“Seoul is a fast-paced, dynamic city, with everything at your fingertips”. Rowan Petz As is the case for many of us here at Asia Options, Rowan’s Asia story begins with an exchange program at Yonsei University in 2014, which was solidified when Rowan returned to Korea as a Hamer Scholarship recipient in June 2016. Having…
So you’re interested in studying Chinese in China? I spent all of 2019 living in Shanghai where I spent half a year studying Chinese at a private Chinese language institution and the other half doing a Chinese language university course at Tongji University. According to the HSK system, I went from HSK 2 to HSK…
From the 16th to the 19th of January, I attended the tenth installment of the Australia China Emerging Leaders Summit (ACELS) in Guangzhou, China. Organised by a small cohort of members from the Australia China Youth Association (ACYA), with the support of the Department of a Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the summit brought together…
While the title of this blog may initially take you by surprise, weddings are an important topic when it comes to navigating culture norms and building relationships in Asia. In particular, wedding invitations often come in a professional context – meaning that you are likely to find yourself invited to a colleague’s wedding if you…
As 2019 draws to a close, it’s a good time to look ahead and read-up on opportunities for Australia-Korea engagement that await in 2020. If you are currently studying Media or Journalism in an Australian university and have an interest in Korea, the KACS Media Scholarship is definitely something to have on your radar! Interested…
Following the article about online apps to learn Hindi, some of us prefer to learn the traditional way of being in a classroom environment and learn through a teacher and textbook. With a rise of Indian migrants to Australia, why not learn Hindi or other languages of India such as Tamil? Adelaide Listen & LearnPrices…
That’s me, feeling excited but somewhat lost at my first Korean Job Fair at COEX. As soon as you land in Korea, you are likely to meet with commentary on how difficult it is to secure a job here, for foreigners and Koreans alike. So while you may start out with a feeling of cheery…
If you are reading this, you are likely interested in building-up work and study experience abroad – be it to leverage Asian experiences to get a competitive job back home or as a starting point to spending the next decade localising in a new country. However, getting a working visa abroad can be quite tricky.…
Modern China is setting the benchmark for digitally-integrated societies, with an unparalleled suite of goods and services available from your smartphone. Whether you’re visiting for a few days, or moving for the foreseeable future, these apps are staples for your time in China. Note: some of these applications will require you to provide a Chinese…
Are you a university student in Melbourne? Ever considered gaining some overseas experience to boost your resume, or simply to experience something new? Since 2017, Study Melbourne has been running the Study Melbourne Language and Internship program in China, which enables twenty-five Victorian-based tertiary students annually to experience work and study life in China! Last…
AsiaOptions sat down with Bae Juice co-founder Tim O’Sullivan to find out how he brought a much-loved Korean product to the Australian market for the first time, and his experiences in getting a Korean-Australian business off the ground. Parts of this interview have been adapted for readability. Hyundai is Korean? Hendrick Hamel was a Dutch…
This post suggests three techniques to maximize your input hours and how to keep your language learning on track over the long-term. Skype Classes I struggle in a classroom environment. My mind wanders constantly, and like a lot of people, I don’t have the mental stamina to push through 2-3 hours of class time. While most…
With over 2,900 universities, hundreds of specialised programs and seemingly limitless permutations therein, finding the right program and scholarship in China can be a daunting task. To help streamline your efforts and tailor your search, we’ve curated a shortlist of university search engines and program aggregator designed specifically for this purpose: CampusChina – The Chinese…
When it comes to volunteering, it can be difficult to know how, when, or where to begin looking for open opportunities. Not only do you have to consider your schedule and figure out if any volunteering opportunities in the area of the world you are interested in are available during that time, but you must…
Professional experience is becoming a requirement that more and more employers look for out of graduates. An ACICIS experience in Indonesia offers students the opportunity to do an internship whilst completing a semester exchange program with organisations as diverse as think tanks, local businesses, schools and even internationally recognised organisations such as Save The Children,…
In this post we talk about launching a career in China and how the Wright brothers’ story might have a few tips to help you on your own journey. The Wright brothers never made it to China—though, you can find official replicas of their aircraft in Chengdu. As the first team to pilot a fully-fledged…
Summer school is probably not on top of most young people’s mind when they think of summer, but trust us, summer school in Asia is something you’ve got to do! Imagine yourself in July next year knocking back an Asahi or Korean Soju with classmates, feasting on amazing local food, or exploring the local surroundings on weekends in…
Let me show you some behind the scenes of the annual Sydney Korean Festival 2018. As a volunteer, I worked with the Korean Cultural Centre, Korean Tourism Organisation, and KBS K-Pop World Festival.
Australia and Indonesia share a long and vibrant history, but never in this history has there been a better time for Australians to visit and learn about Indonesia. In terms of trade, education and tourism, the Australia-Indonesia relationship is only growing stronger. This means that there are more and more opportunities for young Australians…
Indonesia is one of Australia’s most important bilateral relationships. Sustainable and inclusive economic growth in Indonesia benefits Australia and contributes to regional growth and stability. One aspect of the Australian Government’s development assistance in Indonesia is the provision of skilled Australian volunteers through the Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program. Annie Ingram spent…