Abroad China

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Program website: http://abroadchina.net/

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I am currently undertaking an internship in China which I applied for through a company called 'Nexusglobe' in the UK. Little did I know that my whole program was a complete scam until I recently discovered some further information during the internship.

Similar to many agencies in the UK that run this program, Nexusglobe outsource their operation to a company called 'Go Abroad China (GAC)' who run the scam and control the internship upon arrival in China. Unfortunately I was not informed by Nexusglobe about this company before arriving in China. Had I known about GAC prior to my arrival I would not have moved forward with the program.

In terms of the scam, the agencies in the UK charge a excessively large fee for the program and promise you a very professional service. However, my findings have confirmed the actual cost of the program is 5 times less than the amount being charged for a service that is quite simply pathetic. Having discovered these costs and relayed them to both companies, GAC and Nexusglobe, they continuously fail to answer to where the rest of the money is going. I understand that a service can have a fee but the fees being charged here are unjustified.

Not only is the fee being charged absolutely ridiculous but there are many other factors that are particularly shocking.
For example, as part of the 'visa assistance' service interns are all given the same documents to submit to the visa centre. These documents do not represent truthful information and are merely for visa purposes. In my own experience I also received email instruction from nexusglobe advising me not to mention my work placement to the visa centre. Prior to submission of the documents I raised my concerns to them about this email, however they advised me the work visa was very complicated to obtain and assured me this was normal formality.

Furthermore, whilst in the UK, I also received a job specification for the placement from Nexusglobe which appeared relevant to my area of expertise. Much to my surprise, this job specification was nothing close to role and was evidently used to lure me into accepting the offer. The actual work placement did not consist of any work and was a total waste of my time. As GAC could not find me a more adequate placement quickly enough I ended up spending 2 months twiddling my thumbs at this company. Again, this was not a sufficient reflection of the extortionate fee I had paid.

If this wasn't all, there is also the breach of data protection which has occurred with Nexusglobe providing GAC a copy of my passport. Unfortunately GAC failed to keep my passport confidential and instead posted it across a social media app called 'Wechat' as a means of looking for accomodation/placements. To my dismay, my passport copy could be viewed by anyone with access to the app, even those looking to commit identity fraud. It is a shame I only found this out upon using the application and being informed by other interns.

Even after confronting both companies about my findings I have not seen any drastic changes and they continue to provide the same excuses and poor service. Most recently, I was informed I would have to leave my accomodation, though to my knowledge everything had been properly arranged before I arrived in China. GAC found me another accomodation in a panic but as expected they were not contributing any of my fee towards this. As a result I refused to stay at this accomodation and have requested a refund unless they are prepared to use my program fee correctly.

All in all, I am absolutely outraged by the level of service provided and would like to see some action taken towards ensuring these companies do not manipulate future interns in this way. I am speaking on behalf of many other interns who also share the same opinion.

Program:
Location:
Posted: November 17, 2016
Overall:
1
Support:
1
Value:
1
By: rajan04
Age:
26

My name is Daniela Falla and I’m g 21 years old, coming from Colombia to china for a whole year with Go Abroad China. I’ve studied tourism and hospitality management and I am in China doing my college practices so after China I’ll be going back home and graduate from college.
My Chinese skills are very limited however I speak fluent English, español which is Spanish and my mother language, Deutsch (german) and un peu francais which is a little bit of French so I think it may be fun to learn chinese and of course a challenge because is a though language but I’m sure it will be a plus for my life and my carrier.
I live in Wuxi, it lies on the southern border of Jiangsu province, the only thing that I have to say is that Wuxi is just amazing, nice people, locals are super friendly with foreigners, the environment is so nice, lots of parks, the Chinese architecture here is incredible. This city is also called the “little Shanghai”, for its prosperous economy, Wuxi became one of the China’s top 50 cities with the broad strength so now you know why it is called “little shanghai”. There are so many things to do and so many hidden spots you can find, you will never get bored here and if you do (I doubt it) you can just take a train to go to Shanghai, it takes only 40 min to get there and the tickets are 59 RMB which is around 8 dollars), also there is a city between Wuxi and Shanghai that is called Suzhou is beautiful also, in this area are so many cities you can go without spending lots of money.
Let’s talk about a little bit more about my job here, the company I’m working for is the Millenium Hotel, this is a 5 star Hotel, Millenium & Copthorne hotels owns and operates more than 120 hotels in 19 countries, they are located in international gateway cities throughout the United Kingdom, continental Europe, North America, Asia, New Zealand, North Africa and the middle East.
My position at the Hotel is Guest Relations Officer, so basically it is all about to supervise the front office all units activities during my shift and handle guest relations, request and concerns.

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Location:
Posted: November 4, 2016
Overall:
6
Support:
6
Value:
6
By: Dani
Age:
21

My Volunteer Experience in Bali
Hi,I’m Yang,a junior student at university. I am a current volunteer for IHF at Bali center in Indonesia. I have been volunteering (teaching English and Computer) since I arrived at IHF in Buitan which is on the east coast.Places like Ubud, Kuta and PadangBai are fairly close(within 2 hours). During the mornings and evenings it's really quiet as Buitan is quite a remote village, so you could focus on your own stuffs. In the afternoons,I give lessons to local studens. Although the weather is humid and sometimes I’m very tired,our passionate students always cheer me up. They are eager to learn and often ask me interesting questions. Being their teacher as well as friend is one of the most wonderful experiences I ever have in my life. Sundays are our day off, so we usually do a trip to Kuta or Ubud because they are the places one must visit in Bali. We also try special Balinese food and diving. Candidasa is a ten-min drive with restaurants, shops and ATMs.
IHF stands for International Humanity Foundation and they have 6 centers in Indonesia,Kenya,and Thailand. They are always looking for volunteers(couples can do it) to join them. IHF is devoted to make the world better for the future generation. IHF needs many kinds of volunteers,including medical intern,nurse,co-director,math teacher,voluntourist,and workstudy. Our center has power and internet and most of us either read or do online work for the organization at night/during the mornings,so it's really peaceful.
My friend was a volunteer for IHF and she told me her story. It inspired me so I want to do it myself. I love kids and always do community work at home. Besides,Bali is the place I want to visit from a long time ago and it’s better than 7-day trips people usually do. My first week was rough but with the help of other volunteers and co-directors,I gradually get used to my life at Bali. It’s my first time to volunteer abroad,I’m truly grateful to my students because they let me know that only knowledge can’t be taken away and to my collegues because they help me patiently with my work and we share a lot of happy hours at center.

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Location:
Posted: February 4, 2015
Overall:
10
Support:
10
Value:
10
By: Yangc
Age:
20

Going to China was a goal of mine since I was about 7 when I saw it in a movie, and at the age of 21, I was able to spend an amazing one year studying and exploring there. I created a short video of the beginning of my adventures in China, which will give me forever memory I ever had.
The Go Abroad China made the research, preparation, transition, and experience abroad easy and smooth. They provided all of the necessary details and logistics of going to a different country, as well as a great network of support all throughout the process. I was especially happy with the transition that Go Abroad China provided. I like to say that they provided three opportunities of transitions prior to beginning my new life:
1.) Getting to know Go Abroad China services that they provided in China.
2.) Getting to know China and Chinese culture
3.) Getting to know my Chinese study university.
If all of these steps had occurred at once, I feel that I would have been very overwhelmed. But Go Abroad China offered the opportunity to make the transition slowly and have an amazing time learning and exploring all throughout the process.
China is the place that I have begun to call my home, where my friends have become family, and my dreams a reality. When we fully EXPERIENCE the world and the wonders it has to offer, we CONNECT with who we are, and DISCOVER who we can be. Throughout the whole process of studying in Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Go Abroad China was amazing. From the beginning, they answered every single little question I had and made the entire process simple from financial aid to housing to the abroad university I picked, they were there every step of the way. I strongly recommend Go Abroad China to anyone who is thinking about studying abroad! Each of them went above and beyond of what I expected and made our time abroad just like home. Going with Go Abroad China was one of the best decisions I have made during my college career!

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Location:
Posted: February 20, 2014
Overall:
7
Support:
9
Value:
6
Age:
26