Find a Job in China
Job opportunities for foreigners in China
Thanks to the economic growth, the opportunities for foreigners wanting to work in China have increased considerably in the last few years.
Teaching English is one of the main job areas for foreigners in China, but there is also a growing demand for expatriate workers with skills in sales, engineering and management amongst others. Most of these jobs are offered by foreign-invested enterprises, but there is also a growing number of Chinese companies hiring expatriates, even among the State-owned companies. Some of the most interesting job prospects are in the following fields: Engineering,IT, Accounting and finance, Sales and marketing jobs.
Qualifications for working in China
Like everywhere else in the world, companies in China are especially looking for employees with a good mix of hard skills, soft skills and language skills. In a country where cheap labour is abundant, a college degree is a major advantage and most of the expatriates working in China have some form of higher education.
One of the best things you can do to get a head start in China is to learn Chinese. Many foreigners get by without speaking Chinese, but the more you can communicate, the better your chances of finding a job. Speaking Chinese certainly gives you greater options when looking for work, and the best-paying jobs require at least a conversational level of Mandarin.
The easiest way to find a job in China is via Internet.
There are plenty of job sites available for China. Chinese companies tend to advertise their jobs on Chinese sites like www.chinajob.com, www.zhaopin.com, www.51job.com or www.chinahr.com. Some of these sites also operate in English, but the actual job postings are mostly in Chinese so you will need some knowledge of Mandarin to understand them.
If you’re already in China, you can also check out the classifieds in the English speaking magazines. Such listings are targeted at foreigners, but most of them are only for part-time or contract work.
Teaching positions in China
English teaching jobs are available at high schools, universities and at a growing number of private language schools. They are normally advertised via e-mail and telephone contacts, either by the school directly or through a placement agency. Some agencies match teachers with Chinese schools, provide pre-departure training and only charge a modest fee for this service.
International teaching opportunities can also be found at major job fairs. Candidates need a government-issued public school teaching certificate and should plan on attending the fair to participate in on-site interviews.
English teaching jobs normally require that you are a native speaker and have an English teaching certificate like the TEFL (Teaching English as a foreign language). If you have a master抯 degree this will not only increase your chances of finding a position but also your salary.