We’ve all been there or know someone who has: working and then something happens one day and the job is gone. Regardless of whether you knew it was coming (the contract ends and you just hadn’t planned ahead) or it came out of nowhere (the company goes under or you were fired), the search for a new job can be very tedious. This in between phase of job transition can be even more difficult in China where an abundance of part-time teaching or one-off face job gigs and easy access to cheap booze (and likeminded “freelancer” friends down to drink on a Tuesday afternoon) can keep you coasting for a long time and potentially derail your job search. At the same time, even though it seems like there are plenty of job opportunities available for foreigners in China, when you find yourself jobless here, the grass doesn’t always look so green. Allow me to walk you through my experience and the steps I took to get back on my feet again after leaving a job in China. 

Calling it quits

Last year, I found myself in a predicament. I wanted to continue living in China, but I was fed up with teaching English. After a long day in a rowdy classroom filled with 6-year-old brats, I decided then and there to put a halt to my teaching career. I wasn’t happy with the job and was tired of being cornered into contracts for fear of not being able to find something else. Sure, the salary for English teachers is quite attractive, but at some point risking your sanity for decent pay just isn’t worth it anymore. Of course that’s not to say ESL teaching is a bad career choice; there are many people who make a rewarding and enjoyable career out of it. I just wasn’t one of them.

So I called it quits and found myself living in China jobless and on the hunt for something new. I was nervous to be here with no income for an undetermined period of time—after all, I still had rent to pay and commitments to keep. Thankfully, I’d prepared myself financially to jump ship and find something that would be more satisfying and meaningful to my future. I just kept telling myself, worst case scenario, I could always pick up a few odd teaching jobs for some spending money to pull me through (though these are technically illegal and I’m certainly not endorsing it).

Unemployed

It’s funny how jobs are seemingly everywhere when you’re gainfully employed, but the moment you leave a job and start looking, they all disappear before your eyes. This can make for a painful period of unemployment. But it’s important not to spend too much time in the in between phase, especially in China. The legalities and red tape of leaving a job and starting a new one can make for an excruciatingly long process, leaving more space between you and your next paycheck. Of course, ESL teaching jobs always abound, but since this is what I was trying to avoid, I resisted the urge to respond to ads and be invited for dreaded demo classes (although I do admit giving in to temptation a time or two). Albeit convenient to earn some RMB while unemployed, these illegal “freelance” gigs can actually take up a lot of your time and lessen your motivation to secure meaningful, legal employment.

In the in-between phase, a lot of expats can fall into a partying, drinking, sleeping til noon cycle, especially if they share a similar status with their circle of friends. I, myself, not being too keen on idle time or Chinese bars, took advantage of my newly-achieved unemployment to focus on my Chinese study. Building this skill would definitely make me a stronger candidate for the non-teaching jobs that were already few and far between.

Limiting my social outings and keeping myself on a regular schedule helped keep me on track and make progress. But after about a month of Chinese books and hanzi, I started going stir-crazy. I needed to work, I needed more responsibility than opening a textbook. I had to start thinking of what I could do in China that had nothing to do with the “Little Emperors”. I also ruled out the acting/dancing/modeling jobs—not my cup of tea. As my most valuable skill in China was being a native English speaker, I decided to sell it by looking for copywriting work—an arguably abundant job for foreigners in China.

The search

I conducted my job search by beginning each day with a morning perusal of several online job boards and responding to any and every ad that caught my eye (and could provide legal employment). The thing that amazes me about looking for jobs in China is the speed at which you can get a call-back. This, in turn, has taught me that if you haven’t heard back within a few hours or by the next day, you probably never will.

So there I was eagerly applying and staying hopeful that something would come through soon. After eliminating the teaching option, the possibilities were limited, but by keeping on schedule and continually monitoring the job vacancies, I was able to pull through. Although I didn’t do this myself, establishing a daily or weekly application quota might help keep you on track and headed in the right direction.

Realizing the importance of relationships in China, I also took to networking to see where it might get me. Had I been looking for a teaching job, this would have proven successful, having many connections in the field (coworkers, parents of former students, friends, etc.), but for non-teaching job opportunities, I was still left empty-handed. I even contacted a former student who now works as a head-hunter, but she insisted that my below-fluency in Chinese would be a major roadblock and basically told me to give up hope. I agree that the language presented a bit of a hurdle, but I knew it wouldn’t be too high to jump. There are so many foreigners in China who couldn’t possibly all be fluent in Chinese, so I carried on, insisting that there were still job opportunities in China to be found. Additionally, I participated in some networking events and social hours, but the feeling was a bit too “meat market” for me; not much to offer in the way of professional development. Nevertheless, it was an option worth exploring and might prove successful for you and your career plans. 

A solid offer

After a number of applications and failed attempts, I finally came in touch with a Chinese company offering a position that held potential. In the end, it wasn’t really anything special that I did to land myself an interview and later a job offer; it was just one of those situations where preparation met opportunity. Going into the interview, I was extremely nervous and didn’t know what to expect from a non-teaching job in China. I ended up meeting with the CEO at Starbucks on a Saturday afternoon. I was so concerned about conveying a professional image and bringing along my spotless resume, but one glance at the CEO’s PayPal t-shirt made me realize I was worried for seemingly nothing.

The interview was interesting—it was conducted in English and featured a lot of boilerplate questions about my prior work experience and skills, a mock scenario to test my writing ability, and finally being asked if I was willing to work overtime. Though no one likes working nights and weekends, I just really wanted the job, so sure, I’ll do whatever you want. After all, life’s not much fun anyway when there’s no money coming in.

The company decided to make an offer, but they first wanted to know my salary requirement. This was another challenge because I didn’t have any experience doing this type of job and didn’t want to shoot too high and risk losing a good opportunity. I consulted with some experienced friends on how to best answer their question. Of course they all insisted that I aim for the stars—if they really want me they’ll accept. A bit too bashful for this, I turned the tables on the company and requested that they tell me the general range for this type of position, since I was new to the field. I also shared my salary history with them since it was in a comfortable range and would give them a good idea of what other employers pay expats in China. In the end they came through with an acceptable offer and I started working within a matter of days.

Gainfully employed again

Going back to work in a new environment and a new industry was a bit scary at first; I didn’t know what to expect from my new position. Since a majority of the staff didn’t speak English, it meant that I would be forced to communicate in Chinese. I was tired of spending hours teaching English and having no energy to study Chinese at the end of the day, so this is exactly the opportunity I was looking for. The job has proven to be great; it’s nice to see a different side of China and get to know more young professionals. The company has been pleased with my work as well and they’ve even allowed me to telecommute, as I’ve since relocated to another city in China. I appreciate the opportunities and responsibilities I’ve been given and the chance to build my skills for the future. It’s made giving up and starting over from scratch worth all the while.  

Conclusion

Initially, I didn’t think that I would be able to find a truly resume-building job in China that fit my career goals. For me, giving up the easier option and suffering through a period of unemployment has definitely paid off. As hard as the whole process is, I acknowledge that it's probably even more difficult for non-native English speakers. Nonetheless, I’ll leave you with two broad tips that I’ve learned through my experience. I look forward to hearing about your experiences as well; your comments are welcomed below.

1. Do: Prepare financially, assess your skills, stay on-track, network, and hold on to hope
2. Don’t: Give in to social temptations, settle for illegal employment, waste time, or give up

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