Editor's note: The following was translated and edited from an article that appeared on NiHaoWang.com, originally from the People's Daily. It concerns a growing source of disappointment for young Chinese returning from abroad: extremely low salaries. Frequently ridiculed by friends or family for failing to live up to the hefty expectations set on them by their expensive Western educations, nonetheless, many young graduates remain optimistic, confident that their investments will pay off in the long-term.

"Sea turtles"—a pun on the fact that "returning" (归) and "turtle" (龟) are homophonous in Chinese—has long been a playful term for Chinese who return home after seeking their education abroad. But recently, young "sea turtles" are finding themselves slapped with a new nickname—"seaweed"—after an unwelcoming domestic job market leaves them high and dry, with more and more reports citing cases of returning graduates unable to earn more than 3,000 RMB a month with what they thought would give them a surefire competitive edge: an international college degree.

Patience is a virtue

Li Haiyan, who recently received her masters in finance from Australian National University, isn't afraid of the media portents: "I used to worry about the reality of the situation; I've seen the headlines," she says with a smile. "But these are things that everyone has to deal with, not just returning graduates. What's important is to keep a firm grip on reality. For me, studying abroad wasn't just about getting a degree. I broadened my horizons, exercised my international thinking skills, and seriously improved my oral English. Living abroad is a long-term investment. If we just keep calm and concentrate on what's in front of us, that investment is sure to pay off eventually."

Optimism is paramount in today's job market; whereas graduates of another era would return home as objects of admiration, today's "sea turtles" are finding themselves to be objects of ridicule, forced to sell themselves short instead of to the highest bidder.

 "I thought a lot about different motivating factors before deciding to move back home," says Wang Pengzhi, who now works at a financial institution in Beijing after receiving his masters in finance at the University of Edinburgh. "I knew China's economy was still going strong and also has a policy of recruiting educated candidates, plus there was my family to think of, since I'm an only child. I just knew there would be huge advantages for my family and for my professional development if I moved back to China." Asked about his starting salary of 3,000 RMB a month, Wang laughs, "I know some people make 10,000 RMB in their 20's; that's a question of personal ability. If you don't have any experience, you can't offer anything of value to the industry yet, so how do you expect to be paid? If you've really got potential in the industry, what's wrong with 3,000 RMB a month? Just stay calm; like Laozi said, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!"

Pressure is a motivator

 "The problem stems from the growing ranks of returning students combined with an increasingly competitive job market," says Zhou Yi, professor of news media at Shandong University. "But 20-somethings are far from hopeless. Truly talented graduates from top universities and those with advanced technical skills will always have an edge; there's no reason to think they are inferior to their predecessors." According to Zhou, "Young returning college graduates have the benefit of an international education, new skills, and a broad base of knowledge. They should look at the pressure behind the problem and they'll find that pressure is the best kind of motivator."

Li Hui, with his masters from the University of Southern California, is another optimist. "We've got all these young college grads coming back to China, so full of energy, and they've got clear ideas about where they stand in the world. In the face of low salaries, a tough job market, and high expectations from employers, they take it all in stride. We have no illusions about the future; we are thinking clearly."

3,000 RMB isn't so bad after all

Jiao Ao, returning from studying abroad in the U.K. after failing the gaokao college entrance exam in China, likes to keep things in perspective. "Actually, for me, 3,000 RMB a month is pretty high. I used to get 1,200 RMB a month as an intern."

"There are three ways to look at this problem," according to Prof. Zhou. "The first is that students who can afford to go abroad after failing the gaokao tend to come from wealthier families. Coming from privileged backgrounds, they tend to have weak foundations, don't study as well as they should, and have trouble with self-discipline. The second is that schools abroad aren't always honest. Many are just taking advantage of a high volume of Chinese study abroad, and as a result you can end up with a degree that you paid for but didn't really earn, so in that case you're going to get low salaries when you return. Finally, a lot of students choose their majors blindly. They don't plan ahead and end up unemployed when they graduate."

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Keywords: returning graduates China low starting salary China Chinese study abroad students Chinese job prospects