Question for the business expats

[mandarinstudent]

I've got a question for the business expats here. Here's my situation: I am an English teacher that came to China directly after graduating college. Right now I am applying to MBA (click here for details)programs (hopefully matriculating in August 2008 ) and studying for the CFA level one test, testing in December. My Chinese is around the intermediate level. Basically, I can use Chinese to make friends and have simple conversations, but stuff like watching the news or reading high level text is beyond me. My wife is Chinese and we plan on living in China in the long term, ideally I would be working in Finance after I get the MBA. Assuming:

1) I get into the MBA programs I am applying to

2) I pass the CFA level one exam

I know that these are big assumptions, but just go with me here..

How would you recommend I spend my last 7 months in China after the CFA level one exam? This is my last window of opportunity to study on my own before the MBA starts. Should I take Business courses taught in Chinese at the University I am teaching at to raise my Chinese to the next level, or should I study for the CFA level two exam that takes place in June? Once the MBA starts, I will have no time to study Chinese or prepare for the CFA. Keep in mind that my long term goals involve working in Finance in China, ideally in a multinational corporation. For you expats in China, which would your company prefer when hiring, a prospective employee with CFA level one designation and higher Chinese competency (no HSK certificate to show for it), or a prospective employee with CFA level two designation and intermediate Chinese competency?

[sthubbar]

I would challenge this assumption.

Once the MBA starts, I will have no time to study Chinese...

Have you read www.alljapaneseallthetime.com? It is the story of a guy who lived in the US, while a full-time student, as well as a job and non-Japanese speaking girlfriend. He was able to start from zero and achieve Japanese fluency, including reading and writing, in 18 months. BTW, he did not take Japanese classes or "study" Japanese as most people would use that word.

[dan ni er]

I simply do not believe that he became fluent in Japanese in 18 months. Even if he did, I believe only 1 in every 1million would be able to achieve what he claims he did!

Anyway getting back to the question at hand, although I do not consider myself a "business expat" (I don't even live in China at the moment), I feel qualified to add my 2 cents at least. I have recently agreed a transfer to China with my company.

In 2004, after studying Chinese in Tianjin for 6 months, I lived in Shanghai for 6 months desperately trying to find a job with a foreign company. I had no luck whatsoever. Basically I discovered that proficiency in Chinese, in itself, will not count for much when looking for a job - there are 1 billion chinese that can speak it better than you and I. Don't get me wrong, it is important as a kind of "secondary skills" but it won't be enough to get a job without anything else.

What Chinese employers are looking for is at least 3 - 4 years experience in your home country which you can bring to the China market. I suppose what I am trying to say is I would spend my time concentrating on the CFA and trying to get an internship at a US bank back home in the States (of course you should carry on studying Chinese in your spare time and make sure your wife speaks to you in chinese). That way you've got your foot in the door for when you finish your MBS and after a couple of years you could negotiate a transfer with them or try another US bank in China.

[mandarinstudent]

Thanks for the insight. I'm thinking that the actual use of Chinese isn't so important. I'm thinking of it like this:

Setting: Interview for a summer internship during the MBA

Interviewer: So, you spent 2 years in China? How is your Chinese?

Me: Uhhh..around the intermediate level.

Interviewer: That's it? You spent 2 years in China and can only speak intermediate Chinese?

Me: Well...I was using my time in China to study for the CFA exam.

Interviewer: You wasted 2 years in China studying for the CFA? You can do that anywhere!

Me: Uhh....

I don't want to come off as one of those dumbass English teachers that live in China for years and years but still can't speak the language very well. When I go into that interview, I will only have that MBA school's name, an undergrad degree in Finance, and teaching experience on my resume. If I am only going to have ESL on my resume, at least I should be proficient in 2 languages, right? That's the argument for studying Chinese.

The argument for studying for the CFA is that the international corporations might not even care if I speak Chinese or not because they use English on the job. If this were the case, CFA would be more attractive on the resume.

Of course I know that relevant work experience would look better than either Chinese proficiency or a CFA designation, but right now I am just worrying about what I can control. I am under contract with the University I am teaching at until I start the MBA, and I don't plan on reneging. The only thing I can control in those seven months is whether or not I increase my Chinese level or get the CFA level 2.

[dan ni er]

Well I suppose, being cynical, once you go back to the States you may lose a lot of the Chinese you learn. Whereas at least if you get the CFA 2 that it's something you can always put on your CV and no one can take that away from you.