Special Topic: Finding and Keeping Jobs in China

Foreigners are flooding China at an unprecedented rate, and many of us came here hoping to advance our individual careers by learning Chinese and gaining experience in one of the world’s most exciting markets. Does the growing number of foreigners in China mean it’s not the career boost it once was? Do companies value employees who have gained their knowledge of China business hands-on? Is speaking and reading Mandarin important to getting China related jobs. Are there even many China jobs out there? There are tons of questions swirling all around this ever so important expat issue, so we turned to you for your advice… Please shaer your expertise and experience in the comments section below.

Does Living in China Help Your Career?

It helped in my career to develop and grow quickly to management level. The fast-paced growth in China is suitable for those who are career minded and aspiring to climb the corporate ladder.
From a Newsletter reader

Does living in China help your career? I think learning Chinese helps my career. I teach at a university, it's not really related to my journalism/advertising degree, so I'm not sure how much help that well be when I look for a new job.
J / US

Yes. I have experience that is unique to every one of my old MBA classmates in the USA. They laughed at me when I told them I was coming to China 4 years ago. Now the tables have turned and their situation is grim. My situation is not grim at all.
R / US

I really hope so! That’s the main reason I came here in the first place. But now, after 3 years I’m not so sure. I’ve had experience here I couldn’t have gained so easily back home but I’m out of the loop for jobs there. Also, I took two years to try to learn Chinese to better my possibilities and I underestimated how hard the language is. Now I have a 2 year gap in my resume without much to show for it. Just as jobs back home get harder and harder to get.
L / US

Having worked as a Chinese teacher in both America and China I’ve seen different results for different foreign students and friends. It really depends what your career is and how you make use of your time in China. If you spent all your time drinking and partying and chasing girls or guys being in China doesn’t help much. If you were in China working or studying hard and making social contacts (maybe the second one is most important) then it was a good move. But if you just want to be a local business person or own a restaurant or something in your home country than travel to China isn’t necessary or helpful.
Q / China

 

Yes it does. It gives you experience where you wouldn't get it otherwise, but no training. You get thrown into the fire headfirst and they expect you to swim even though they are perfectly fine with you learning your way through it and they give you absolutely no guidance, then get pissed off at you for messing up. So you learn the hard way, but you have gained valuable experience and responsibility you would never get in your own country where there are too many qualified people to compete with.
S / UK

 

Don’t know about for business people but for photographers and journalists, the answer is usually yes. There is a good amount of good paying work here and the competition isn’t as steep. I guess the harder question for me is: is leaving China good for your career!?
M / Australia

Seems this question is mostly for foreigners, maybe? It’s now easier to come out of China as a Chinese than it used to be for previous generations and get a job. We learn English better now and Chinese is seen as a skill worldwide. Also China’s universities, and the whole of China, have a better reputation nowadays abroad. Before, maybe Chinese were seen as backwards peasants but now foreigners see pictures of Shanghai and the Olympics and watch the economy and have a much higher opinion of China and Chinese, so now, maybe it is an advantage and becoming more of one every day as Chinese spread more around the world.

Living in China can help your career if you allow it to, both in intangible and concrete ways. Anytime one lives outside of their culture, they gain a greater awareness of themselves and their perception of the world. Just dealing with everyday matters takes on whole new meanings and relevance. And now with living in such a global world, these skills based on flexibility have even more importance. Any credible employer realizes this. Also, speaking specifically in terms of China, the rest of the world is curious and aware of it's emerging power status. I'm fairly certain most of the reason I was accepted to a great graduate school in the U.S. was largely because I have experience living in China.
S / US

Perspectives seeks to promote dialogue and cross-cultural understanding by featuring Chinese and foreign responses to a single question. Email us to be added to our weekly question mailing list or to suggest questions of your own and feel free to add your perspective in the comments section below.

Special Topic: Finding and Keeping Jobs in China

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