Finding Work in Beijing

finding jobs in beijing:from home

If you are interested in finding jobs in Beijing, the internet is probably going to be your first point of call. For teaching jobs the usual sites to look at are tefl.com and eslcafe.com. A simple Google search will throw up plenty more, but these are two of the most popular, and I got two of my last three teaching jobs from these (and the odd-one-out now advertises solely on tefl.com.) Don't forget the sites listed below as well - they often have teaching jobs in Beijing and China. Posting a CV to China-based sites like chinatefl.com can have results. I got about 30 teaching job offers like this once, although none of them were in Beijing, and I didn't fancy a year stint at the Gansu Provincial College of Plumbing and Dust.

For those of you who don't want to teach, finding jobs in Beijing will be a little bit harder though. Not so long ago, simply looking foreign would be enough to get you jobs in Beijing. Now, even if you speak Chinese, you are going to need to supply some kind of skill that is in demand. Your nearest China Trade Council / Board / Association will be able to point you in the direction of companies that have jobs in Beijing, and contacting these may turn up some opportunities. However, unless you have a lot of experience, preferably experience in Asia, expect it to be an uphill road - you will be competing for these jobs with some of China's best and brightest who have already been attracted to Beijing, not to mention an increasing number of other ex-pats.

Websites to look at for non-teaching jobs include thatsbeijing.com, zhaopin.com(largely in Chinese) and xianzai.com. Don't rule out swallowing your pride and teaching in Beijing - there's a lot to be said for working in an employee's market while you build up contacts and get settled.

finding jobs in beijing:from here

The aforementioned websites are still going to be of great value. However, you can now turn up at the door within a few hours of seeing the ad, and that's going to help. Equip yourself with a mobile as soon as possible, and get business cards made up with your Beijing address on - show that you aren't just passing though, you are establishing yourself in the city. Networking now becomes much easier - the YPHH run regular 'networking' events, which offer an opportunity to distribute business cards, advice on finding jobs in Beijing and bodily fluids in no particular order. Before you come out, ask friends and family if they know of anyone working in Beijing you can get in touch with when you arrive - a large number of jobs will never be advertised.

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