Jobs for Chinese Speakers

[El Marco]

Hi guys, sorry this isn't a job advert.

I've got something you might be able to help me with here. I've lived in China for a couple of years, with only basic-intermediate Chinese.

I'd like to stay in China, and get the feeling that at some point I'll want to expand my horizons and try something other than teaching.

So the point is, if a foreigner knuckles down and gets to a high level (eg HSK) what job opportunities are available outside of teaching?

It'd be interesting to hear what other people are planning to do with their language skills - it might help me get motivated.

I can only think of a couple, except the obvious translation work. They are NGO work and Educational Exchange Co-ordinator. Any more ideas? Anything available in HK/Taiwan?

Thanks a lot, El Marco.

[ced1zh]

you can try to be an actor if you dont mind

[El Marco]

Hmm...I was aiming slightly higher than performing ape. Any other suggestions?

What do you folks plan do to with your Chinese? I am intrigued.

El Marco.

[Craig]

I am learning it in hopes of working in international intelligence. Although it helps that I truly enjoy the culture and the language. I don't think any "goal" would be enough to keep studying if it wasn't something i enjoyed doing.

[carlo]

I think knowing the language is often a necessary rather than a sufficient condition for finding a job. The days in which foreigners could work here twenty years without speaking a single word of Chinese are numbered. It seems (casual impression) that there are already more young medium-level foreign speakers of Chinese than there are openings. The key issue is that the locals work hard, get paid less, have local knowledge and are learning fast.

To get around this problem there are basically two strategies:

1. Accept being typecast (English teacher, model/actor, basketball coach, yoga instructor etc.). You can be creative and find your own niche ("My grandma is from Iceland and I'm very good at handling frozen fish");

2. Excel at whatever it is that you do. Like with all minorities everywhere, *your* threshold is likely to be set higher than everyone else's. That I'm afraid is part of the lifestyle.

[El Marco]

Thanks guys, so far so good. If anybody else cares to add to this, I'm still interested.

E M