We have all been there, tearful goodbyes with friends heading home. It all seems so sad, so final. No longer will you enjoy delightfully boozy nights in your local expat bar or share crazy jaunts to far flung corners of the country. Or, will you? In many instances, this sense of finality is dissipating as more and more expats begin to make the return journey back to China to enjoy a second stint in the Middle Kingdom and become, as I’ve decided to call them, re-pats.

Photo: Allan Siew Official

Ever since China opened to the west and significant amounts of expats moved to the country, there have been those who simply caught the bug and could not stay away for long. However, in the last couple of years, with China continuing to grow – albeit at a reduced rate – and economies in the West still gripped by financial crisis, the number of people coming back is growing at pace. There are now more and more re-pats.

In a recent article, I discussed the problems of expats who lived in China for a few years subsequently struggling to acclimatize to life back home. For some, things seem just too ordinary, boring and bland after the colour of life overseas. For others, with their friends moving on and their hometown changing, the “home” they remembered simply does not exist. In the worst cases, they feel almost like immigrants in their home country – a phenomenon I termed “reverse culture shock”. This has always been a problem for returning expats as some of them simply cannot get used to going home.

Over the past decade, reverse culture shock has caused plenty of expats to make the journey back to China. The typical scenario often went something like this. They stayed in China for a year or two, had a great time and, then, decided to head home. At first, they were super excited about it. They landed in their home country, caught up with friends and indulged in all the home comforts they had missed whilst in the Middle Kingdom. For a few months, everything was fine and dandy. Then, slowly, they began to feel restless. Maybe things were not quite as they remembered, maybe their new job was boring, maybe life at home was a little too predictable. Whatever the reason, they began to casually scout websites to see what jobs were on offer in China. And, then, before you know it, they were on the plane back to China.

In recent years, though, the amount of expats coming back has grown, primarily because China has become an increasingly attractive proposition. Over the past eighteen months, the financial crisis – which China is weathering better than many Western countries – has made coming back far more sensible. To illustrate this point, I will use the UK as an example of how China makes increasing financial sense. (I am using the UK simply as it is my home country, we could also offer similar examples for the US and Australia, but I do not wish to drown you figures and statistics)

At the start of 2008, the pound was hovering around the 15 RMB mark, which meant that for most expats – a large majority of whom would be teachers – the chances of saving much money or sending significant amounts home were minimal. Therefore, living in China was far from financially prudent – it was as though we were treading economic water. Currently, the rate has dropped to around 11 RMB to the pound. This, coupled with the huge disparity in the cost of living between the countries, means that for those with student loans and overdrafts to pay, China has started to look increasingly viable on a fiscal level. And, those who have lived in China before are best placed to take the opportunities – they will already know where and how to find the best jobs out there.

Coupled with the improved financial situation is the deterioration in Western job markets. In both 2004 and 2006, there were roughly 1.5million people out of work in the UK. By the middle of this year, that number had risen to almost 2.5 million and is still on its way towards the dreaded 3 million mark. The hardest groups hit are young people and fresh graduates – the people who, not coincidentally, are most likely to head out to China, or, have already headed out to China. For example, in a recent article I wrote on internships, I pointed out that graduate unemployment in the UK in 2009 hit the 10% mark, and that the rate was also growing at a similarly frightening pace in the US. Because of this, many expats heading back to their home countries are finding jobs hard to find. A standard response to this is to look back at the favourable situation they experienced in China. With teaching jobs so easy to find and paying well, it makes increased financial sense.

The other major reason that China is a more attractive return option is the development that we have seen over the past decade. Five years ago, China was a far harder place to live. Big cities like Beijing and Shanghai were cosmopolitan enough to feel relatively like home, but in second and third tier cities the contrasts with lifestyles in countries like the UK, US and Australia were stark. Therefore, returning home was like heading back to “civilization”, to home comforts, to normalcy. Nowadays, things are different, even in supposedly 'remote' areas we can see western boutiques, expat bars and Starbucks on many corners. This helps make the gap between west and east seem closer – a gap that can be traversed again.
 

Related Links
Leaving China and the Challenges of Returning "Home"
Are Internships in China Worth It?
Does Living in China Help Your Career?

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