Recent Accounting Graduate working in China?

[mediumblock]

I am considering the possibility of working in Shanghai in my field of Accounting, I am a recent Accounting Graduate from Australia, I speak no Mandarin, obviously I would like to get the Z Visa.

 

Would this be possible considering the only professional experience I have is in Administration (even though it was at a bank) for 2 years and 4 years of working experience all up?

 

if I do not manage to find a job that can sponsor me before going there in my field of Accounting, would it be wise to go there on a tourist visa, and then when I find a job that is able to fit the needs of the Z visa, that I can then go to Hong Kong and wait for the Z visa to be completed?

[ZhangKaiRong]

I suppose you can get a Z visa on your banking work experience, however it will be hard to get a decent job with theoretical accounting background and zero Chinese. And salary is not too sexy under 4-5 years of work experience. Are you CPA/ACCA qualified?

[ChTTay]

I'd get a job in Australia with a company who has offices in China then transfer after a couple of years.

Why would a Chinese company hire a green foreigner with no language skills on a higher salary when there are loads of Chinese graduates already here?

[Tianjin42]

Hi mediumblock,

 

My company receives a lot of questions like yours. As stated above – you have to ask why a company would want to hire you there in the face of around 7 million new Chinese grads per year who are fluent in Chinese and will demand a dramatically lower salary.

 

Just as a general point for all those reading – we also receive significant requests for roles from people with very little experience who say that they can show Chinese groups “how to do business” in their own countries. You have to remember that these Chinese groups want value and want knowledge transfer. For example a group requiring a marketing role might state the nationality required, minimum HSK4, experience in a leading group abroad and a couple of computer programs or skill sets. Experience and very specific skill sets are positive. This is without considering the two-years post graduation experience ostensibly required for a working visa.

 

In your case perhaps play the long game – start learning Chinese, get a job in your home country that has a long-term pathway to China. Or there are less travelled roads as well – the start-up scenes are doing great at the moment – especially Beijing where you will see a few groups going global in the near future I feel. You could also do a Chinese course out here or even some form of further education to get a taste for it if you like. 

[mediumblock]

I do have unique skills, in regards to IT and I have had in total over 4 years of experience (2 of which with a banking company), I have been replying to job advertisements on smartshanghai and the other websites; the ones which state no english required, I have got abit of interest, I am just wondering assuming I get an offer for an interview, what the process is from there?

 

Do I go to shanghai on a Tourist Visa, then if I get accepted apply for a Z visa?

 

Do I apply for a Z Visa straight away?

 

what are the credentials I need to obtain a Z visa?

[ZhangKaiRong]

You have unique skills related to IT, but you want to pursue a career in accounting. It's not the same. And you're not ACCA/CPA/CICPA qualified, but still want to go to a country where qualification certificates matter more than actual knowledge.

You cannot apply directly for a Z visa as you need a work permit to attach, which you obviously don't have at this point.

 

What you need:

- passport

- completed visa application form. 

- passport standard photo

- invitation Letter

- work permit (that can be foreigner's employment permit, foreign expert's certificate or a certificate of resident rep. offices of foreign companies).