World of Work (WOW) is a program that Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) High School Counselor Michelle Chow created. It allows tenth grade students to intern at various companies for a week. Normally, the students start on a Monday and finish on Friday, but there are instances when this doesn’t apply. WOW gives WAB students an opportunity to experience real work environments. Along with working, students are required to write cover letters, resumes and participate in an interview with the employer.
My name is Sophie Li and last week I interned at beijingkids to find out more about journalism. I was with fellow WAB student Christian Neoh, who took photos for the magazine. During our internship, I caught up with some of our peers working at other companies to find out what they hoped to get out of their WOW experiences. This is what they had to say.
Michelle Leow
Michelle (pictured above) is 16 years old, of Singaporean and Vietnamese descent, and has been living in Beijing for three years now.
Where do you work and what do you do?
I’m currently working at a design company called Di Lusso Gaopin Beijing Design. I don’t really have a specific job, but I’m essentially following the General Manager Mr. Einar Tangen, and (hopefully) learning about this industry, how businesses work, how to work with customers, etc.
What are you hoping to gain from this experience?
Initially, I had just wanted to learn about design industries and the specifics of it. However, after meeting Mr. Tangen, I realize that there’s more I can learn (beyond just design). I’m hoping to gain more communication skills, knowledge about businesses, customers, processes and work in general – all of which can be applied outside of a design industry.
Will this internship help you pursue a specific career? Do you know what you want to do when you’re older?
Honestly, I’m not completely sure what I want to do when I’m older but I do have a brief idea. I’m leaning more towards careers involving politics, law and psychology. Although this internship is based on design industries, the knowledge about different processes, types of peoples and other business related aspects can certainly help me in my future career. Additionally, Mr. Tangen is a politician and lawyer himself- much of what he teaches me will influence me in the future.
Do you think WOW benefits all students? Why or why not?
I think WOW (World of Work) benefits all students who take full advantage of it. If you’re working in a place that peaks your interest or relates to what you want to do in the future, you’re bound to learn something helpful. Even if you aren’t completely sure what you want to do in the future, WOW can help you figure it out.
Maya Roberts Maya is 16 years old, half British and half Chinese and has been living in Beijing for 15 years.
Where do you work and what do you do? I am working at [beijingkids’ sister magazine] the Beijinger during my WOW week. I am doing research, contributing ideas and learning more about the company.
What are you hoping to gain from this experience? I am hoping to gain knowledge about the working world. It’s a terrific opportunity to get an idea on what it is like to be in an office and to see the process of how you collaborate within a group.
Will this internship help you pursue a specific career? Do you know what you want to do when you’re older? I’m not exactly sure what I want to do. However this internship gives me an idea of this line of work. I enjoy the creative atmosphere and could possibly pursue this interest and job.
Do you think WOW benefits all students? Why or why not? I think that WOW benefits most of their students. Since most of us probably have never had a job, we don’t know what working is like and it opens our eyes to the real world a bit.
Did you personally find your internship? If yes, why did you choose this job? I personally found my internship, I decided I wanted to do something that I would be interested in and then used connections to try and get the job.
Michael Jiang
Michael is 15 years old, Canadian and has been in Beijing for his whole life.
Where do you work and what do you do?
I work at Oasis Healthcare Hospital. I observe and learn from my qualified mentors and specialists at the hospital and it provides valuable experience for me to take with me into the future.
What are you hoping to gain from this experience?
Valuable experience in a hospital environment as well as information about medicine.
Will this internship help you pursue a specific career? Do you know what you want to do when you’re older?
Not too sure about what I want to pursue, but this opportunity gives me an idea of how a hospital functions and this makes me want to learn more about medicine.
Do you think WOW benefits all students? Why or why not?
I think it benefits students who want to learn and observe, because then they will take actual valuable experience out of this. If the students choose not to make good use of this program, they lose valuable time and experience – especially because WOW gives an insight on future possibilities.
Photos: Courtesy of the students
