Work away from home inspires new direction
THE HIGHLIGHT OF Carmen Cheung's summer placement in Beijing was travelling to Inner Mongolia to administer oral English exams for EduChina, a Beijing-based consultancy that advises on English-language programmes at the kindergarten to tertiary level.
'The teaching strategies in China are not traditional at all,' Ms Cheung said. 'The teachers are young and enthusiastic. They use IT and task-based learning to arouse the students' interest. The students are very motivated to learn. And they are not shy about speaking in English.'
As a result of her one-month internship in the nation's capital, Ms Cheung - who plans to become an English teacher when she graduates later this year - is considering a career in the mainland.
'Originally I thought I would teach in Hong Kong,' she said. 'However, now that I have been to China, I think I would enjoy teaching there. The students seem more motivated than the students in Hong Kong. They seem more serious about studying because they think they can contribute to society. In Hong Kong the students think that studying is boring.'
A fourth-year student in PolyU's English-language teaching programme, Ms Cheung was one of 465 students to do summer internships in the mainland last year. Others did them locally and in Macau.
Gabriel Cheung was one of 124 students placed in companies overseas.
'Hong Kong is an international city and there are lots of chances to work with people from other countries,' the 22-year-old civil and structural engineering major said. 'So I wanted to have more experience working with them to know more about their working procedures and styles.'
Mr Cheung did his internship with an architectural firm based in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
'I chose this company not because of its location but because I wanted to learn more about buildings and construction. The other choices were Norway, Switzerland and Greece. I chose Northern Ireland because it was an English-speaking country.'
Mr Cheung said he benefited from the programme in a variety of ways.
'I became more independent,' he said. 'In Hong Kong, I never had to cook. In Belfast, I had to cook for myself and do my own housework. Because I lived with students from other countries, I also learned how to get along and communicate with them.'
As with most of the students who take part in the scheme, Mr Cheung thinks the experience will help him find suitable employment when he graduates next year.
'The programme had a lot of seminars covering things like resume writing, application letter writing, and interview skills,' he said. 'The overseas placement also improved my confidence, improved my communication skills and helped me learn how to work with others. I highly recommend it to other students.'
