The Skyline of Beijing's Central Business District

Breaking the myths about working in China.
Nowadays, there are hundreds of jobs for foreigners in China, and not just the traditional missionary or teaching jobs. Companies are hiring managers, salespeople, technicians, computer programmers, consultants and other professionals. Many times, people come to China on their own, find jobs teaching, then take jobs being offered by companies or embassies. Or, they do stellar performances in their companies at home, and then are transferred by their companies to a position abroad. If you get the opportunity to work abroad, you will find that you will have much to consider before even going abroad. Here are some things to think about before you even apply for that job opening.

Want to work in China? Post your contact information and any questions here for free.

Is China right for me?
This is the first thing you should think about before going there. Can you and your family handle being away from all that is familiar? Most assignments are six months to a year abroad, sometimes more. Are you prepared to leave for up to a year? If you are, it is a wonderful chance for you and certainly for your career. Talk to others who may have worked abroad, or do a search on the Internet and read about other people's experiences. Note the pros and cons about living in China from other expats. Most people enjoy it. However, it is not always easy. Foreigners (that is you) require special care; food, housing, language, emotional issues are all things that you will have to think about. For example, Americans are used to eating a great variety of foods. Of course, when you settle in, you will find a great variety of Chinese food, but not as good a selection of Western food. And just like Chinese food in America tastes different that what Chinese food in China, so you will have the (sometimes unpleasant) surprise that American food does not taste the same. Fortunately, in Beijing and Shanghai, there are grocery stores especially for foreigners. However, we must share our precious grocery shelves with the Europeans (rightfully, they probably built the store) and live with much less choice than we do at home.

Another issue is that you will be among thousands of foreigners living in China, but you will still be a novelty. People will stare at you, shamelessly. Some days you will feel like royalty. Other days you will feel like an exotic animal at a zoo. They will try and sell you things at higher prices. If you are shy, you will eventually get used to extra attention.

If you picture yourself working among Chinese monks taking frequent meditation breaks and learning the ways of feng shui while getting in touch with your inner Buddha, you need get in touch with reality. First reality check: religion was banned by the Communist Party. And although most of China is Buddhist and some churches are allowed, religion is closely monitored. Second, forget the serene images of rolling hills. While China has beautiful, quiet places, you probably won't be working there. China is loud: the people speak loudly, construction is constantly going in virtually all Chinese cities and the traffic! I also think the Chinese like to honk their horns for nothing better to do when sitting in a traffic jam.

What can I expect?
Sure, China has crowds and cars causing quite a cacophony. But what about inside the office? If you have Chinese management above you, expect a lot of last-minute changes, "creative" payment and sometimes empty promises. Also expect a lot inefficiency and things not to get done. Some of this thinking stems from the "iron rice bowl" era where everyone was guaranteed a job, whether they worked or not. Many times, you will sign a contract for a year, six months or three months. Read these carefully. It is usually negotiable. Also keep in mind that working with the Chinese is not the same as working for Americans. It is more formal, the boss has more respect and power. Feedback is generally not encouraged from the lower echelons, including foreigners. However, this does not mean that you can't talk about problems that you are having and try to make them better. If the problem is with your boss, try to be respectful and reasonable. Otherwise, just leave. Foreign workers do not have much recourse to go after their Chinese bosses.

Next, think about the job you will be doing. Look at the salary, the benefits package, compared to what you are making now. Do the conversions into your own salary. Don't let anyone tell you that you can live on such-and-such a salary because the locals only make such-and-such. It is expensive to be a foreigner in China, especially in the major cities. Consider what you will be required to do such as how many hours you will work, if you will be required to learn Chinese, how far the commute is, etc. Factor in benefits, such as medical, vacation, housing, and extra perks. Most offer furnished housing with a washing machine, but no dryer. Some places offer weekend excursions, long vacations and free or discounted Chinese lessons. These factors will add to or detract from your experience abroad.

If you work for an embassy, thank your lucky stars that you do not have a Chinese boss, however do not expect that you may not have problems. Although most Americans cannot work for the Chinese embassy in Washington DC, many more Chinese than Americans work in the American embassy, including American citizens services. Why? Americans are expensive to hire. Watch what you say around Chinese employees. Assumed your phones and rooms are tapped - because they are. Not by the Americans, by the Chinese. In other embassies, it is similar. Chinese people outnumber and sometimes unofficially run foreign embassies in China. No matter how unimportant you feel your job may be, protect embassy information.

Applying for a job
In Asia, it is common to ask things like age, race, gender, marital status and salary. You can decide what you are comfortable answering. If they persist (which they rarely do), say it is part of your culture not to release this information. Many people ask you to send a CV instead of a resume. A resume is a brief account of your professional experience, education, skills and employment goals. A CV is more detailed account of your life, personal information and accomplishments.

They may also ask you to send your passport. Be reluctant to do this. Identity theft is a big problem, and passports, especially American passports, are big money on the black market. Usually, they simply want to a picture of you; offer to send this instead. If they insist on a scanned passport copy, block out all personal information, including your passport number and include text over your picture and over the rest of your passport that says, "Not for redistribution, Scanned copy, for authorized use only." Or simply don't deal with them.

Racism
They will want a picture of you to see what you look like. Others will ask outright, "Are you black?" Sometimes, I have answered yes, and never heard from them again. The Chinese, like others, have misconceptions about blacks. This, unfortunately, makes it difficult to find a job if you are African-European, African-American or African.

These are some of the things you must think about before going to work abroad. It all depends on you, your circumstances, motivations and the economic climate. But if you do a lot of research, you will find that many people love living and working in China. Whether you decide to go or not, you can be satisfied because you made a well-informed decision.