融機構、律所、市場營銷機構以及科技企業實習的學生歡迎。這個價格包括安排學生在當地的住宿、安排他們參加有組織的社交活動、爲他們提供社交機會，在某些項目中還包括語言課程的費用。

Alex Townley, LA-based marketing manager at City Internships, says that “in such a competitive global jobs market it can take something special to stand out from the crowd. Both internship placements and international experience are highly sought-after by employers”.

City Internships駐洛杉磯營銷經理亞歷克斯•湯利(Alex Townley)表示，“全球就業市場競爭如此激烈，要從人羣中脫穎而出可能需要具備一些特別的亮點。實習經歷和海外經驗都是非常受僱主歡迎的。”

Jonathan Black, director of Oxford university’s career service, says overseas internships address one of students’ chief concerns: proving their “commercial awareness” to employers. Surveys of university leavers, he says, find that internships — both domestic and overseas — give students “a significant leg-up in getting a graduate job”.

牛津大學就業服務負責人喬納森•布萊克(Jonathan Black)表示，海外實習經歷解決了學生們關心的一個主要問題：向僱主證明自己的“商業意識”。他表示，針對大學畢業生的調查發現，國內和海外的實習經歷對學生們“找到畢業後第一份工作都有顯著幫助”。

According to High Fliers, the UK education research group, graduate applications have increased by at least 10 per cent on the previous year in investment banks, public sector employers, accounting and professional services firms, and consumer goods companies. Almost half of graduate recruiters stated that they were unlikely to hire any graduate without previous work experience, irrespective of their academic achievements.

據英國教育研究機構High Fliers稱，投行、公共部門僱主、會計師事務所和專業服務機構以及消費品企業的畢業生申請人數比前一年增加了至少10%。近一半面向畢業生的招聘者表示，他們不太可能聘用之前沒有過工作經驗的畢業生，不管他們的成績如何。

Oxford is one of many universities that sets students up with work placements overseas. It demands that commercial employers pay at least the minimum wage.

很多大學安排學生到海外工作，牛津大學就是其中一所。該校要求商業僱主至少要支付最低工資。

Mr Black strongly advises against handing over money in exchange for internships. “If the student is doing something sensible and value-added then you reward it.”

布萊克強烈反對交錢換實習經歷。“如果學生在做一些實際的、有價值的工作，那麼你就應該提供獎勵。”

Research by the US’s National Association of Colleges and Employers discovered that 60 per cent of paid interns received a job offer, compared with 37 per cent of unpaid. Professional services firm, KPMG, is one of a number of employers that offer paid international placements for students.

美國國家大學和僱主協會(National Association of Colleges and Employers)的研究發現，在有報酬的實習生中，60%獲得了工作邀請，而在沒有報酬的實習生中，獲得工作邀請的只有37%。專業服務機構畢馬威(KPMG)是衆多爲學生提供帶薪海外實習機會的僱主之一。

Ben Lyons, co-founder of Intern Aware, a UK campaign for fair work placements, insists that unpaid internships impede social mobility and inhibit diverse workforces. “They exclude the vast majority of young people who can’t afford to work for free.” Britain’s Labour party pledged to ban long-term unpaid internships before this week’s election.

支持平等實習機會的英國活動團體Intern Aware的聯合創始人本•萊昂斯(Ben Lyons)堅持認爲，無薪實習阻礙了社會流動、不利於招到背景各異的員工。“這排除了大部分沒有能力無償工作的年輕人。”在本月初的大選之前，英國工黨(Labour)曾承諾禁止長期無薪實習。

A company demanding to be paid by interns, says Mr Lyons, is “even worse”. “Charging young people eye-watering sums of money to pay to work is regressive, and responsible employers should have nothing to do with them.”

萊昂斯表示，要求實習生付費的公司“就更糟了”。“向年輕人收取一大筆入職費是一種倒退，負責任的僱主絕不應這麼做。”

Ed Holroyd Pearce, who co-founded CRCC Asia in 2006 and is expecting to send out 1,800 students from the UK and US to China this year, takes the criticism on board. He is used to charges of elitism. Chinese business culture, he says, is not geared towards internships so companies need nurturing to create the opportunities. Moreover, undergraduates may qualify for sponsorship from universities or government organisations.

創立於2006年的士亞商務諮詢的聯合創始人埃德•霍爾羅伊德•皮爾斯(Ed Holroyd Pearce)認同這種批評。他預計，今年將從英國和美國派遣1800名學生到中國。他習慣了被指責爲精英主義。他表示，中國的企業文化原本並不適合實習，因此需要對這些企業進行培養，以創造這種機會。另外，本科生可能會有資格獲得大學或政府機構的贊助。

Belfast-born Conal Honey (above) received funding from the British Council to work for the Chinese tech firm, iSoftStone, in Shenzhen. He says the cultural difference was a “shock”. But the undergraduate now keeps in touch with his former Chinese colleagues over Skype and sees it as the “best experience I ever had”.

生於貝爾法斯特的科納爾•霍尼（Conal Honey，見上圖）獲得了英國文化協會(British Council)的資助，爲中國深圳科技企業軟通動力(iSoftStone)工作。他表示，文化差異曾令他“震驚”。但這位本科生現在通過Skype與他的前中國同事保持聯繫，並將這份工作視爲“我有生以來最棒的經歷”。

CRCC Asia claims 89 per cent of students and graduates who find internships through the company get a graduate-level job within three months of returning home.

士亞商務諮詢聲稱，在通過該公司找到實習機會的在校生和畢業生中，有89%在回國3個月內找到了面向畢業生的工作。

Doyinsola Sogbesan (left), who worked for an insurance company, Allianz China General, in Shanghai, enjoyed the experience.

多因索拉•索格貝桑（Doyinsola Sogbesan，見左圖）曾爲安聯財產保險公司（中國）(Allianz China General)上海分公司工作過一段時間，她對那段經歷非常滿意。

While she believes “it’s unfair to have to pay for these things”, she is pragmatic. “Everyone gets a degree. You need extra stuff to stand out.”

儘管她認爲，“爲這些經歷付費是有些不公平”，但她很務實，“所有人都有學位。你需要具備更多的東西才能脫穎而出”。