Employment Options for the Summer

[disalarming]

In a remarkable change to my summer unemployment dilemma of 2009, I have two very excellent employment options for this summer. The only problem is that I have to choose which one I want; due to the location of each position I can’t do both.

As I would say in Chinese, 怎么办？(“What’s to be done?”)

Option #1: Interning at a PR firm in Beijing
Internships are obviously a great thing to have listed on a resume, and interning at a first-class PR firm in Beijing would be pretty damn amazing. I’d get tons of work experience in my field and also get to know what the industry is like in another country, and how PR strategies and such differ from country to country. As a full-time intern, I’d be fully immersed in my work environment and would have awesome opportunities to improve and expand my skill set. This internship would be the most related to my field out of all the work experience I’ve had so far.

But there are cons, of course. I’d be an unpaid intern, and I’d have to cover living expenses out of pocket. I also wouldn’t be able to use much, if any, of my Chinese at my internship because of the nature of the company and my position. Yes, I would still be able to use my Chinese in daily life, but not being able to use it (or improve it) in a professional setting is a little discouraging.

Option #2: Teaching English just outside Shanghai
I have never taught English before, but I would make bank doing so in China. The teaching gig I’m looking at is a pretty sweet deal, too. I would get paid to teach and receive free room and board as well as free Chinese lessons. Three of my friends are also considering this employment opportunity, so it would be all of us working at the same school this summer.

My issue with this is that it is not in Beijing, a city I have grown to love. It isn’t even in Shanghai either, but right outside it. I like everything that a big city in China has to offer, so I am a little skeptical of how well I would adjust to not living in the city.

I have to decide between one of the two soon, and I have no idea how I am going to be able to make this decision. Input, anyone?

Cross-posted from breakthesky.net. Please leave any comments there.