I joined the TEEP program the summer of 2016 in order to acquire hands-on consulting experience with established local Taiwanese companies during my International Master’s program in Business Administration. Working in the TEEP program gave me the opportunity to meet young international people who had fresh and new ideas to bring to the table, real consulting professionals who provided us with the tools necessary to solve problems and work with local Taiwanese companies who had various business projects for us to solve and execute.

As the team leader of a team with 4 other members, I learned how to work with people to achieve timelines, distribute tasks to complete project goals and schedule weekly meetings for brainstorming, presentations, and project deliverables. The program also provided us with the necessary tools and resources that were learned during seminars held throughout the summer. Each team was assign one professional consultant to guide us and help us solve the issues that were presented to us by the local Taiwanese company.  Each week we had seminars to attend to where guest speakers, company owners, or specialists demonstrated how to achieve valuable solutions for a successful consulting project. Finally, these solutions and suggestions to the client had to be presented and discussed once a week with the company.

As for my particular project, my team and I had to perform extensive market research in order to determine whether the products sold by the local Taiwanese company could be sold in a different market such as Thailand or Vietnam. Then, we had to deliver a “how to sell” plan and several marketing strategies specifying who the primary customers were in Thailand and how to best reach them. As a result of a successful project, my team and I received the first place award on best final report and second place award on best final presentation. The company also rewarded us with extra cash incentives at the end of the semester and was pleased of our findings and solutions presented.

Lastly, the TEEP program offers lots of fun and outgoing activities throughout the semester such as visiting the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan, located just outside of Kaohsiung, or going to see the aboriginal community in Tainan, Taiwan. These kind of activities and field trips gave us the opportunity to discover and learn Taiwan’s culture, food, and music. Overall I was very happy and pleased with the program. I will recommend anyone who is interested in advancing their career through hands-on experiences and internships, and enjoys learning new cultures along the way to join the TEEP. It is truly a lifetime experience that will not only enhance your professional resume but your personal life as well.