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Krishan Neelendra (below) felt a 2.1 in law from the University of Oxford 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.
克里尚•尼伦德拉(Krishan Neelendra)认为，他在牛津大学(University of Oxford)法学专业二等一级的成绩（2.1，相当于中国大学本科平均分75分以上，译者注），还不足以让他赢得一家优秀律师事务所的培训合同（training contract，在英国，在律所完成两年培训是成为正式执业律师的必要步骤，这种合同本质上是工作合同——译者注）。他曾为他所就读的牛津大学萨默维尔学院(Somerville)踢足球、打网球、板球和冰球，在大学广播电台Oxide主持一档节目，在所在学院本科生委员会任职，还在学生报纸《查韦尔》(Cherwell)上发表过诗歌，但他的这些经历，都不足以帮他实现赢得律所培训合同这个目标。尽管他当时正在一家非盈利法律机构工作，但他仍认为，他的简历中还需要有一些别的内容，才能让他脱颖而出。因此他来到北京，在一家名为兰台的中国本土律师事务所实习了一段时间。
“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 Neelendra.
23岁的尼伦德拉表示：“我的目标是拿到培训合同。即便你成绩优异而且有丰富的课外活动经历，也不足以让你出类拔萃。”
While in Beijing, Mr Neelendra 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.
在北京，尼伦德拉从事的是知识产权方面的工作，律所负责指导他的那位“棒极了的导师”把他引见给了不同法律领域的各路专家。接受潜在雇主面试时的情况证明，他当初的直觉是对的。“他们都对我的实习经历感兴趣。各家律师事务所都希望跟我聊聊亚洲。”总部设在伦敦的奥尚律师事务所(Olswang)给了他一份工作邀请。
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.
面对就业市场的激烈竞争（包括来自海外留学生的竞争），本科生正寻找新的方法让自己脱颖而出。与此同时，企业也希望聘用具备海外市场（特别是新兴市场）经历的毕业生。
Many, like Mr Neelendra are finding that overseas internships fit the bill. They are so keen, they will pay for the privilege to work for free.
与尼伦德拉一样，很多人发现，海外实习经历恰好符合这个要求。他们的实习意愿如此强烈，甚至愿意为获得无薪工作机会付费。
CRCC Asia, the City-based company that organised Mr Neelendra’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 from £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.
为尼伦德拉安排了实习的是总部位于伦敦金融城的士亚商务咨询(CRCC Asia)，该公司的服务收费1995英镑（1个月实习项目，地点：中国）至3495英镑（3个月实习项目）。另一家公司City Internships能为学生安排在伦敦、香港、纽约和洛杉矶的企业里实习，收费2750英镑至6.35万港元（合5240英镑）。该公司宣称，自从2011年创立以来，需求一直稳步上升，尤其受到那些向往在纽约和洛杉矶的银行、金融机构、律所、市场营销机构以及科技企业实习的学生欢迎。这个价格包括安排学生在当地的住宿、安排他们参加有组织的社交活动、为他们提供社交机会，在某些项目中还包括语言课程的费用。
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”.
City Internships驻洛杉矶营销经理亚历克斯•汤利(Alex Townley)表示，“全球就业市场竞争如此激烈，要从人群中脱颖而出可能需要具备一些特别的亮点。实习经历和海外经验都是非常受雇主欢迎的。”
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”.
牛津大学就业服务负责人乔纳森•布莱克(Jonathan Black)表示，海外实习经历解决了学生们关心的一个主要问题：向雇主证明自己的“商业意识”。他表示，针对大学毕业生的调查发现，国内和海外的实习经历对学生们“找到毕业后第一份工作都有显著帮助”。
According to High Fliers, the UK education research group, graduate applications have increased by at least 10 per cent on the previous year in investment banks, public sector employers, accounting and professional services firms, and consumer goods companies. Almost half of graduate recruiters stated that they were unlikely to hire any graduate without previous work experience, irrespective of their academic achievements.
据英国教育研究机构High Fliers称，投行、公共部门雇主、会计师事务所和专业服务机构以及消费品企业的毕业生申请人数比前一年增加了至少10%。近一半面向毕业生的招聘者表示，他们不太可能聘用之前没有过工作经验的毕业生，不管他们的成绩如何。
Oxford is one of many universities that sets students up with work placements overseas. It demands that commercial employers pay at least the minimum wage.
很多大学安排学生到海外工作，牛津大学就是其中一所。该校要求商业雇主至少要支付最低工资。
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.”
布莱克强烈反对交钱换实习经历。“如果学生在做一些实际的、有价值的工作，那么你就应该提供奖励。”
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.
美国国家大学和雇主协会(National Association of Colleges and Employers)的研究发现，在有报酬的实习生中，60%获得了工作邀请，而在没有报酬的实习生中，获得工作邀请的只有37%。专业服务机构毕马威(KPMG)是众多为学生提供带薪海外实习机会的雇主之一。
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.
支持平等实习机会的英国活动团体Intern Aware的联合创始人本•莱昂斯(Ben Lyons)坚持认为，无薪实习阻碍了社会流动、不利于招到背景各异的员工。“这排除了大部分没有能力无偿工作的年轻人。”在本月初的大选之前，英国工党(Labour)曾承诺禁止长期无薪实习。
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.”
莱昂斯表示，要求实习生付费的公司“就更糟了”。“向年轻人收取一大笔入职费是一种倒退，负责任的雇主绝不应这么做。”
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.
创立于2006年的士亚商务咨询的联合创始人埃德•霍尔罗伊德•皮尔斯(Ed Holroyd Pearce)认同这种批评。他预计，今年将从英国和美国派遣1800名学生到中国。他习惯了被指责为精英主义。他表示，中国的企业文化原本并不适合实习，因此需要对这些企业进行培养，以创造这种机会。另外，本科生可能会有资格获得大学或政府机构的赞助。
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”.
生于贝尔法斯特的科纳尔•霍尼（Conal Honey，见上图）获得了英国文化协会(British Council)的资助，为中国深圳科技企业软通动力(iSoftStone)工作。他表示，文化差异曾令他“震惊”。但这位本科生现在通过Skype与他的前中国同事保持联系，并将这份工作视为“我有生以来最棒的经历”。
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.
士亚商务咨询声称，在通过该公司找到实习机会的在校生和毕业生中，有89%在回国3个月内找到了面向毕业生的工作。
Doyinsola Sogbesan (left), who worked for an insurance company, Allianz China General, in Shanghai, enjoyed the experience.
多因索拉•索格贝桑（Doyinsola Sogbesan，见左图）曾为安联财产保险公司（中国）(Allianz China General)上海分公司工作过一段时间，她对那段经历非常满意。
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.”
尽管她认为，“为这些经历付费是有些不公平”，但她很务实，“所有人都有学位。你需要具备更多的东西才能脱颖而出”。
