Introduction

Taipei Provides a Rich Array of Internship Possibilities

One of the primary goals of The Language Flagship is to help Flagship students attain a professional level of fluency in their target language. To achieve this, students must use their target language outside the classroom in a workplace setting. To this end, 240 hours (three-days a week for 10 weeks) of the Capstone Year in Taipei is dedicated to a mandatory in-service internship.

Application Process

There are four requirements for the Taiwan Capstone Year internship program:

• Students are required to work part time, 3 days per week, 240 hours in total.
• In order to get the most out of the internship, Mandarin must be used a minimum of 85 percent of the time in the company providing the internship.
• Due to visa restrictions and Language Flagship policy, internships will not be paid.
• An internship must be located within a distance that allows the student to attend the Friday weekly class meetings on the National Chengchi University.

Once an internship meets these requirements and satisfies the student’s professional interests has been secured, the application process will begin. First, the internship must be approved by the Internship Coordinator.

Then, under the supervision of the Internship Coordinator, students are required to:

• Secure internship application materials, including a culturally appropriate résumé and biography (in Chinese)
• Learn how to conduct themselves at the interview for the position
• Take part in an orientation course to learn workplace etiquette, how to best interact with colleagues and workplace supervisors, communication tips (both speaking and writing), and other important aspects of Chinese professional life

In this way, students will apply and be best prepared to intern at a Chinese business or organization.

Placement

Helping to place Capstone Year students in the best internship opportunities, and then ensuring that these students are prepared for the Chinese workplace and excel while interning, is the focus of the Taiwan Center’s Internship Coordinator.

Finding an internship in a foreign country can feel daunting to students. The Taiwan Internship Coordinator will assist by creating connections and developing relationships in all areas of Taipei’s bustling economy: finance, the arts, information technology, medical research companies, marketing, hospitality, manufacturing, and more. The Coordinator will also be working with the Office of Alumni at National Chengchi University (NCCU), to seek out well-situated NCCU graduates who are open to having a U.S. intern placed in their office.

To ensure a good fit between the student and internship site, the Internship Coordinator will take into close account the student’s responses to the internship questionnaire (a part of the program’s acceptance packet) and will assess both the student’s language proficiency and professional aspirations. The Coordinator will make pre-internship site visits to any potential internship providers, and help to make the best match between student and site.

Beyond this, to further support the interning students, the Internship Coordinator will, along with the in-service internship course instructor, share professional language document samples, continue to advise students about the nuances of workplace communication and etiquette, and read the students’ weekly reports and provide feedback.