Internship

Dear readers,

Currently I am studying Finance and Accounting in the Netherlands and I am in need of a internship. I would like to complete my internship in Hong Kong. I have applied in the last 2 months and I had multiple interviews with 1 company and I was pretty sure that I would do my internship there. Unfortunately after the interview the company has not been in touch with me as I would have liked, so I am assuming i'm not going to complete my internship there.

Is it impossible for a foreign student to find an internship in Hong Kong? I thought I was very lucky when a very big and reputable multinational invited me to multiple interviews. After a few weeks of silence it became apparent I got tossed. I have been applying day and night since then with no response. Are companies even hiring oversea's students to do in internship abroad in HK?

Internships for foreign students are getting harder to come by primarily because of the logistics, visa, etc issues. It's quite a commitment. Therefore, mostly large companies are the only ones willing to do this. But sometimes even the biggest companies prefer to hire HKID holders who have went abroad to study at top schools (US, UK, CAN).

I have heard of some places giving internships to foreigners but many unpaid as to avoid strict employment and visa requirements.

Look at whether Holland has a work/travel visa program. If you can secure a visa prior to applying for internships, that will give you an advantage. Or be specific in saying that you are willing to "work" for free in an unpaid internship. However, even that is on the fringes of legality as tourist visitors are not allowed to work even for free....

Now, another consideration for you is compensation. It's not cheap living in HK. I've only heard of top internships at top Ibanks giving housing plus a small salary. This is not common.

Hope this helps. Good luck.