zerolife Posted January 21, 2009 at 07:26 PM Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 at 07:26 PM I just graduated from college and with the miserable job market in the US, I thought it might be a good time to try out my luck in China. However, I do have a paying internship right now so I don’t want to make the big move until I find something in China that will pay enough for an average Joe life. Anyone has any suggestions where to start looking? It seems like a lot of the job websites like thebeijinger.com and chinajob.net are geared toward expats already living in China. Should I go with a placement agency? Should I make a CV or would resume be ok? Also what do you guys think my chances are of finding one? I have an undergrad degree from a very reputable university in the US and speak near native Chinese (however only intermediate reading level). I’m also fluent in German (speaking and reading). I'm actually German-Chinese (Chinese parents but German nationality). I do have intern experience in the US and i was a Olympics 2008 volunteer (should be a big plus right?) Any help appreciated, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddy Posted January 22, 2009 at 03:45 AM Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 at 03:45 AM How much helpful advice do you expect to get when we don't know what you graduated in, what you'd liked to work as ('non-teaching' covers a multitude of sins), or which part of the rather large nation of China you might like to live in. I'd say the chances of a fresh graduate picking up non-teaching employment in China, from the States, are pretty slim right now. There's a two-year working experience requirement for job visas (might be patchily applied), an ever-increasing number of foreigners already here looking for work, many of them with language skills, and firms doing international business - ie the ones most likely to employ foreigners - are feeling the economic pitch also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zerolife Posted January 22, 2009 at 05:33 AM Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 at 05:33 AM thanks roddy for the response My major is International Affairs and I'm not too picky about the type of job (as long as it's professional) or the location. I'm not limiting myself to a specific field and will consider everything that are offered... Do you know whether they count part-time (professional setting) and internship toward the two years work requirement? If they do, I already have well over 2 years. Also what do you guys think about foreign relations officer at hotels? I already have some hotel related work experiences. I heard it used to be quite hot after teaching jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liuzhou Posted January 22, 2009 at 07:19 AM Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 at 07:19 AM To work legally in China you really need to be employed by a western company who do business here. They recruit in your homeland. Not here. Alternatively, you must have a skill which Chinese nationals don't have. They know how to run hotels (although I've been in a few which might contradict that!). Should I make a CV or would resume be ok? What's the difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renzhe Posted January 22, 2009 at 11:06 AM Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 at 11:06 AM Probably your best bet would be to contact large German companies doing business in China: Mercedes, VW, Siemens, etc. and submitting a job application to the HR department. They are the employers who are most likely to value fluent German and Chinese language skills and have the cash. They might expect you to work for a while (year?) in Germany to get to know the company and your job before sending you over. I know a couple people who are working in Beijing for German companies like that, although they aren't German and their German is not too good either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gougou Posted January 22, 2009 at 11:16 AM Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 at 11:16 AM They might expect you to work for a while (year?) in GermanyActually many companies are now trying to reduce the number of expats they have (and replace them with locals or "local expats"), so that might not be necessary anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liuzhou Posted January 22, 2009 at 11:52 AM Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 at 11:52 AM We have a large German-Chinese joint venture. The lingua franca is English. My wife spent some time teaching the Chinese and German employees English. VW in Shanghai also uses English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gougou Posted January 22, 2009 at 12:08 PM Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 at 12:08 PM VW in Shanghai also uses English. In Beijing, some departments are pretty much completely German-speaking, staffed by mostly Germans and the odd Chinese who studied in Germany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renzhe Posted January 22, 2009 at 12:15 PM Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 at 12:15 PM Mercedes in Stuttgart and Siemens in Munich also use English as lingua franca. Still, German is unavoidable, and the VW employees I know in Beijing have to learn German. Many Chinese friends who studied in Germany got jobs with German companies, or German-Chinese societies of some kind. Knowing German is an asset, even though it's not strictly necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flameproof Posted January 22, 2009 at 02:56 PM Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 at 02:56 PM Probably your best bet would be to contact large German companies doing business in China: Mercedes, VW, Siemens, etc. and submitting a job application to the HR department. I would say an even better bet would be to go for medium or smaller size German companies. There are plenty of those in BJ and SH. You can check with the various German biz associations in HK and CN for addresses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilongyue Posted January 24, 2009 at 06:57 AM Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 at 06:57 AM Have you thought about taking the Foreign Service Officer exam? It isn't an easy job to get, and from start to finish you need wait a long time to know if you got the job (provided you pass all of the exams the first time through, which most people don't), but if you land a job with the Department of State, you're set for life. I took the exam last year, but didn't pass the written exam. I have to wait a full year before I can take the exam again, but I'm thinking about doing it one more time. Mandarin Chinese is listed as a "super critical needs language," so if you speak it, then it counts in your favor. However, I think you need to first pass the written exam before they even test your language ability. Your degree would help you out a bit, but so would getting experience abroad. I wouldn't bank your future on becoming a FSO, but it's a tantalizing option. Look into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zerolife Posted February 10, 2009 at 08:30 PM Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 at 08:30 PM thanks a lot for your all your responses. While I'm still looking for a job, I think I might end up going back to school to weather through the recession I've started a thread here regarding an intersting law school in China http://www.chinese-forums.com/showthread.php?p=178154#post178154 @lilongyue good luck on your FSO exam. FSO is definitiv an intersting career unfortunantly, I'm not a US citizen so I won't be eligible for State department jobs. Well I'm in the process of applying for dual citizenship so it might be an option for the future Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.