CSETC Preparation and Travel Information

Passports and Visas

You must have a current passport to apply for the CSETC China internship. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after your return from China. All foreign citizens including U.S. citizens are also required to obtain a visa for travel to China. All participants are responsible for securing their own Chinese visa; CSETC will provide a letter of invitation to enter China.

The visa application form and information about fees is on the Chinese Consulate website at http://www.chinaconsulatechicago.org/eng/qzhz/qz/grqz/
When completing the Visa application use the following information:

Passport Type: Regular
Occupation: Teacher or Student
Purpose: Business
Number of entries: Single Entry
Date of 1st Entrance: use July 5 [2011-07-05] or the date you plan to arrive (if earlier)
Longest Stay: 180 days (Longest F1 visa is for 3 months. You will need to extend your visa in Beijing.)
Counties, Cities and Provinces: Beijing
Contact information: list your own phone numbers in MN
4.7 Inviter: Irene Liu, Chinese Society of Education Training Center
4.8 Phone: 8601 6601 1568, 8601 6601 8654
4.9 Address: No. 14 Erlong Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, China
4.10 email: [email protected]
Signature: Don't forget to sign your application!
International Students (undergraduates and graduates) should check with the International Student office to see if there are other requirements. CPT and OPT applications are not required for this experience since the internship does not take place in the United States.

Undergraduate Study Abroad Participation Requirements

An undergraduate is defined as a person who will not have completed their degree when the internship experience begins. All undergraduates participating in international study programs are required to provide emergency contacts, sign a waiver and apply for a Student Identity Card. Information is available on the Office of Education Abroad website links below. 

  1.  Health and Emergency Contact Form.
    Students need to complete this form online:   https://www.csbsju.edu/OEA/Short-TermHealthForm.aspx
  2. Print the cover page to be signed by you and your parents. (Read the PDF's which are attached to the forms but you don't need to print each one separately.)
    The originally signed copy (not a faxed or emailed version) must be submitted to the Internship Office. The Internship Office will submit the forms to OEA when all forms are received.
  3. International Student Identity Card (ISIC)

Undergraduates participating in the CSETC program are required to purchase this card.  Graduates have the option to participate. Basic coverage is $22. Premium coverage is available. You can obtain an application, along with an overview of coverage, from the Office of Education Abroad. Visit The Office of Education Abroad to have a photo taken for your card. For more information about the card visit:  http://www.isic.org/

The ISIC card is not meant to be primary health coverage. It is a secondary plan for major medical emergencies including emergency evacuation and repatriation insurance. If you plan to use your ISIC card for doctor's visits while abroad you must call the 1-800 number before you go.

Undergraduates Registering for Internship Credits

If you plan to earn credit for this experience you will need to find a faculty moderator in the department where you plan to earn credit and meet with the Internship Coordinator well in advance of your departure. Forms and instructions for registering for an international internship are on the internship website:  http://www.csbsju.edu/Internship-Program/Students/Registering-For-Internship-Credit.htm

Health

Contact your primary care health provider: Alert them that you will be spending time outside the U.S. Ask them about their procedures for medical reimbursement and for prescription refills. If you use medical services while abroad you will usually need to pay for medical care before you leave the clinic or hospital and seek reimbursement from your medical insurance provider. Keep copies of bills and receipts.

Medications:  Be sure to pack adequate supplies of all medications you take regularly.  If you're taking any prescription medications, you should carry with you a complete supply for the trip and a letter from your medical provider or doctor stating the generic name of drugs and the purpose of the prescription.  Remember that the same prescription medications will most likely not be available while abroad and you will not be able to receive them by mail.

  • Health Information for People Traveling to China
  • Make sure vaccinations are up to date (HepA,  HepB, DPT). 
  • Get antibiotic prescription for  cipro or something similar for possible diarrheal disease

Travel

Use your own judgment, or consult with your family, when making the decision about which airlines to choose. Some of the airlines students have used in the past and travel sites where you may find lower fares include: American Airlines, United Airlines,  www.flychina.com, Vayama, Kayak, Travelocity and TripleA.  Shop around for the best prices and talk to other interns. Let other interns know right away if you find a low fare so they can take advantage of it too. 

Baggage Information: Check with the airlines on number of bags, size of bags and weight allowances when you make your reservation. This may vary by airlines and should be on the airline's website.

Notify CSETC of your travel plans  and they will provide free pick up and drop off from and to Beijing Capital Airport.

Safety

Interns are encouraged to register with the US Department of State and the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate to your internship site.  This process is called the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).  To begin your registration, visit: www.travel.state.gov.  Registration with the STEP program alerts the local authorities of your presence in the host country in case of emergency. This is an important step in helping you remain safe abroad.

There are no current U.S. government issued travel warnings for China. However, as with all travel to large cities both national and international, it is important to take safety precautions.

General Travel Information from the State Department can be found at  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en.html 

Payments from CSETC

Interns need to purchase their airfare and to bring a minimum of $500 for personal expenses between the start of the internship and their first pay day on March 10/August 10. Many prefer using a debit card to traveling with large amounts of cash. Chinese money is in "yuan" which you can purchase at major banks; $50 in yuan should be enough to get you started. Current exchange rates can be found at:  www.xe.com/ucc/ .

CSETC will reimburse interns for one-half the cost of round trip airfare to Beijing for 6 month opportunities (estimate $1300-1400 RT) and the full cost of round trip airfare to Beijing for 1 year opportunities. CSETC will reimburse your airfare after you have completed 5 months of your internship, i.e. in December for summer/fall interns and in July for spring/summer interns.If you intend to participate in the program for 1 year, purchase a one-way ticket and CSETC will purchase your return ticket in advance of your scheduled return date. 

CSETC will cover the cost of accommodation. In Beijing accommodation is a double dormitory room inside the CSETC campus and shared with another CSB/SJU intern. If you are interning in a location other than Beijing, the type of accommodation will vary. Check with CSETC for specific details.

CSETC will pay interns a monthly grocery stipend of 4500RMB (approximately $660/month) for living expenses which will cover most living costs in China. The first stipend payment will be March 10/August 10.

CSETC will pay for interns' transportation from and to Beijing when you travel to other provinces to teach in local schools during the summer. The local schools will provide accommodation and meals.

Weather

The Weather Channel lists 5-day, 10-day, and monthly forecasts by city and country. Weather may vary in different parts of the country so be sure to check for your city.

http://www.weather.com/weather/today/CHXX0008

Packing

For teaching in the summer since it is warm summer shorts (if not too short), tops, t-shirts and sandals are acceptable. Tops should not be too revealing.  Jeans are also okay as long as they are neat and without holes, etc.  Take one dressier outfit for parties, dinners and special meetings.
Bedding and blankets for your living accommodations will be provided by CSETC.

"Remember to Bring":

  • your passport and flight confirmation
  • two color copies of your passport and visa; keep them separate from your passport
  • leave a copy of your passport and visa at home with your family
  • winter coat
  • umbrella/rain gear
  • very comfortable walking shoes
  • one set of more formal clothing for business meetings or dinners
  • a few small gifts for co workers  
  • adapter for electrical system (Target has them); link to  Electricity Use in China
  • camera and battery recharger for digital cameras
  • credit card (contact the company and advise them that you will be in China and to expect transactions there.)
  • debit card if you have one; can be used to get Chinese currency at the airport; ATM's are readily available so a debit card is recommended
  • hairdryer if you use one
  • remember that liquids over 3 oz. must go in checked luggage
  • laptop or notebook if you have one (you may need an adapter, depending on your computer)
  • cell phone with the right international frequency or purchase one there (the pay as you go kind are not expensive)

Health items to bring

  • make sure your vaccinations are up to date (HepA,  HepB, DPT). 
  • prescription medicine you use (See medications under health above) 
  • Tums or Pepto-Bismol tablets or Imodium (very important)  
  • Cipro - a prescription drug for intestinal infections (check with your doctor)  
  • Advil or Tylenol  
  • Cold medicine 
  • vitamins  
  • Kleenex and allergy medication for those concerned about air quality 
  • Link to  Money and Mosquitoes

Nice to Have:

  • passport "wallet"
  • travel alarm clock
  • Lonely Planet Travel Guide (with basic pinyin)
  • toilet paper for travel-could buy there
  • washcloths-could buy there
  • Wet wipes for travel

General China Information

Blogs: More to come

We would love to have you start a blog if one of you is interested in doing so. The Internship Office is also looking into starting one and we'll keep you posted. When using a community blog, use good judgment in your posts.

Photos

CSETC CSBSJU Grads      CSETC Orientation    CSETC Dumplings     CSETC Misc 1

      CSETC Great Wall

Books and Films

Recommended/Fun Books :

Great Books About China [from the CSB/SJU Summer Student Research in China Program website.]

  • China Wakes  by Kristof and Wudunn 
  • Bittersweet  by Leslie Li 
  • Riding the Iron Rooster  by Paul Theroux 
  • Red Azaleas  
  • Iron and Silk  by Mark Salzman 
  • Alone on the Great Wall  by William Lindesay
  • The Ugly Chinaman  by Bo Yang
  • Life and Death in Shanghai  by Nien Cheng 
  • The White Tiger  by Robert Collins
  • Red Star Over China  by Edgar Snow
  • Two Years in the Melting Pot  by Lin Zongren
  • Chairman Mao Would not be Amused  by Howard Goldblatt
  • Evening Beijing Chats  by E. Perry Link
  • Li Po  and  Tu Fu by Arthur Cooper
  • Coming Home Crazy  by Bill Holm - Hilarious and well-written, a series of essays on life in China in 1987 by a Minnesotan English professor.
  • River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze  by Peter Hessler The account of an American Peace Corps volunteer of his life in a city just downstream from Chongqing.  Very interesting and insightful, and perhaps more relevant to our experience of China.
  • Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang - A biography of three generations of women spanning the time before World War II to the current era of reform and opening.  Fascinating. 
  • Colors of the Mountain  by Da Chen - A memoir of a boyhood in rural China during the Cultural Revolution.  The second book   The Sound of the River - is now out.
  • Fiction by Ha Jin, including  Under the Red Flag and  The Bridegroom (collections of short stories) and  In the Pond (a short novel).  Most of these stories are set in or directly after the Cultural Revolution, and give a glimpse of Chinese ways of thinking.
  • The Ugly American by Lederer and Burdick - focuses on North Americans abroad who succeed and fail as intercultural communicators. A series of short stories.

 Films:

  • The Chinese: Adapting the Past, Building the Future  -
  • A Great Wall A Chinese American family visits relatives in China full of cultural misunderstandings and cultural connections
  • Iron and Silk  (the book is better, but the movie does have lots of examples of cultural adjustment and learning)
  • The Mystery of Chi  - Part of the  Healing and the Mind series with Bill Moyers, fascinating
  • To Live  - A family's trials though more than three decades in China, from before the revolution, to the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution and beyond.  A great film.
  • Heart of the Dragon (12 part series on China)
  • The King of Masks  - A bit lighter, this movie takes place in Sichuan province in the 50's.  An old man adopts (buys) a son to carry on his trade as a street performer, but gets a surprise.  A good story with a happy ending, and you get to see some places we'll go.
  • The Emperor and the Assassin  - A historical drama of the unification of China by the first Qin emperor.
  • Farewell my Concubine  - An epic spanning a half century of modern Chinese history, and a melodrama about life backstage at the famed Peking Opera (Ebert)