Young, bright, paying to work overseas

Krishan Neelandra (below) felt a 2.1 in law from Oxford university 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.

"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 Neelandra.

While in Beijing, Mr Neelandra 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.

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.

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

CRCC Asia, the City-based company that organised Mr Neelandra'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 for £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.

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".

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".

<

The tabular content relating to this article is not available to view. Apologies in advance for the inconvenience caused.

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

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."

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.

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.

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."

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.

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".

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.

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

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."

[email protected] Twitter: @emmavj

© The Financial Times Limited 2015. All rights reserved.
FT and Financial Times are trademarks of the Financial Times Ltd.
Not to be redistributed, copied or modified in any way.
Euro2day.gr is solely responsible for providing this translation and the Financial Times Limited does not accept any liability for the accuracy or quality of the translation