Explore the real China with a Fun Gap Year - Intern, Learn Chinese or Volunteer in China

Joining the GoAbroadChina Gap Year Program was the best decision I’ve ever made – it completely changed my perspective on life and my career. The cultural immersion and language learning opportunities were unparalleled; I came back with skills and experiences that will stay with me forever. The internships offered through the program were well-structured and meaningful, giving me a competitive edge in my field.

Exploring China's vibrant traditions and modern cities made me appreciate the beauty and complexity of its culture. The support from the Go Abroad China team was exceptional; they were always available to guide and assist me every step of the way.

I built lifelong friendships with other participants and locals, making the experience even more rewarding and memorable.I can confidently say this program was a turning point in my life, thanks to the enriching experiences and personal growth I achieved. Thank you so much GoAbrodChina.

Choosing Go Abroad China for my internship was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. From the very beginning, their team was incredibly supportive, helping me navigate the visa process and ensuring a smooth transition to living in China. The internship placement was perfectly matched to my career goals, and I gained hands-on experience that has truly boosted my confidence and skills. Beyond work, GAC provided opportunities to immerse myself in Chinese culture, from language classes to traditional festivals, which made my time there unforgettable.

What stood out most was their 24/7 support; I always felt like I had someone to rely on if I needed help. The accommodations they arranged were comfortable and safe, which gave me peace of mind throughout my stay. Networking events organized by GAC allowed me to connect with industry professionals and peers from all over the world. Their team genuinely cared about my personal and professional growth, which made the experience feel more like a partnership than just a program.

Thanks to GAC, I didn’t just complete an internship—I came away with lifelong skills, global connections, and a deeper understanding of China. I wholeheartedly recommend GAC to anyone seeking an enriching, career-changing experience abroad.

I'm from Canada. I'm studying engineering in the US and have finished my second year. I've been in Beijing. I got put in a 3 bedroom apartment with two other locals who were a year or two older than I am. I have my own bedroom space and it's bigger than my dorm room. I live 2 min away from the bus stop to my office so it's very convenient. It takes me 40-50min to get to work.

My Chinese roommates are very nice people and we get along well. They don't speak much English but my Chinese is decent enough to get simple ideas across. We've never had a really long conversation about anything though. I also teach them English in the evenings.

I had Chinese language classes for 4hrs every Saturday and most Sundays. I know Cantonese and a lot of the words are similar so basically, it's like learning how to say words and commonly used phrases/conjunctions.

However, suppose you have no prior knowledge at all. In that case, the Chinese language is ridiculously difficult to learn so in my opinion, anything short of 1.5 hours a day is too little to get even a grasp of the language. That's if you want to have a conversation instead of just responding to and asking simple questions. The Chinese classes with GoAbroadChina would probably get you to simple questions/responses. That's the language's fault, though. The teacher was nice and easy to talk with and knew English but wasn't fluent.

I study mechanical engineering and requested some related company. I have never had a job/internship before and I had no clue what engineering consulting was so I didn’t really have any expectations. I ended up at SgurrEnergy, a company based in the UK with offices in Scotland, Beijing, Canada, and very recently, the US. They handle lots of reports reviews and site visits related to renewable energy projects literally worldwide. China's largest resource is wind energy so I was dealing with mostly Wind energy. I've been assigned to do things that actually mattered so I was enjoying it.The GoAbroadChina coordinator was ridiculously helpful and reliable. Absolutely no concern here.

Witnessing a Tea Ceremony: The precision and grace of a traditional tea ceremony blew me away. It wasn’t just about drinking tea; it was an art form I didn’t expect to appreciate so much.

Ready to turn a gap year into a life-changing adventure? With GoAbroadChina, you’ll gain more than memories—you’ll gain confidence, clarity, and career-ready skills. Explore the world while preparing for what’s next. This isn’t just time off; it’s time invested in YOU.

I had a fairly positive experience with GoAbroadChina. I lived with a young Chinese professional (no English) and studied 6 hours a day with a tutor provided by GoAbroadChina. I couldn't tell the amount of money I spent per month but in China, there's a huge range for personal spending. You can eat and drink with friends for $3 or $4 (and sometimes less) and leave very full. At the same time, you could go to Western restaurants or clubs or bars and spend quite a bit more.

Accommodations were comfortable. Mine was an apartment with a small living room, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, and a kitchen. The neighborhood was definitely safe and you'll find that China in general is very safe. It was a small shock for me, once I had left China and was back home, that safety was again a possible issue when coming back at 3 or 4 in the morning.

GoAbroadChina was very helpful and very attentive. I did not like my first internship and they were able to arrange a second at a radio-media company. Do not hesitate to ask them to accommodate or help you.

I'm from the USA and I'm currently here in Shanghai for 3 months for a internship as well as individual Chinese lessons. I came here through GoAbroadChina and they were really helpful with the whole process they helped me find a company that was because I'm not super fluent in Mandarin so they helped me find a company that was based internationally and had a firm here, so they were really accommodating for that and it's also helping me a lot with my Chinese being able to kind of communicate a little bit in English too. They also help me find my individual lessons which was really helpful, the teacher is super nice. She caters towards your needs so some of my goals include being able to speak daily with my family members as well as with like locals so that's been really helpful and then they've also been really helpful just with getting me settle in - so picking me up from the airport, making sure that I knew my way around, and just having someone there constantly if you need help. Just to message or if you have any simple questions is so much better than just throwing yourself out there and not knowing anything so that was really helpful.

Hi this is Fadu and I took part in the go abroad china program. Seeing China through the lens of Western Media makes you blind. China has a beautiful and warm culture with awesome people and above all, one of the safest countries of our time. For several reasons, my trip to China was a dream come true. I have learned Mandarin before but has never made it to China. I speak reasonably good mandarin with a horrible accent- this also inspired my ambition to improve. Made many friends which made the experience more amazing.

I am Brent Smith. My son, Kyle，joined GAC summer high school language program in 2023. Like many other parents of a high school student, I was worried that first about our son being in Beijing. After my son finished the program, I am very happy to say that GAC has very safe and well-organized arrangement, all of the teachers both the university and through the one on one tutoring curriculum that set up from GAC were excellent. The host family was nice and took care of Kyle a lot. We are happy to recommend GoAbroadChina language programs for high school students in China.

I’d say my gap year was definitely a great experience. With the assistance of Go Abroad China, I started interning in the CRI (China Radio International) from last April. The company I worked for was great, the work I did was fun, and all of my co-workers were friendly. I worked closely with the manager and a number of other colleagues doing mostly interviewing, events and social media-type work. One particular event that I was involved in required me to host a mini-show where I have to get everyone to dance, sing and be merry in a rural community just an hour away from Beijing where tourism is growing. I also worked to build the company's social media presence across a variety of social media platforms. Most of my work was in English but my knowledge of Chinese helped me to do more - like hosting the show for example. My Chinese was not perfect as I never lived in China but it definitely improved through daily use. There were a couple of other interns from other countries I made friends with. I would say stress a lot of the following for strengthening your intern application:
- international experience and mindset, and being open-minded in general
- willingness to learn
- ability to think quickly and react positively to situations (a lot of stuff I had to do was learned on the spot)
- being able to work individually and in the team