Expats coming to China over the past decade could, generally speaking, have been broken down into three categories. The first were those sent to China by major multinational companies. The second were those who have come to China to study. And, the third were those who come out to teach English. For those expats sent by multinationals, the scope for evolution and development within China is limited – if they change jobs it is far more likely to be to a role in their home country or another international posting. The others, though, may well be looking to move onwards and upwards within China. However, this is not always easy. So, eChinacities thought we would ask how can expats move up and into other careers, and what other jobs are out there.

Photo: Augapfel

For teachers, there is, of course, the chance to evolve within their own field. As I discussed in a previous article, it is common to see teachers start at a state school before climbing their way up through private schools. However, for many, teaching in China is more of a means to an end rather than a true calling. Even though it allows them to stay in the Middle Kingdom, they would clearly prefer to be doing something different, perhaps something more closely related to their career at home or future ambitions. The main reason there are so many people teaching and not doing other things is the demand – it is quite simply insatiable. Check the job listings on any website aimed at expats and they are likely to be dominated by ads looking for teachers. The demand in other fields is nowhere near as high, which means finding something different can be very difficult.

As most expats living in China are likely to be intimately aware, this situation is also exacerbated by the tightening of visa regulations last year prior to the Olympics, about which we have already heard ad nauseum. However, the new visa situation has had one clear impact upon the job market for westerners – it has made finding jobs away from teaching far more difficult. There are, though, still plenty of opportunities, which tend to fall into two key areas (i) full-time jobs, and (ii) freelance and independent opportunities.

Full Time Jobs
The changes to the expat job-market have been far from uniform. The impact is being felt much more at the lower end of the spectrum rather than at the higher managerial or technical level. If you scour expat websites and recruitment websites dedicated to China, the jobs on offer tend to fall largely into two categories. The first, obviously, is teaching. The second is higher-level managerial or technical positions that require qualifications and experience. Gone – or at the very least greatly reduced – are the jobs in areas such as lower-level marketing or bar and restaurant management that were very popular two or three years ago. The reason for this is simple – big companies with big positions have far less problems offering visas. Smaller companies and lower positions create bigger problems.

Many higher-level jobs with major companies are filled in the company and candidate’s home country. However, with the impact of the financial crisis, many smaller companies are keen to save money in recruiting talented foreign staff that are already in China and are acclimatized to life in the Middle Kingdom. This helps them to save money both in the recruitment process and in getting the expat functioning in their role faster. These roles are primarily management oriented – particularly areas such as production or sales and marketing – and require strong qualifications and experience. Most require degrees, relevant industry experience (often at least 2 or 3 years) and experience working in a cross-cultural environment. Jobs like this can be found on websites directed at expats living in China – theBeijinger, That’s Shanghai/Beijing/Guangzhou, China Job and eChinacities and are suited to slightly older expats with job experience in their own country away from teaching.

Freelance & Sidelines
The phenomenon of freelance work and self-driven sidelines has grown from the difficulty in getting Z visas and permits. Obviously, staying in the country legally is a clear priority for all westerners. Many laowai, therefore, are now taking teaching jobs as a way of securing their documentation. This is often done on a part time basis to give them the opportunity to pursue other career ambitions without the prospect of being thrown out of the country. Doing this is a relatively simple process as the demands for teachers is high. Many of the expats doing this will tend to gravitate towards university jobs because of the limited contact hours and lengthy periods of vacation. It is also possible to do this with private schools - such as English First or Web - as they focus their hours on the evening and weekends when their customers are not working or in school. However, this type of job still features few holidays and much higher teaching hours.

The different jobs that westerners do in addition to teaching are tremendously varied – they can depend upon the city and the expats own lifestyles. For instance, in many second-tier cities, those with musical inclinations can enjoy great opportunities. With new bars and clubs springing up almost everyday, the need for singers, musicians and DJs is growing quickly. None of the venues looking for musical talent can provide visas, but they often pay well for an evening's work or regular slot. Similar is also true of modeling and acting. Whilst established professionals would demand high salaries and the appropriate visas, others can enjoy ample benefits – often around 1,500 per day – for a pay as you work arrangement. Also, whilst many are keen to escape teaching English, using it in other ways can be surprisingly lucrative. For instance, whilst cities like Beijing and Shanghai have long-standing expat populations, the number of laowai in many smaller cities is growing. Because of this so is the number of websites and magazines dedicated to them, which of course provides work in editing and reporting.

This pattern is also becoming increasingly popular with westerners looking to start their own businesses whilst here in China. The process to register a company legally - as a WOFE (Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprise for example - can take time and money, the type of time and money not always readily available to small scale entrepreneurs. Using teaching as a way of getting a visa is a common way of giving them time to build up business interests. This is particularly popular with expats importing products – on a small scale – from their own country.
 

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