This placement would suit... Enthusiastic, articulate people with an interest in both Chinese culture and PR. In a world of competition where an army of graduates are lining up for the top jobs, what would set you apart from the crowd and make employees look twice? How about spending time working at a top PR and marketing firm in Shanghai? Get a slice of the action as Chinese business propels itself forward and China joins the World stage!About the company MTP (Marketing, Trends & Promotion) is a leading Chinese public relations company based in the heart of busy Shanghai. The company deals with everything from editorial services to marketing strategy and events for many clients in a variety of exciting industries. MTP's clients include businesses in finance, fashion, auto and real estate. MTP also has a strong media connection, working with 500 media channels including TV, radio, magazines, newspapers and the internet. Amongst MTP's major clients are Metropolis and Biba Magazines - international magazines with a circulation of over 500,000 people throughout China every month. MTP deals with... - Event management - Brands coordination management - Market research - Creative design and procedure - Press management - Media relations - Crisis management About your work You will work alongside the staff at MTP, assisting them with their daily work and providing a 'foreigner's insight' into the PR business. You will most likely work in a variety of areas at the company, but your work will usually be focused on market research, event planning and informal English lessons for the staff at the magazine. A dictionary definition of public relations is: The art or science of establishing and promoting a favourable relationship with the public. This, in a nutshell, is what you will be involved in on your placement! The staff at MTP are very keen to work alongside people who can bring new enthusiasm and new kinds of ideas to their usual working philosophy. Their work is mostly centred on planning promotional parties and events for the magazine and coming up with new ways to promote a favourable relationship with their target audience. You will generally stick to the PR department, but there are occasionally also opportunities to work in the Marketing or Editing departments. If you are particularly interested in doing a little work in any of these areas, please speak to your project co-ordinator before your departure and we can try to arrange it for you. Your work will be based around the project that you have prepared for before leaving the UK, and perhaps other projects going on at MTP. You will assist the team on their case studies and research. You will usually be using your position as a native English speaker to contact international brands which may be interested in targeting a Chinese market. You will also usually get the opportunity to accompany magazine staff to the Chamber of Commerce and target international brands that may be interested in working with MTP. Then, if the project comes to fruition, you may be involved in organising parties and promotional activities for the company in Shanghai. You will most likely also be required to help the staff out with their English a couple of times a week in an informal setting. Staff at MTP usually work from 9:30am until 6:30pm Monday to Friday with one hour for lunch, but your working hours may be slightly different, depending on the volume of work that is available at the time. Your weekends will usually be free for relaxing and sightseeing with the other volunteers! However, if there is an approaching deadline, you must be flexible and prepared to work odd hours and some weekends – as with any job in this industry! Due to the nature of the department, there will be occasions when an event or party is held outside your usual working hours, and you should attend these as well. The staff mostly work in Mandarin, although many of them speak English and will be eager to interact with you in English. Your accommodation You will live at the Travellers flat in Shanghai while on your placement. The flat is typical Shanghai style and all the work experience volunteers live here together. The flat accommodates five people maximum. The flat has two bedrooms, one of which is also often used as a lounge room, depending on how many volunteers are in Shanghai. There is also a kitchen with washing facilities and bathroom. Skills you will need The only requirement for this project is that you need to be able to use MS PowerPoint, as it is required that your pre-acceptance assignment is produced using this programme.MTP is keen to accept volunteers with the following qualities/qualifications. These are by no means prerequisites, but will certainly increase the likelihood of your acceptance. - Some past experience in media/PR/marketing - An open and personable personality The minimum time the company can accept volunteers for is now three months. This is due to the fact that the longer you can stay at the company, the more you will get to know the company, and the more you will get out of your placement. China is still a developing country in a period of transition. The living standard falls short of what we are used to in the West. The Chinese culture and heritage is totally different to Anglo-Saxon or Western cultures and this must be borne in mind. However, the people are very friendly and will help you all they can, and of course our China Organiser will look after you during your placement. Self-reliance and independence are highly appreciated and required in China and will help you to make the most of this wonderful opportunity! China is a non-English speaking environment and we strongly advise that you try to learn a few basic Chinese words before starting your programme. This will help you to get involved in the daily life of the local people. Some of the Chinese English teachers may be able to act as interpreters to help your understanding of things while you're there. Enhance your time in Shanghai Click here >> for a Mandarin language course which you can do before starting this placement Click here >> for a martial arts course which you can do alongside this placement
| ||||||