Wang Ronghua, graduate of the China-EU School of Law in 2010, work at the Municipal Party Committee Organisation Department.
1. How does learning at CESL help and influence you?
In general, the college's curriculum is relatively full, bilingual teaching is also more challenging, and the intense and busy study life often makes you feelstressed. Being able to study at the China-EU School of Law is both an unforgettable learning experience and a life lesson in that hard work brings endless benefits. In terms of personal learning experience, the following reflects my main experiences.
First of all, my vision of CESL has effectively been expanded. Sino-foreign cooperative education is a feature of the college and a significant advantage. Studying at the CESL, the legal vision I have witnessed is international and comparative in nature–not just domestic and departmental. On the one hand, the international vision is derived from the international faculty and the international curriculum system. In particular, in the EU law courses are in English, except for teaching placements in China. In addition, the college also offers European summer classes to arrange for us to become familiar with practical teaching methods in Europe. This model has created a highly international learning experience: from EU law in books to the real-world EU institutions, which has greatly broadened our horizons. On the other hand, the comparative perspective is derived from the comparative curriculum design. One-year of Chinese law, one-year of EU law, and Chinese-foreign jurisprudence comparison are intrinsic. Specific to the teaching, the teachers also pay special attention to the comparative analysis of the rules of different legal systems. Therefore we are exposed to comparative law and the legal world in different jurisdictions.
Secondly, we have been trained how to think critically.Teachingone to fish is better than giving him fish. At the China-EU School of Law, not only legal texts and legal provisions, but also legal logic and legal thinking are important. I remember that the civil law curriculum was taught by Zhang Gu. The logic and speculation aspects of the course were very strong, which inspired me deeply. Zheng Xu’s criminal procedure law focuses on the Anglo-American jurisprudence. Wang Yaxin’s civil procedure law focuses on Japanese jurisprudence, with distinctive features, theoretical frontiers, and left me with a deep impression of Japanese law. In addition, the college has many high-quality, high-level courses, which are very theoretical and offered me a good opportunity to improve legal thinking.
Thirdly, my overall competence has been effectively cultivated. Mainly in three aspects: law, English and practical ability. The law education of the college is relatively systematic and comprehensive, and it is also in Central Europe. Thanks to the training of a group of top domestic and foreign scholars hired by the college, the college's legal education for individuals is unique. Sometimes, I feel that I have a more view than the three views, that is, the legal concept. The aspect of English language training and the design of the EU law course "Immersive Teaching" is indispensable. Before entering the college, I never imagined that I would be able to write a professional dissertation in English independently. But after studying the system, I actually did it. This is something I am proud of so far. In terms of developments in my practical skills, the college has carefully planned courses such as mock courts and simulated arbitration. The advantage of these courses is that the law we have learned is not only theoretical but also practical. In particular, the simulation arbitration of the EU law is very challenging and can promote the improvement of legal practice.
2. Why did you choose your current career?
Before entering my job, my field of vision was limited, and I wanted a career in the state organs, so the main direction of my job hunting was to prepare myself for the civil service exam. During the period, although the resumés were delivered to some companies, the results were not very satisfactory. Later, I concentrated on becoming a civil servant. From national civil servants to local civil servants, I went through several rounds of examinations and finally performed better in the civil service examinations in Beijing. I was successfully admitted to the Beijing Municipal Procuratorate and then assigned to the third branch of the newly established Beijing Municipal Procuratorate. Later, I was transferred to the current department of the municipal party committee.
3. Can you briefly describe your internship experience? For your current job, what advice do you have for the internship?
My internship experience is relatively simple. When I was on summer vacation, I saw that everyone was busy with internships. Maybe it was down to the herd mentalit but I also decided to practice. At that time, I was looking for an internship opportunity at the BBS of CUPL. I just saw that the court was recruiting interns, so I signed up and passed the admission process smoothly. The main focus of the internship was in the labour dispute court helping the judges to organise the files and sometimes there were opportunities to hear the case. The time is about one month. Before formal work, there was a small internship experience in the law firm, which was mainly engaged in investment and mergers and acquisitions. The time is relatively short and lasted for a month or so.
Looking back now, my internship experience is too singular and incomplete. The life of law is not of logic but of experience. Therefore, for law students, to participate in internships (although it may take up more time but there is still no harm in that) is a very helpful and enriching experience.
To a large extent, whether you want to practice or not, what kind of unit internship you choose, is related to your choice of career. For students with strong planning awareness, they may consider and plan their future employment direction in advance. Therefore, internships can offer relevant industry units in which to carry out purposeful and conscious training, and focus on cultivating business capabilities. For example, if you decide to be a lawyer in the future, you can go to the law firm to practice in advance and cultivate the business ability of litigation or non-litigation. For students who are not well-planned but rather adaptable, the internship goal may not be clear, but it does not mean that the internship is a waste of time. Unclear goals are relative to the direction of employment, but on the path of life, some basic interpersonal communication and comprehensive coordination skills are needed. This is clear. Therefore, such classmates may wish to undertake internships. Be it in courts, procuratorates, law firms or companies, they can consciously cultivate their comprehensive coordination skills.
In short, I feel that internships should be encouraged, but it should not be an excessive burden.
4. What other suggestions do you have for juniors as regards studying or for their future career?
Firstly, cherish learning opportunities. Time waits for no man. And learning time is always short. In a limited time, I can discover how much I have to do and rely on my personal ambition. We must cherish our current learning opportunities, study hard, and work hard.
Secondly, appreciate campus life. The best of your youth in life is spent on campus. In addition to learning, we must also value life; cherish good teachers, friends and confidants around us; do more meaningful things; and do not waste time.
Thirdly, know the direction of your career. Entry is more important, and the first career choice in life may determine the future direction of development. Although it is possible to change careers in the future, it could be harder than other routes. Therefore, before graduation, you should plan your own career development, communicate with the teachers, classmates and seniors around you to broaden your horizons and increase your knowledge.
Translation：Xu Hetong（CESL 2018 double master）
