What jobs can you do that make use of Chinese?

[Liebkuchen]

Either in China/Taiwan or the West?

It seems that the easiest way to fund an extended stay in China for more language study is by getting an MA/PhD scholarship. I'm happy as a perpetual student but I've worked in uni admin beside lecturers. Not for me. Been a school teacher too. Not going back.

What jobs have you, or people you know of, done where they can use their Chinese- outside of teaching?

[anonymoose]

In China/Taiwan, being able to speak Chinese is nothing special, obviously, so getting a job on that basis alone is unlikely. If you are a native English speaker on the other hand, many doors will be open to you, but unless you have some other skill to supplement your language abilities, you will be pretty much restricted to teaching or editing, and so on.

In the west, being able to speak Chinese obviously has some merit. But still, your options will still be fairly limited unless you have some other skill to supplement it.

[Erbse]

Maybe you can be foreigner #3 in some movie?

[amandagmu]

In China you can probably find a job in an international company to sponsor you, but I don't know where to begin with finding those jobs. There certainly are a lot of people in Beijing right now working for places like VW, UN. NGOs, PR firms, etc, and only about half of them have degrees related to what they're doing (usually it's the engineers and architects working at smaller firms here that have the actual degrees). If you're in China, just start networking at any of the local expat events. If you're not... well, then see if where you live has any international companies or job fairs. Find places with offices in China and start asking if they need anyone.

[Liebkuchen]

Love your suggestion, Erbse!

Skills wise, aside from teaching, I've spent years in admin which was fine. Doing English proofreading/editing/translation would be perfectly fine by me.

I'm also a part time artist, but I can't think of any career reason knowing Chinese would help, again unless I was going down an academic path.

[roddy]

You might, off the top of my head, find an interesting role working between overseas galleries and Chinese artists, or proofreading / translating exhibition catalogues

[Yang Rui]

You could become a spy/intelligence analyst for your native country.

[skylee]

Or work for your embassy/consulate in China.

[Guoke]

If you are a female, you have a better chance of 钓到ing a 金龟婿.

[ma3zi1]

You could work for a local foreign language TV station, for example: LA18.8

[Brian US]

One thing I heard from job recruiters in the states was that even if they didn't need your specific language skills, knowing another language shows your ability to learn. Putting other qualifications aside, I would think an employee that knows a few languages would adapt better in a foreign country than another saying they would grab a phrase book.

[Liebkuchen]

@ Guoke

Marry for love, but love where there's money

I forgot to add that I currently work in a dry cleaners...but it might be a bit perverse starting a Scottish laundry in China...

The media suggestions tickle my ego but alas I have a face made for radio...

In all seriousness, the Chinese are set to do more business with Scotland - we're even getting 2 pandas! So maybe there will be more opportunities in business.

[roddy]

Given that you've already working in education admin - there are sometimes roles in universities which take a lot of Chinese students. Friend of mine used to work for a small English college in the student services office, handling their Chinese students - making sure they were doing whatever was necessary for their visas or whatever, chasing them up if they were skipping classes, so on and so forth. It often seemed to be a bit like babysitting Chinese 18-year-olds who'd never lived away from home before, but there was plenty of Chinese to be spoken, plus trips to China for education fairs and so on. I suspect university administration is one area in the UK where being able to speak Chinese actually might be a real and increasing advantage.

You could become a spy/intelligence analyst for your native country.

Would be interesting to know how much of a barrier to entry and passing background checks having spent a few years in China is.

[Guest realmayo]

You think there's a concern that Chinese agencies are recruiting foreign nationals and getting them to apply to their home country's intelligency services?

[roddy]

I hope so, I like my home intelligence agencies as paranoid as possible. Makes me feel safe.

More seriously no, but presumably there are extensive background checks for that kind of work. Just as an example, here's the UK's GCHQ - you need to have been resident in the UK for 10 years. Studying overseas is allowable, but you need to provide 'referee cover' - who's going to do that, your language exchange partner? A read of that makes it sound like even a year working in France might be an issue. China?

All bit academic, as I don't think Leibukchen actually wants to be a spy. Do you, Agent 34598?

[anonymoose]

Well, if they're looking for Chinese speakers, it'll either be British people who've studied in China, or British people from China. Which do you choose for the intelligence agencies?

[roddy]

Oxbridge graduates, who did the official year abroad at wherever it was, and whose dads are brigadiers. Trust me, I've read spy novels.

[Guest realmayo]

as I don't think Leibukchen actually wants to be a spy. Do you, Agent 34598?

Leibukchen may not want to but his/her communist handlers may insist.....!

[Liebkuchen]

LOL! I can honestly say that GCHQ don't want me! I did the entry test down in Cheltenham 10 years ago - I did an online quiz thingy that I passed but I failed the proper entry tests for intelligence analyst/crytographer.

Very cool day out though- they had stickers in the loos telling you to be careful of what you gossip about- complete with cold war-ish cartoons... Lots of very normal grads- I think there were about 100 of us for the tests.

Hugh Dennis the comedy writer/performer in the UK was 'approached' when he was at Cambridge...

[xianhua]

In terms of the original question: frustratingly few in my experience. Ten years ago the British government provided university funding to ensure that the UK had sufficient numbers of the workforce who understood Chinese and China related-matters. However, search on any UK job website for 'Chinese' now any you'll find very few suitable positions - unless you want to be a chef in London that is. Academia has been mentioned but usually a university would employ only one 'International Officer - Asia Pacific' type post, so unless that person leaves the chances are limited. It would seem obvious that companies import from China, and, therefore need Chinese speakers. However, I get the impression that they tend to employ from within China and use native speakers - with 'international' English skills. At first it seems like it's an area with ample opporunities, but then when you actually get to searching, vacanices are few and far between.