Working in China

[redmini]

I'm studying Chinese in Beijing right now and am hoping to get my language skills up to scratch or at least to a level of fluency where I can survive in the workplace. I have a few questions that I hope you guys can help me out with..

1. First of all, what level of HSK do I need to achieve in order to be qualified for working in a Chinese company?

2. How many years of Chinese study are required to be truly 'fluent' in the language? (in your opinion)

3. What is an ideal method of networking in China? I'm looking to find employment in the trade industry, if that is relevant.

Many thanks. Cheers =)

[novemberfog]

1. I think it varies from company to company. Technology (IT, electronics, etc.) jobs normally require less language skill but more technical knowledge. Translating generally requires strong reading skills. Marketing and sales jobs are going to require a very high level of Chinese since you are tryiing to target products to Chinese. If you work in financial markets, then you probably don't need to speak Chinese at all because securities trade is primarily done in English.

2. It depends on how you define fluent, but if you want to speak and write as well as a native speaker, I think it is a life-long process that never stops. In your native language you never really stop and realize how difficult things are, especially the proper usage of idioms and symbols and what not. If you just want to be able to do your job efficiently then I think after a year when you learn the job and the speciality words for the job then you can become quite "fluent".

3. I'm not sure what you mean by the "trade" industry. Do you mean trading securities and equities? Or do you mean importing and exporting? Or something else? In general, there are probably groups of professionals, and you have to try to get in with them. Perhaps there are student chapters at your school or in your city? You could also go to professional events. It might not hurt to get your own personal namecard made so that when you meet people you can exchange name and business cards. A business card has all of the info you could want: company name, title in the business, phone#, and e-mail.

[djwebb2004]

2. How many years of Chinese study are required to be truly 'fluent' in the language? (in your opinion)

years and years and years. i have a degree in Chinese from an English university that included a year abroad in China, and I have also since then lived for a year and a bit in China, and I am getting to the point where conversation is easy and I can usually follow others' conversations as well. But if "fluent" includes reading, then there are still many, many words I need to look up, and if "fluent" means ability to understand the TV, then my tingli is not there yet either. Think 5-10 years for an able student, and "never" for a student of lesser ability...

[JamesGoff]

djwebb, can i ask where did you study in the UK?

[redmini]

thanks novemberfog for the info!

by 'trade' i meant importing/exporting.. this industry is so darn huge, i never quite know the first step i should take to networking. i will research into whether there are professional events that i can attend in beijing, it would be an enormous help if there are

i dont expect there to be a lot of technical knowledge required in international trade, from what i hear, as long as you know your product, primary emphasis is placed on your negotiating skills.. right? im hoping thats true =)

djwebb, haha then i sure hope im classified under the 'able student' category..

[novemberfog]

redmini,

I'm not quite sure how one would get one's foot in the door in the import/export trade business. It's a different from specialised industries like finance, engineering, and other inudstries in that it doesn't not really have a specific background (education, licenses, etc.) requirement..

if I were you I would also look into the shipping and transport industry as a starting point--especially any lines that target Australia. When shipping from China to Australia, someone has to create the manifests and paper trail for containers and what not, and English skill and Chinese speaking skills might be needed there. In my former company's office building here in Tokyo there was a French shipping line and there were a bunch of Frenchmen who worked in that office.

I'd also try to find job fairs in port cities, such as Shanghai and Hong Kong. Just try to meet people, hand out your CV, and collect business cards.

I'm sure there is more you can do but that is all that is popping into my head at the current time.

[redmini]

really good idea on looking into the shipping lines that target australia! will definitely scout around for them

[adrianlondon]

I met quite a few Chinese students and young graduates when I was in Beijing a few months ago. The conversations often went like this :

"What are you studying?"

"Trade".

"Err, what do you mean, trade?"

"International trade, import/export stuff".

So, you've got a lot of competition. And these people speak passable English, fluent Mandarin, and know how guanxi works. Best of luck!

[flameproof]

To get a top job with a top company you need no Chinese skills at all. You need other skills, then Chinese becomes helpful, maybe the trigger to employ you. If the company is looking for somebody which good Chinese skills, there are millions of Chinese out there which beat you easily with better Chinese (not all thought) and lower pay (not all thought).

[venture160]

be good at what you do in your home country. master it for 5-10 years then look for a transfer to China.