possible jobs from studying chinese

[mason12]

Hi i am 16 years old, i aam English and i have been accepted to study Chinese at a university in China but i was wondering what possible jobs could i get after studying chinese for around 4 years? I know this may be an obvious question but thus far i have only been focusing on where, when and why i want to STUDY Chinese and i don't know what jobs are available to someone who is a language student.

Please could you advise.

Thanks

[ChineseSpeaker]

There are many international company and language school in big cities of China.

I think you can find job in those international companies.

You may also find a job as English teacher in language school.

[Xiao Kui]

You may also find a job as English teacher in language school.

There's nothing wrong with this kind of job and it's a great career move for a lot of people, but I'd venture to say it's not what most people who are majoring in Chinese are looking for. People who love learning foreign languages tend to prefer speaking other languages over teaching their own. Though it might be a good way to support yourself while your studying if I studied Chinese 4 years and then got a job teaching English I would consider my education a waste. (Oh, wait, I got a four year degree in the states and spent 5 in China teaching English. But i've learned my lesson and I'm doing my best to remedy it.)

Translation is a viable option - if you go to www.translatorscafe.com you can read some posts by people who have made successful careers out of this. Being an entrepreneur in China or starting a company in your own country that deals with China is another idea. Often if you have another area of interest: software, business, etc. you can combine this with your knowledge of China to secure a job or start your own company. More and more western companies are beginning to deal with China and having fluency in Mandarin on your resume may give you the edge over someone else who isn't bilingual.

Many people come to China to study Chinese and end up finding that there are a lot of opportunities that appeal to them once they've been here awhile, so give it some time. There is definitely a craze for learning Chinese in the west right now, and studying in China

should give you an advantage over people who only spend a semester or two here.

There are many international company and language school in big cities of China.

I think you can find job in those international companies.

I think it would be a great idea to find an internship in one of those companies, and a door for a long term opportunity might open up to you that way. My impression is that once you graduate you'll be better off applying to these companies in the countries where they're based and get yourself transferred rather than entering the company nside of China - some friends that have worked in such companies say you'll have more leverage to negotiate a salary, benefits, etc. that way, and possibly be on a better track for a promotion.

[mason12]

Thanks for that, i don't really want to teach english as a long term option, i really want to work and live in china and have my working life speaking chinese. I was wondering, i am going to start my university study at age 17 at Beihang university (formerly Beijing university of astronomics and aeronautics), do you know of the reputation of this university and if so how is it?

Also as you have studied chinese yourself, do you know, as an estimation, how long it would take an english person to gain a very high fluency in mandarin? Enough to converse in China with ease.

[Lu]

Also as you have studied chinese yourself, do you know, as an estimation, how long it would take an english person to gain a very high fluency in mandarin? Enough to converse in China with ease.

Took me 4-5 years, but might take less if you study in China.

do you know of the reputation of this university and if so how is it?

Depends on what you're studying. I think for purely studying Chinese language, there are better options (Beiyu, Beiwai, Beida).

[Xiao Kui]

Sorry i don't know anything abt Beihang. your speed at learning the language really depends on quite a few factors. First I have to say your young age puts you at an advantage. Your hearing and ability to process new languages normally would better than someone who comes here in their 20s or 30s. Also do you know whether you already have an aptitude for learning languages? Learning a foreign language comes easier to some people than others. DId you take a foreign language in high school? If so, how did you find it: easy, difficult, doable with practice?

Other factors would include the amount of time you spend with Chinese who are willing to speak Chinese with you once you arrive in Beijing. It's possible to live there and spend all your social time with other foreigners or Chinese who only want to talk English - of course this isn't going to help you much. You need contact with other foreigners once in a while to keep your sanity and help you through culture shock, but it's more important to have Chinese friends you can practice speaking Chinese with.

I had a friend who didn't study reading or writing Chinese at all, but always hung out with Chinese friends so his conversational Chinese was pretty good in just a year's time. At the beginning I learned a lot of characters but I spent a lot of time with other foreigners and Chinese who spoke English often, so although I could have a simple conversation pretty early on, it took me abt 3 years to be fluent enough to hold a deep conversation or do presentation in Chinese (Also I was teaching English and just learning Chinese abt 1 hr a day in my spare time. I also lived in SW China, where Mandarin is not the language spoken on the street) I hate it when people say this, but your progress in Chinese will definitely depend on how much you're willing to put into it - it's cliche, but it's a fact.

[mason12]

The main reason i chose Beihang university is because, so far, the only one that offers courses to people younger than 18. but after two years of self support tuition at Beihang, i aim to apply for a chinese government scholarship for BNU.

[mason12]

Thanks xiao kui, when i get to China i will put maximum effort in to gain maximum reaults. I will be a total beginner when i start, but as it is a year before i begin i have started to teach myself to read and write Chinese. I have been doing it for two days only so far (as i have only just got the text book) and i have learnt all the numbers, so i can write dates etc and i have learnt around 25 radicals. Is that ok progress?

[Xiao Kui]

I have been doing it for two days only so far (as i have only just got the text book) and i have learnt all the numbers, so i can write dates etc and i have learnt around 25 radicals. Is that ok progress?

pretty good for just 2 days. Keep it up, but just remember don't go too fast or you'll get sick of it and burn out. I think 2 hrs a day is a good pace for starting out, and you can increase it as you go along. Others might have other opinions abt how much you should study - it's different for different people.

[adrianlondon]

It's very hard to predict what the job market will be like in China in 4 years' time. Whatever's possible now might not be by then.

I have quite a few young Chinese friends in Beijing (around 18-24) and they're all finding it hard to get jobs, unless they have connections.

You need to offer something that a fully Chinese educated person can't (speaking Mandarin fluently is obviously not one!) otherwise you're in competition with millions of people.

In four years time, the number of Chinese who speak good English will also be quite high.

[mason12]

Is there anything you think would give me an advantage, any special skills i should train for? I really want a job other than teaching english, i want something that will enable me to interact with chinese people on a daily bases in chinese and that will enable me to live permanantly in china.

Do you think i should perhaps learn another language? Aswell or instead.

[gato]

Why don't you want to go to university in the UK first?

What makes you want to go to China?

[adrianlondon]

I was there to study and just chill out and enjoy Beijing so didn't take up any of the offers, but ... I was stopped about 3 or 4 times and asked to be in commercials or bit parts in some TV program or other. Pay wasn't anything much but it would have been a fun experience.

Next time I go to Beijing I'll say "yes". For you, it could lead to an acting career - who knows.

Your advantages over the billion Chinese population would be very good English, looking Western, and thinking like a Westerner. I know that all sounds blatantly obvious and not useful, but - as you'll discover when you get to China - it all is.

I'm curious ... why are you so keen on staying in China? You don't need to plan so far ahead. Do your time there, study something that you're both good at and enjoy, and then ... who knows. Maybe you'll stay in China, maybe you'll come back to the UK or maybe you'll be in another country!

[mason12]

Thanks thats very good advice, acting sounds brilliant but i was a child actor in england, so maybe i will stay away from that for now! In response to gato i want to learn chinese, so the best way to learn chinese is to immerse myself in the culture of the country, to enable me to learn it quicker and more efficiently. I also want to learn chinese at a chinese university because to get into uk university you have to have a modern language at A level and i don't want to waste 2 years learning a language that has no relevence to my future life and that i have no interest in.

[adrianlondon]

You're obviously quite artistic - a child actor, your profile says you wanted to be a dancer, and you have a love for languages - well, Chinese at any rate.

Maybe you could go into product design, marketing or advertising. I'm sure as the Chinese economy stabilises and they switch from pirating stuff to creating stuff, those skills will come in demand.

And when you land that highly paid job, you owe me a meal out in Beijing and a room for a few days in your penthouse apartment or courtyard house (if they still exist).

[mason12]

yes i am currently a scholarship student at one of the top ballet schools in england. so quite a change!

The ideas you have suggested sound fab, lets hope i do get that penthouse!! lol

[yonglin]

Uhm. I think you should do your A-levels in the UK. It'd be quite difficult to explain why you didn't finish the pre-university requirements in England if you ever want to work for an international company (where the money is). If you really really want to come to China for your university degree, go to a good one (their entrance requirements are no higher than crappy ones for foreigners: just that they should have finished the pre-university requirements in their home countries).

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't say that a whole lot of people can speak and write English at the level which would be required in an international corporation at the mere age of 16. I'm attending a top 5 university in England for social studies, and I'd say that a lot of people even at 18 don't know how to write a logically structured essay.

Moreover, by opting for university studies in China, you will miss out on getting the training in critical thinking which Western higher education -- and any major international corporation -- values very highly. In that respect, you'd be on equal with your Chinese peers, BUT you still wouldn't be able to speak Chinese nearly half as well. You might be able to do interpretation in China, but that would hardly bring you very much money. As for translation, I would say that a very good command of your native language is required (especially if you hope to translate more fun, non-technical stuff) -- which I would expect you have not quite obtained if you dropped out of school at 16.

I'm not saying that you should not come to China to study Chinese: I think you should, and I think that expecting to learn Chinese elsewhere is quite a bit optimistic. I'm particularly critical to doing a Chinese degree in England, for instance. What I'm trying to say is that speaking the language simply will not be enough if you want to get a better job. You need something more: training in management or engineering, or excellent entrepreneurial skills... just something more.

Just my view. Did not mean to offend anyone.

[mason12]

I understand what you are saying but can i just clarify that i haven't 'dropped' out of school. I am currently a scholar student at a boarding school in england where i also study classical ballet, i am of a sufficient standard in my academic subjects to win a full scholarship to private boarding schools at age 11, age 14 and then again at age 16, so please don't think of me as an average drop out! I am mearly speculating about starting at university at age 17 when i will have some AS levels and whilst this is not sufficient enough for english universities, i would rather spend my time at a chinese university than while away my time studying for A levels that are neither usefull nor interest me in the slightest.

As with regards to my english level, i feel that i am extremely able in my abilities and my grades reflect this, but anyway thankyou for your comments.

[gato]

i would rather spend my time at a chinese university than while away my time studying for A levels that are neither usefull nor interest me in the slightest.

Are UK schools that boring? Going to China for 4 years of university is quite a commitment. How do you know you won't find Chinese boring since you just started studying it a few days ago?

[yonglin]

Uhm. I believe that you Brits are extremely lucky in the sense that you can choose very freely what kind of things you want to study for your A-levels, from photography and drama to Chinese and media tudies. If you think that all of the offered subjects are boring... well... then maybe you shouldn't be studying at all.

I can guarantee you that a four-year degree at a Chinese university will -- at times -- be incredibly boring: Chinese teaching is to a large degree based on memorisation and you will not have particularly much space to develop your own style or ideas in the classroom environment. I fail to see how this could be such a good fit for your seemingly artistic nature.

I personally feel that you may just need some time away from school. Why don't you take a gap year or something? You could come to China and study for the summer, a semester or a year, to see if you like it or not. If you really really like China and the Chinese way of teaching, I'd advice you to join a regular bachelor's degree program at a very good university (since it's still extremely easy for foreigners to enter these -- Chinese people need to work their butts off, essentially), rather than hanging around with other foreigners doing a four-year degree in Chinese language. That would be impressive.