Are internships in Asia looked down upon in the US?

First of all, I'm not going to be getting anything in China, it'll be Taiwan. Not exactly a financial center, and because of that IB is pretty small over there. That being said, the names are still quite prominent. Not trying to name drop, but I'm talking about maybe JPM, MS, KPMG, etc. Not saying I'm 100% sure I can get them, but there is a better chance of me getting a big name in Taiwan as opposed to one in the US

Honest opinion - Over the years I have developed a very negative opinion on internships in Asia (especially Hong Kong/Mainland China). I can't even count the number of times where my Asian friends have gotten "internships" which are nothing more than hookups by daddy. These are just sad & incompetent kids who can't get a job by themselves and has to rely on their parents.

^That's one side of it. On the other hand, if you're some random American kid and built a school in rural Bangladesh, that's something great to talk about.

Yeah I think thats generally the idea, which is why I asked. I thought that it would be very difficult for me to get something finance related as a freshman, so I looked across the pacific. I ended up getting two offers for local real estate firms, and I chose a Big 4 advisory position over it.

Since I've gotten this experience, I think I will be able to use it to my advantage to get better internships back in the US. That being said, I know that I will be able to get an internship with a better name in Asia than in the US (I know some people that may be able to hook me up with JPM/MS internships) so basically I'm asking is location more important or name?

Basically its: Boutique Shop (LA) vs BB (Taiwan)

Note: Taiwan IB deal flow is close to nothing, so IMO it'd be less of a good experience

Captain Murica:

Honest opinion - Over the years I have developed a very negative opinion on internships in Asia (especially Hong Kong/Mainland China). I can't even count the number of times where my Asian friends have gotten "internships" which are nothing more than hookups by daddy. These are just sad & incompetent kids who can't get a job by themselves and has to rely on their parents.

^That's one side of it. On the other hand, if you're some random American kid and built a school in rural Bangladesh, that's something great to talk about.

My parents and their friends don't even know what a bond is, so I'm surprised that so many people I know have the connections to get their their first Front-office internships in Hong Kong (often a Chinese big 4 bank). It made their recruiting efforts much easier even though they just got their parents to pull the strings. Connection trumps everything in Asia. Unfortunately, "building schools in Bangladesh" doesn't add as many bullet points as the line "Investment Banking Summer Analyst".

Silverwoman Sachs:

Basically its: Boutique Shop (LA) vs BB (Taiwan)

Note: Taiwan IB deal flow is close to nothing, so IMO it'd be less of a good experience

Take the BB internship. It's in line with your goals and even if they change the brand still adds more credibility to your profile. Good luck!

@JYFresh thanks for the response! I'd love to hear more opinions though

if you're asian, don't do your sophomore year internship in asia. you'll look like you couldn't fit into american culture, and that's just another barrier you're going to have to overcome to even get interviews your junior year. i'd rather take a no-name boutique in america.

@kidflash thanks for the response! So Asians in Asia is an automatic ding?

shit.. how about you? And yeah thats what I thought, but for example right now I'm kind of doing work. At least more work than some other freshmen I know of.

i was fine. interned at a shit boutique in america my sophomore year and was at a good bank this summer.

okay so from personal experience you're basically saying fuck asia it didn't do shit for you

Just saw this article: http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/08/20/poll-young-chinese-use-da…

"a recent online survey showing that nearly 84% of respondents believe the young people around them would prefer to play a game of pin die rather than work hard. Meaning something like “powerful daddy,” the phrase refers to competing on the basis of family background."

For the most part, a total reversal of attitude that the one prevalent in the US.

@JYFresh so basically you're agreeing with kidflash? Seems like thats the general consensus, that internships/jobs in Asia are seen as made through connections and hard work. Kind of sucks because I got the one now through cold emailing and the such like crazy - there are only 3 kids interning in my department, and the 2 other people got them through their parents.. and it seems like I'm one of them...

Don't think it would be as easy now:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014241278873243244045790433824189650…

@Dreamgazing just because it has come under people's radars doesn't mean anyone can really do anything about it, especially when we're talking about China

Brand name is 10x more important than anything else for your first internship. Take a MS in Asia over some crappy boutique in the States (no matter how much they try to play up their amazing 'learning' experience). I have been through this dilemma before, and I went with the brand name. Paid off big time.

@dreamer1992 thanks for you response. I understand that brand name is most important during your first internship, and thats why I came to Asia to do Big 4 advisory (not the best name out there but still a name). My question is for my second year internship though, as there is a good chance I may get an upgrade from Big 4 (most likely to BB) in Asia.

@dreamer1992 also, could you elaborate on how it helped you? Because kidflash said the opposite, so I just want to get a little more insight into your experience

I was in HK for a couple weeks this summer. Spoke to a few BB banker friends there. For firms in Taiwan for IB, like you said, have close to zero deal flow, or at least really limited. I was surprised when hearing that from the HK bankers since a lot of big tech companies are there and with China so close, I was was expecting different or even just a more tech focused deal flow. And I heard only one firm dominates the space, so if you want some at least somewhat solid experience, aim for that if you can get your parents to leverage a few relationships.

Regarding an internship on the resume though, I would be careful of having two summer internships in a non-U.S. location on your resume for two consecutive summers. 1) It makes people doubt that you want to work in the US 2) It makes them think that you can't get a job in the US, so had to settle for something in Asia (echoed above by a few posters) 3) Also that you might be non-U.S. citizen, so for smaller firms or even some top boutiques that don't sponsor visas, they might be harsher on your application. (You might be able to solve this with a "citizenship" at the bottom of your resume though.)

@Ataraxy thanks for your response! FIrst of all my parents won't be able to get me anything, its all through my friends and people I've met (international school). Would HK be a good idea though? I'm a US citizen so what you said in 3) isn't really applicable. That being said, I do very much understand what you say in 1) and 2), but would internships in the fall and winter help change that impression?

So 2 internship postings in Asia came up on my career center website (Barclays ER, Barclays IBD) and I'm wondering how these would compare to boutiques in the US? Not trying to beat a dead horse here, but seeing as its a structured BB internship I'm wondering if the Asian discount still applies

just want to clarify that I have not yet applied for these internships and am not assuming I will get them. It is a pure hypothetical