Working in Beijing, or anywhere for that matter... broad topic need some ideas please

[Shadowdh]

Hi all, well I have started my year of study in China and its going great but something has come up and needs a decision soon, I have the opportunity to stay till the end of August now and thats pretty dependent on getting some kind of work. I was thinking of coming to Beijing and looking there as I know some people who might be able to get me something. But if anyone could let me know how easy it is to find work, what kinds of work for someone who is in the middle of a BA in Chinese and a Masters in International Security, what rates of pay could look like etc, any information at all would be very greatly appreciated. I realise its a bit of a broad subject but at this stage I cant really define it any further... any ideas or help at all would be fantastic... cheers all

[shanghaikai]

How good is your Chinese?

International Security doesn't sound like a very common major so I'd be curious about what YOU aspire to do with such a degree/major/education. From that, I can probably form some ideas about the state of that industry here and then employment opportunities.

If your Chinese is fluent, you can find tons of jobs and companies who could use a translator. They may not employ you as such, but there is an exceedingly high probability that will become what you'll be used for. Consider that the average salary is in the low thousands for the locals (if not lower, and it depends on what demographic you're including in the averaging) so I wouldn't have high hopes for a cush job with cush pay. If you can somehow swing an English teaching job (which typically requires you to be white and at least decently personable), that could get you into the high thousands, possibly over the 10 thousand mark depending on how much work you'll be doing and how lucky you are.

That's what I can think of responding at this point. Drop us more info or preferences and I may have better info for you. Cheers, mate.

[Shadowdh]

Chinese is pretty average at the moment but hopefully in a year it will be better, alot better... I am of the white persuasion and I have been told I am reasonably friendly... unless you drink my beer by mistake of course as to what I wish to do with my degree, well thats a bit of a conundrum at the moment, ideally I would like to work in analysis and perhaps research into international security issues, but thats down the line a bit. Teaching english is a high possibility as I have a friend who works in Beijing that has already mentioned working for one of the companies there. That would be fine and I dont mind working hard for the 2 or 3 months I would be there... as long as I can eat and sleep at some stage in the day that would be fine...

[shanghaikai]

Oi...its hard for me to imagine what "average" is. Are you able to flirt and discuss politics in Chinese? Are you able to flatter flexibly? Can you hold a conversation about complex topics even if you know you're just trying to convey your complex thoughts/ideas with elementary vocabulary? Do you understand the vast majority of what other people are saying to you in Chinese (that automatically means they should have dumbed down the content and vocab for you, the white man)? Can you chat decently in Chinese on MSN?

If yes, then you're probably in good shape for a job but you'll still struggle with work-specific terminology. When you mention "analysis" and "international security," though, the picture that pops into my head looks less rosy. Terminology will become more precise and exacting in order to communicate the complex underlying ideas. I'm repeating myself but language is very very important here because most people can't fall back on English well enough to work with you competently. Without adequate Chinese, it will be unlikely that you'll learn or contribute anything at whatever job you get. You'll end up proof-reading and editing the English of your Chinese colleagues.

One option is to look for Western companies here that are in an industry or business related to your major and solicit them for an internship. You probably won't get hired unless you're willing to work for free though.

If you're fine with teaching English, then just compare hourly or per class rates with other English teachers. You'll be able to negotiate your responsibilities and pay so there shouldn't be a problem with fitting in things like, uh, sleeping and eating. For most English schools, the proprietors are more interested in putting a white person up in front of their students than with their students actually learning effectively. White person = native speaker = good enough. They reason that Chinese people are rarely good enough to question the white person. It is somewhat exploitive but you get a piece of the action. Just make sure you get a fair piece...so consider how many students they're asking you to babysit and how much those students are paying for you to babysit them. ;)

Cheers and good luck!