How to Find a Non-teaching Job in China?

[Chinafunpost]

I understand foreigners could be very unsure in finding a job in China before they come to China or even when they are already in China. Assume that I will go to America and find a job there, I would be the same unsure, but I would definitely do some online research and get some useful clues. This is the right strategy. So it is right for you to read this article very carefully if you are going to find a job in China.

Here I’ll only talking about how to find a non-teaching job in China, because I believe this is the harder part compared with finding a teaching job in China.

You may be one of the following groups, please find the right group you are in and read the guides for you.

Group 1: You speak and read and write wonderful Chinese.

Maybe you have been learning Chinese for half of your life. Maybe you have got a Chinese girlfriend or wife. Maybe your parents are Chinese. Whatsoever, you have no language barrier at all. Good luck for you if you are in this group! You don’t need to read my guides at all, just go and contest for the job you like with those Chinese. They cannot beat you because you speak better English than them and you speak Chinese as well as them at the same time! As a master of Chinese, you can use the popular job search sites in China to find your favorite jobs. I would recommend 51job and Zhaopin.

Group 2: You speak wonderful Chinese but you cannot read or write.

This happens to many foreigners who have studied Chinese for some time in China. I have a friend John from America. He has been studying Chinese for 2 years in Shandong universtiy. He speaks Chinese in a pretty good way yet he can read or write none Chinese words. He is very typical case among foreign students learning Chinese in China. I believe the reason should be that they personally think speaking ability is much more important than reading and writing.

I won’t judge if your decision is right or wrong. I will only give my guides to you. There are still some opportunities for you though not so many.

One option for you is to work for companies from abroad which need some foreign stuff.

This would be the best option actually, high salary, good working condition and a promising future. But you need to have some qualifications like Business Administration degree or MBA degree or some previous working experience in related industry. Such qualifications will be a precondition and your Chinese speaking ability will surely maximize your advantage. Once you enter such companies, you’ll be like a fish in the water. Generally their inside communication are mainly via English and your Chinese speaking ability still has its way to go. (P.S. I personally suppose most of my readers are from English speaking countries or at least speak good English. My articles are written in English after all.)

The second option for you is to work as an interpreter.

Interpreters are making very good money in China today because there’s a big demand of interpreting service. Since you can speak both Chinese and English well, you’ll become a very good interpreter with some necessary training. There’s a harder interpretation named as simultaneous interpretation which is charged by hours. And believe it or not, simultaneous interpreters are making $400-$500 per hour! That is definitely a high salary in China while normal white-collar employees are making $10 per day or even less!

So dream to be a simultaneous interpreter now! It needs you to master both Chinese and English in a very professional way and believe it or not, it needs a strong physical force.

The third option for you is to work for a Chinese trading company.

There are millions of trading companies in China and only a few of them are big enough and making a considerable profits. I’m sure that you can get a job in these trading companies because they need international sales to sell their product to the world. Since you can speak English, you can surely do the job; and since you can also speak Chinese, they are surely willing to employ you!

By the way, as I know quite a few trading companies, so if you are interested in this option, I will probably do some recommendations for you. About the salary, a good international sales in China can make about $500-$1000 or even more per month depending on their sales performance.

The above 3 options are the best and most possible chances for you. But if you like none of them, you can go your own way and quite probably you can get a job you like since you speak wonderful Chinese. For example, you can even be a waiter in a fancy restaurant which has many foreign clients. Yes, 5 star hotels in China are another good option.

Group 3: You can speak a little Chinese or you cannot speak Chinese at all.

OK, here’s a problem. You speak none Chinese and you wanna make a living in China and you don’t like teaching! Sounds impossible, but yes, there are still some opportunities for you!

One option would be to work for companies owned and run directly by foreigners who speak the same language with you.

You can possibly get a job in such companies as an assistant or something else. I know an American who’s running a law company in Shenzhen and he has an assistant who’s also from America and speaks no Chinese. That’s one example proving that such opportunities exist. And as a matter of fact, more and more foreigners from the world come to China and start their business adventures which will surely bring some job opportunities for those who don’t speak any Chinese and want to work in China. But honestly speaking, even after you get a job in these companies without Chinese ability, it’s still very necessary and helpful for you to learn some Chinese. Never forget that you are in China!

The opportunities in Chinese companies for you seem to be very limited since you don’t speak any Chinese. To be limited doesn’t mean to be none. You may still get a job if the boss is able to speak English. As far as I know, many Chinese students abroad have the experience of doing the dishes in restaurants. Will you do the dishes in China? I’m sure you’ll be on the press if you really do it.

I can only think of these for now and hope there’ll be someone finding it helpful. I’ll update this article when I find more options for people who want to get a non-teaching job in China. Thanks for reading.

If you have any questions or problems related to China, please feel free to use my Free Consulting Service!

[nirvanaworld]

:)hi ..

thanks for this post. i think this was one i really expected. I am here for the past 4 months and i don't know any Chinese. I was worried that i may not get any job here. Can you suggest me some web-sites or some Forums that will help me in finding a job.:)

[BrandeX]

Will you do the dishes in China? I’m sure you’ll be on the press if you really do it.

..and you may be on the next plane out too if it was that public, since a place hiring to wash dishes no doubt has no authority to hire foreign workers

[simonlaing]

Some cool, but not well paid jobs could be a bar promoter/manager, Part of your wages comes in free drinks so you'd do it more for the perks than the money.

Also playing in a band or singing in a band is a possibility. If you're good enough or the bar makes enough money this can support you.

I have been the western spokesperson for a company who couldn't be bothered to send their own western rep from the states to China for simple product unvealing (air conditioning.) I had some chinese at the time, though it was a bit of detriment. My other british friend who took the job after me didn't have any chinese and enjoyed touring around Anhui and Hunan giving speeches.Her salary was fairly decent with banquet perks at every event.

have fun,

Simon:)

Also ChinaFun how do westerner go about finding these jobs other than using your consulting service?

[cdn_in_bj]

I had some chinese at the time, though it was a bit of detriment. My other british friend who took the job after me didn't have any chinese and enjoyed touring around Anhui and Hunan giving speeches.

Just curious, how was it a detriment? Did it make you look "less western" in their eyes?

[simonlaing]

It was a detriment, because I was supposed to be straight from the US and unable to speak chinese. So I had to act confused when people were talking chinese. Then there was an issue because my handler's english was not very good, so I would have to pull them to the side away from the Shanghai mayor and other VIPs so they couldn't hear be speak Chinese. It was a bit of a surreal experience really.

[gougou]

We discussed these "jobs“ in more detail here: Crazy jobs, or paid experiences people have had in China like impersonating someone.