SCIS Job-Shadow program a good success

The Job-Shadow Experience for Grade 10 students ran from May 13 to 15. There are 65 students placed within 42 Shanghai-based companies to learn about the corporate, creative and entrepreneurial life and the skills needed to succeed.

We vetted many companies to find the most exciting and educational placement for our students. Students applied for specific companies and the committee matched the most qualified student to the appropriate experience based on applications and teacher recommendation letters. Students spent 20 hours working, shadowing and learning from a mentor within a field of their interest. The outcome was 100 percent satisfaction from the industry mentors and students. We did not learn of any negative feedback from either side, but only encouraging words for future relationships.

However, the job-shadow experience was a win-win for both the students and the companies. Students gained knowledge within a particular profession and learned lessons about their own strengths and weaknesses. Mentors had a fresh and youthful perspective on their product, business and competition.

Some feedback from the industry mentors

“They are both wonderful students. Very diligent, patient, and always willing to learn and listen attentively. They caught on with making products really fast and helped me with an excellent SWOT analysis on our last day which we discussed at the end of the day.” — Rex Ting from Puppy Cubby Cafe Entrepreneur

“It has been a real pleasure being with Fransje. She is a remarkable student with an impressive mindset and maturity for her age. I am sure she has great things ahead of her in the field of psychology and helping people to live a fulfilling and healthy life.” — Lorna, founder of Luna Mindfulness

“Leon came with a strong desire to learn and outstanding photography skills. Though he is still at a very young age, he is technically thorough with the camera. I wish him all the best!” — Lotte Han, founder of Lohan Jewelry

“Lucy has displayed a positive, proactive attitude to the task given to her. No matter the task, Lucy always devoted herself to the writing aspect and also has helped visit some of our clients including the Grand Hyatt.” — Stuart Lancaster, chief editor of Shanghai Family Magazine.

“Noah did a fantastic job analyzing the game experience and translating that into a pitch for a new game. His presentation was solid. The Directive team would love to play his game!” — Atli Mar Suewsson, CEO of Directive Games

“We were extremely impressed with how Jorge handled himself for the short period he was with us and was able to complete all tasks provided to him efficiently with a high amount of detail and quality, as well as providing unique suggestions within a meeting environment.” — Ben Davis, personal trainer of F45

A glimpse of what students learned

“I liked working at Raffles Medical Center because I was able to decide which things I wanted to observe and learn about. I was given freedom and autonomy which allowed me to pursue my interests and helped me learn a lot more.” — Severi Varjonen

“The stories and advice my supervisor gave me was also very meaningful and helpful in discovering my path.” — Carol Li

“I didn’t expect to have this much fun shadowing Melissa Berg, the lower school counselor! One of the best parts about the experience was interacting with the children who came in to talk about an emotional challenge they were experiencing. The process of investigating the background of their behavior and getting down to what needed to be done made me feel so accomplished.” — Sevi Ettinger

“My best experience at Shanghai Ren’ai Hospital was that I was able to shadow three intelligent doctors who specialized in different medical fields. The last day was very meaningful to me because the doctor gave me specific advice on becoming a doctor. Also, I was able to help a patient by translating from Korean to English.” — Jiwoo Moon

“One of the best parts about this experience was learning all the little details that go behind making a product. I realized that there is so much more planning and work than I would’ve ever imagined that goes into a single piece of Adidas clothing.” — Jenny Chan

“The best part about working at Lovepet was being able to stand by and watch the doctors perform life-saving surgery on dogs and cats.” — Michelle Wong

“My best experience was conducting a field audit and presenting my findings to the team. Johnson and Johnson plans to implement some of my strategies to counter certain problems with customers.” — Sanjot Sah

(The article is contributed by Emily Blalock, college counselor at SCIS Hongqiao.)