What kind of jobs can an Asian American girl expect to get in china?

[Song You Shen]

I am planning on going to study in China for a year and my girlfriend would like to spend the year over there with me, what kind of jobs might she expect to find? She is Asian American, and doesn't speak any Chinese. So she won't be able to teach English. What else might she do?

[roddy]

Given that you haven't mentioned any actual skills or work experience, I'll cheekily assume she hasn't got any. She can get English teaching work - not speaking Chinese isn't a problem. Being asian might be, but not an unsurmountable one.

[yonglin]

...and doesn't speak any Chinese. So she won't be able to teach English.

That's quite a fallacious deduction. Most foreign English teachers don't know a squat of Chinese. At a better school, they usually get a bilingual teaching assistant. Unless your girlfriend has some really good guanxi, It would probably extremely difficult for her to get any job other than English teaching.

[imron]

and doesn't speak any Chinese. So she won't be able to teach English.

I would say that the majority of native English teachers in China don't speak any Chinese so this isn't likely to be an issue. There may well be other issues related to whether or not she can teach English (does she have any relevant experience or qualifications in this area?), but not being able to speak Chinese won't be a hindrance.

[Song You Shen]

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. I was not reffering to her inability to speak Chinese as something that would keep her from teaching English. I was reffering to her being Asian. I have literally talked to hundreds of Asians who wanted to teach English in china, but couldn't because they weren't white. In fact, i have personally never even heard of someone who was asian get a teaching job. Therefore I made the pressumptious sentence. Besides, she really doesn't want to teach.

She has various service-industry skills. She would be to do modeling, but I am wary of getting involved with modeling in china without being fluent in Chinese.

[stoney]

I don't think there is a shortage of Asian models in China.

If she was Caucasian, then there is a better chance she could get work as a model.

[roddy]

How did you manage to speak to hundreds of Asian Americans who'd failed to get teaching jobs in China? Is there an association of them?

I think her best bet is still English teaching. It may well be difficult to find the work, but it sounds like that will be as much due to a lack of any experience or qualifications as anything else. The only other possibility with nothing other than vague 'service-industry' skills might be bar or restaurant work in an international hotel, but frankly I think the work will be hard to get and pay a pittance. If she can't get a teaching job in advance ( which is probably the case) you'll need to get her over here on a tourist visa and she'll need to find work or get private students. She'll also need to scrabble around for visa extensions.

Sorry if that sounds a bit negative, but to be honest I think it's realistic.

[imron]

I have literally talked to hundreds of Asians who wanted to teach English in china, but couldn't because they weren't white.

I know many people of Asian descent who have taught/are teaching English in China. It might be more difficult to find work, but I don't think it's as big a problem as you make it out to be.

[anon6969]

She'll be able to get an English teaching job - just go for it. Which city are you planning on going to? Maybe applying to the bigger English-teaching school/schemes might be easier for an Asian-american.

[cdn_in_bj]

Besides, she really doesn't want to teach.

She has various service-industry skills. She would be to do modeling, but I am wary of getting involved with modeling in china without being fluent in Chinese.

Teaching or private tutoring of English is probably her best bet to make a decent salary here.

[trevelyan]

There are many foreigners with absolutely zero Chinese in Shanghai.

Fewer opportunities everywhere for non-speakers, but there is usually part-time teaching or editing available for any takers. If your girlfriend will be staying with you, she might not want or need a full time job. This is an excellent time to be learning Chinese, and to have the spare time to do so.

[Lu]

I haven't talked to hundreds of Asian Americans, but I have known a few who taught English. It may be harder to find a job, but it's far from impossible. At least she's a genuine native speaker.

[Meng Lelan]

One of my students is an Asian American and just left for Beijing to teach English at the Beijing International School on a two year contract. She's not a native Chinese speaker but she is a native English speaker.

[Scoobyqueen]

With service industry experience she could start working at an international hotel using that as a springboard to make contacts for a better opportunity or even a promotion within the company. Her appearance and service oriented attitude might also make her suitable for work as an English speaking hostess at international fairs or airline. If she can write she can join a communications department (international company) doing proofreading, write press releases etc. She should though be able to demonstrate at the interview that she has started learning Chinese and that she is working on improving (also preferably be able to answer the question why have you come to China? with a bit more than just "because of my boyfriend")

I know a Chinese Singaporean who went to China to teach English for four years and she had no problems getting that job or other such jobs for that matter.