What job should I look for in China?

March 25, 2006 9:27 AM

I am an American planning on moving to Shanghai, China. What are my employment options if I don't know Chinese?

So far the best option I have come up with is to teach English. I am hoping to get a job with Wall Street English, the best private school from what I gather. I am under the impression that this is the school that Chinese executives attend, which will also be useful for making contacts. I will also have decent hours with time to learn chinese and enjoy myself. I have a degree in Computer Science and an MBA, both from Iowa State University. A friend of mine who also has a Com Sci degree thinks that teaching English is a shitty job for an expat. Anyone have experience or know someone that did something similar, etc? What other options would you suggest, assuming I will be moving there soon without knowing the language?

posted by thebbxx to society & culture (10 comments total)

I don't have any China-specific advice, but take a look at Dave's ESL cafe if you haven't already. The China boards look active.
posted by veggieboy at 9:32 AM on March 25, 2006

It would help if you could tell us why you are planning to move there. Sometimes, you might be able to get a job with an international firm.
posted by slavlin at 9:35 AM on March 25, 2006

I lived in Hangzhou for part of a year and met a few expats who were teaching English. This was about 10 years ago and perhaps things have changed but at the time the pay was very low (this was at a university not a private school). I know a number of people who work in southeast Asia and who don't know the language but these are people who were already employed prior to moving there. In all of these cases, they were re-assigned by their company to their new country. I don't know the employment possibilities for someone just landing in China but there may be visa issues if you want to change jobs.
posted by bluesky43 at 10:56 AM on March 25, 2006

The average income in Shanghai is about 4 times that of the average income of China, but it's only a fraction of the average US income (a few years ago it was around 5%, maybe it's 10% now).

This indicates that there isn't much money in teaching English in China. If you are teaching private students, even a few bucks may be a substantial fraction of their monthly income.
And if that is the case, then you are probably better off working 2 or 3 month in the States and spending the rest of the year in China studying Chinese at a local Chinese school or university or so. Teaching English for a fraction of what you could earn in the same time in your home country is simply a waste of time and energy. If you want to work in China, better get a real job instead.

The situation may be different with schools teaching the higher-ups of affluent international firms with big expense accounts. But what makes you think that you are qualified to land a job with those? Have they made you an offer? If they pay real money, then I'd be surprised if they don't insist on better qualifications, e.g. a degree in teaching English as a second language or so.
posted by sour cream at 12:03 PM on March 25, 2006

If you have a college degree, you might get a job teaching at an American or International school.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 12:23 PM on March 25, 2006

Some of the architects I've consulted for have recently opened or expanded Chinese offices and have mentioned (in passing) their difficulties in getting good people to transfer out there. No idea what sort of jobs they were hiring for, but in my mind a US company staffing up for specific projects or new offices would surely be delighted to get a CV from someone with your qualifications for any number of positions - surely not everyone heading out there has language fluency off the bat?

/has never been to China
posted by jamesonandwater at 1:17 PM on March 25, 2006

You can teach English, and that's about it if you don't know Chinese. That is unless you are sent to work over here by an international firm or something. If that happens to be the case, knowing Chinese won't be a problem as you will be provided with an interpreter.

Getting a job in China is actually really easy if you're a foreigner. Here in Shenzhen, all the clubs who want to be trendy and show off have foreign (read: non-Asian) bartenders or dj's.

Lots of offices in Chinese companies that deal with foreign trade or the like will often be English-only, in which all the Chinese people will speak English at work, just to get better at it (the English thing and its popularity here is a whole other story). If you could provide some sort of service to them via your job, chances are you'd be welcome.

There are lots of English-language newspapers and magazines produced here as well. If you are good with grammar and writing, you could become an editor or writer. If you've got a good personality, there's always TV. In China being foreign is seen as being fashionable and modern, and everything China wants to be. Pretty silly, but hey. China's an interesting place, I guess.

Also, if you're in Shanghai, there's a chance you could get a job if you spoke Japanese or Korean, or, well, any other language at that. Shanghai's a huge place, and I'm sure something will turn up.
posted by taschenrechner at 5:35 PM on March 25, 2006

In terms of teaching English, it might be easier to get work or you might get a better-paying job if you have a certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. I think quite a few universities have programs where you can get this in a summer.
posted by srah at 7:33 PM on March 25, 2006

Hey, you can't just move to Shanghai. Remember that stuff on TV about aliens, and illegal immigrants...err thats you. Just go on holiday and try to get a job and then try to change your visa status. If you work illegally the GonAnJu will eventually find you overstaying your tourist visa and chuck you out. If you are unlucky they will assume you have been working and want the tax off you before they chuck you out. And guess what, they aint going to be paying for you flight home they will be holding you until someone stumps. I am seeing CVs everyday from people at top schools in the states, with claims of fluent mandarin, wanting an unpaid internship with us in Shanghai. And there are plenty of teachers ahead of you looking to break into something more lucrative. If you really want a job in China, go to a provincial town upcountry where the competition won't be so fierce. It won't have a Starbucks or an Ikea, but it will be China and you will have a much better chance of getting ahead.
posted by priorpark17 at 12:38 AM on March 26, 2006

If you really want a job in China, go to a provincial town upcountry where the competition won't be so fierce. It won't have a Starbucks or an Ikea, but it will be China and you will have a much better chance of getting ahead.

Beijing might be a nice middle ground here? They'll have Starbucks and Ikea, but the competition isn't nearly as stiff as Shanghai. Plus the Mandarin is standard (going forward, at least) and there are good connections to be made, as in Shanghai. There are enough foreigners around that you won't be lonely, and enough english speaking Chinese that you won't be lost, but it will still be China, and you'll still want to learn Chinese.
posted by gd779 at 6:18 AM on March 26, 2006