5 Reasons Why Foreigners Come Work in China

5 Reasons Why Foreigners Come Work in China
Dec 20, 2016 By Louise Levicky , eChinacities.com

Talk to any group of assorted foreigners in China and you’re bound to hear a different “China story” from every single one. We've looked at some of the reasons foreigners choose to come and work in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

1) The Ease of Saving Money

People have always gone to where their skills are most in demand, and from the California gold rush to the Chinese market boom, people will also go wherever the economy is thriving. Despite China’s recent economic slowdown, there are still plenty of money making opportunities. “There’s definitely the feeling that this is where the money is now,” says expat Maribel, whose friends back home in Spain, also in their mid-twenties, are “struggling on a thousand Euros a month, if that.” She sees China as an investment: though the “unsociable hours” of her ESL job can occasionally be frustrating, her unconventional schedule also leaves her plenty of time to work on her Mandarin, a skill that coupled with the high salaries earned by many ESL teachers makes China “the best option for now.” It’s a feeling that is shared by Loubna, 24, from Morocco, who is also balancing Chinese study with ESL work.

2) Fast-Track Careers

But China isn’t just a way to save money – for many, it represents a wealth of career opportunities that would be closed to all but the luckiest few in the West. While corruption is an issue, more opportunities are open to more people. You don’t need an unpaid internship before being considered for a job, and faster career development is a fact for most people. Part of this is couched in questionable ideas: a foreign face is seen as a plus in many companies, which is illegitimate at best, and racist at worst – since this privilege tends to apply to white faces only. That aside, many people in their twenties are given more responsibility than they would be in similar businesses back home. Business developer Olivia, 26, was made a manager six months into her job in Shanghai after being headhunted by a rival company (an offer she rejected) – with the corresponding raise. “It was scary accepting all that responsibility, but the payoff is the experience I can apply to other jobs in future.” Much like Maribel, she’s hoping that her proficiency in Mandarin and experience dealing with big international clients will boost her resume when she returns home to Chicago. Unlike Maribel, however, Olivia’s new higher salary is a perk, but not the main reason she is working in Shanghai: “Management positions back home pay much higher than my job here, but the experience is the more valuable part of what I do.”

3) Low Stress Jobs and Travel Opportunities

Conversely, some people come to China as a way to escape the stress of high-profile jobs back home. “Life here is comfortable,” says Terry. “Traveling in Asia is cheap and fun and teaching is an easy way to experience China and do something different. It’s definitely more exciting than life at home in Canada.”

4) An Attractive Market for Entrepreneurs

China is of course also currently one of the best places to set up a business. While setting up a wholly foreign-owned enterprise is a lengthy and expensive process, the Chinese market is much less saturated than other more developed countries – making it an attractive prospect for budding entrepreneurs. 

5) Mandarin, Overseas Experience as Boosts Back Home

A recurring theme when discussing working in China is proficiency in Mandarin. While companies in China may be looking toward hiring local graduates from overseas universities more and more, Chinese language skills represent an increasing advantage in the West. Candidates with job experience overseas also have the advantage of cultural competence, without which language skills are much less useful. Chinese language skills can be the tipping point for a candidate whose experience would otherwise be rather run-of-the-mill – a valuable consideration if job seekers are looking for their next job in a country where a visa is required and a local worker with a similar skill set would otherwise be given precedence.

Expat life is full of ups and downs, and living in a culture with very different values can be trying. It seems though that many are willing to accept the highs and lows of life in China in exchange for the international experience it brings and the possibilities of saving for a move back home or new opportunities in the future.

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Keywords: Why work in China foreigners working in China

24 Comments

All comments are subject to moderation by eChinacities.com staff. Because we wish to encourage healthy and productive dialogue we ask that all comments remain polite, free of profanity or name calling, and relevant to the original post and subsequent discussion. Comments will not be deleted because of the viewpoints they express, only if the mode of expression itself is inappropriate.

Anton1991

Extremely developing everything is the reason I go to China!

Jan 21, 2017 20:53 Report Abuse

donnie3857

I never save money, too many girls. My first three careers are over. Teaching is fine. Low stress is a plus and travel is cheap. The other two reasons are for people with money. Mine is gone due to reason number one. I agree with the last commenter.

Jan 17, 2017 11:39 Report Abuse

Guest2089234

Some just like the country.

Jan 12, 2017 22:51 Report Abuse

irfanahmad570

the competition is increasing among the foreigners for getting a job

Jul 18, 2015 20:32 Report Abuse

abbess

We are here for different reasons best known to us hey.

May 31, 2015 19:59 Report Abuse

tinanguyen

Good to experience

May 30, 2015 09:23 Report Abuse

Guest2216036

Just read this 'blog/post' word for word on another forum, purporting to be by another writer. Well done all involved!! Did you get paid twice?

May 10, 2015 22:09 Report Abuse

adminanswer

The article was reposted without permission. Thanks for the heads up.

May 14, 2015 16:45 Report Abuse

ScotsAlan

I came to China because...... I did. I dont need some gap year journalist telling me why. It would be nice if I knew why, but the answer I seek is not in this article.

May 09, 2015 01:16 Report Abuse

itsameimamario

Same

May 21, 2015 14:56 Report Abuse

hi2u

I would really like to see a list of reasons why Chinese go to foreignland: 1. escape China with their corruption money. 2. escape the education system for their children. 3. escape pollution and food contamination.

May 08, 2015 16:31 Report Abuse

Guest2638162

Dude,you are 100% right!! Haha,let them answer your question.

May 08, 2015 15:32 Report Abuse

Kingsmann

Why the majority of people are shy to say the real reason they are here.If u said to steal but Chinese girls/ or Chinese culture,i will like to ask such people that before when the economy of China was not in this growth stage,were the culture and women not existing in China? Hahaha...sorry for all of them.

May 08, 2015 15:29 Report Abuse

bill8899

Maribel sounds hot. We can practice Chinese together, but I doubt she is real.

May 07, 2015 19:16 Report Abuse

Guest2503130

However, with all these so-called benefits steadily diminishing and also the shift towards Chinese "domestification" in terms of labour force, I think we will see a huge wave of returnees starting to emerge... Anyone with me?

May 07, 2015 09:07 Report Abuse

Guest2807690

I assume you are lying.

May 07, 2015 13:14 Report Abuse

Chairman_Cow

Yep me too. So sick of these "reasons why foreigners...." articles. No thought whatsoever.

May 07, 2015 11:40 Report Abuse

Guest14204170

Yeah, lucky enough that "foreigners" is such a homogenous group of people :P

May 07, 2015 18:32 Report Abuse

silverbutton1

IS it fair to say we all come from a country named "Foreign", thus we are labeled as foreigners. BTW, do you speak foreignese? and what are the visa requirements for the typical Chinese to visit Foreign?

May 11, 2015 11:11 Report Abuse

coineineagh

Obnoxious. An article on an expat site telling its readers (with no small amount of generalization) why they come to China. In fact, I just read the titles and skipped the rest: If you've read one of these provocation pieces, you've read them all. It's late, and I'm not a glutton for punishment.

May 07, 2015 01:36 Report Abuse

Robk

I agree. Do expats really need to be told why they come here? Like we just spontaneous jumped on a plane to China...

May 07, 2015 14:38 Report Abuse