After graduating in foreign languages in Italy I decided to come to Chengdu  in order to practice my Chinese language and possibly find an internship in China. I found the Sichuan Internship and Immersion Program (SII) agency on the Internet which gave me the chance to do a hotel management internship at Crowne Plaza Chengdu West. Before coming here I never thought about a career in the hotel industry or an international internship.

However, after this experience, I can see how a foreigner, who only speaks fairly good English, can build a successful career. In addition to this internship, it is also easy for foreigners to find part time jobs such as promotional events or even modeling jobs! There are so many opportunities here.

Apart from the working aspect, Chengdu is full of touristic attractions both in the city center and also out of the city. If you are able to have 2 or 3 days off, there are many places you can travel to. There are various buddhist temples as well as the “biggest buddha statue in the world.” You are not too far away from beautiful natural scenery such as the mountains or lakes.

 

If I have to describe a negative aspect it could be the food because it is very spicy and I am a strict italian critic :).  But, you can get used to it. Then, at the beginning of the internship, they do tend to make you do just little things that some people may find a little bit boring. This is to build up trust, but after a while, if you show them that you are able to collaborate and work hard, it will get better.  It really has been an amazing experience and Chinese people are very kind and friendly… you will never feel alone.

 -Ilaria Rossignoli, Italy