Applying for a Job in China

Working in China

Working in China is very common now. Either you are sent to China by your company or you apply for a job to be stationed in China. Applying for a job in China is very common today as China gradually becomes a economic powerhouse. In fact, many Hong Kongers and Taiwanese feel that it is important to have good job experience in China.

It is also very common to be posted for short working trips to China as a technical expert or co-ordinator as China is a big consumer of modern technology. Many companies sent their technical staff on short assignments to familiarize their Chinese counterpart on new technology.

Job Hunt

Many people are fascinated with China and desire to work in China. You can apply from your home country, or like many, purchase a ticket, land in China and start looking!

The best source of jobs is on the internet. There are many job sites that specialises in China jobs. Alternately, pick up an English expatriate magazine that you can find in most 4 or 5 star hotels and there are likely to be job opportunities in there. Many of these magazines also run expatriate internet forums where you can place your resume.

At this moment, the biggest job opportunities for foreigners are as English teachers in schools as China raced to get itself ready for the Olympics in Year 2008. Similarly, jobs in Food and Beverage and the Hospitality trade is also in high demand especially for English speaking staff.

Entry Visa

For business or short working trips, it is advisable to apply for the Business Visa. A business visa allows multiple trips of up to 30 days per trip for a period of three or six months depending on the visa applied. An invitation letter from the Chinese office is needed for the application.

For long working trips, a Z Visa is required. This allow you to stay in China for up to one year. You will need a work permit and a letter from your Chinese Office before a Z Visa can be issued.

Accomodation

For those lucky to be on job assignments, the company will likely put you up in a hotel or a service apartment. China has a wide range of hotels and are likely to be clean and comfortable even if in the lower classes. When travelling to smaller towns, you may be unable to find a hotel higher than 3-stars!

For those on their own, renting a local apartment will be the cheapest way to go in the long run. For those really on a tight budget, look for a apartment in a local area and not in one of those expatriate enclave.

Rent leases in China normally runs for a minimum of 6 months but it is not uncommon to find 3 months leases nowadays. When renting apartments, remember that it is a requirement to inform the nearest police station of your new place of residence.

Work style

This can be a interesting area. Depending on the industry, the history, the culture and management, working with the Chinese can be a pleasure or a pain.

If you are working in a MNC, where the Chinese has been exposed to western management concept, you may indeed find the working style very familiar with that at home.

For others, work can be a nightmare in a entirely Chinese environment. Many state enterprises or Chinese company may run with a working culture reminiscent of the iron bowl concept of the early 60s and 70s.

Business culture

Again, business culture in dependent on the industry, company or even the geographical location of the company. For example, in the North, business is seldom discussed unless there has been a fair amount of socializing at the restaurant while in the South, business may come before social interaction.

Overall, the business culture of China is more of human interaction than anything else. There must be a fair amount of socialisation and familiarisation before real discussions of any form can proceed. Do not jump or insist on a serious discussion on your first meeting. Please see Chinese Business Culture for further information.

Language Requirements

It is almost impossible to work or do business in China without some understanding of the Chinese language. It is useful to attend Chinese classes before or after seeking work in China. Please see Chinese Phrases page for further basic understanding of Chinese.

Ken Cheong worked, lived and travelled in China for the last 7 years. Please feel free to email him. You may distribute this article as long as mention is made of http://www.chinese-culture.net and http://www.quick-pain-relief.com


More Resources

How to Give Job-Winning Answers at Interviews
Human Resources personnel, professional recruiters and various other career experts all agree: one of the best ways to prepare yourself for a job interview is to anticipate questions, develop your answers, and practice, practice, practice.There are plenty of websites that offer lists of popular job interview questions, and knowing the types of questions to expect can be very useful.
Top Ten Guidelines For Working With Executive Recruiters
1. Select the right type of recruitment partnerDetermine whether you would be best served by a retained, contingency, contract or research based partner at a global, national or local level.
Using Freelance Websites to Telecommute
How is your job hunting going? Have you had problems finding legitimate jobs? I don't know if you've ever thought about using freelance websites to obtain work at home, but this should be something you look into. It might not be for you, but you never know until you try.
When Bad Interviews Happen to Good Candidates
Going through the motions of a bad interview is like peeling back the layers of an onion. Sally learned this lesson the hard way, hands-on during an interview that should have been a piece of cake.
Do You Need Help Writing A Winning Cover Letter?
Your cover letter is critical to your success. It sets the tone.
Inside Sales Jobs: A Job Worth Seeking?
Are you interested in inside sales as a career? Inside sales can be a very rewarding job if you so choose. What is the difference between inside and outside sales positions? If you think the difference is staying out of the sun, read on and discover if or why an inside sales job could be for you.
Employment Law: Unfair Dismissal - Employer Succeeded in Changing Terms of Employment
Good News for Employers wishing to change the terms of employment of employees, however, employers must still take care.In Scott & Co v Richardson [2005], the Dependant, Mr Richardson, who worked for a Scottish firm of debt collectors, refused to accept his new terms of employment which required him to visit defaulting debtors during the evenings.
Applying for a Job in China
Working in ChinaWorking in China is very common now. Either you are sent to China by your company or you apply for a job to be stationed in China.
Are You Tired of Hiring Other Peoples Rejects? - 12 Mistakes Recruiters Make and How To Avoid Them
When John applied for a job at Oakland Company, his resume looked fabulous, showing tremendous talent and advancement. His qualifications were beyond question and he built immediate rapport with everyone in the interview process.
What is Absolutely the Best Day to go on a Job Interview?
First of all, to fully understand and appreciate the answer, a couple of givens must be taken into account. What I believe to be the most important item for dealing with an interview successfully is, your attitude.
Conduct An Informational Interview
Informational interviews are designed to get as much information as you can about the industry and career you're seeking a job in from people who are already in that career.Many job seekers don't conduct informational interviews because the purpose of this type of interview is NOT to ask for a job.
F-E-A-R in the Job Search!
Fear in starting a job search is a four letter word! Like any other four letter word, the word itself can create more fear, and some- times self-loathing!Look at the fear when it applies to a job search.Fear of others.
9 Secrets to Career Success
Are you miserable at your job (or what you are doing) but go anyway to earn a living? Do you feel you are unable to use your talents and are doing things that are stressful? Do you find yourself in a career rut? Wouldn't you rather be in your ideal income position and "Go to Play" everyday? Most people spend approximately 35% to over 67% of their waking hours working. Being unhappy for so much of the day makes it difficult to enjoy the rest of your waking hours.
Learn How To Succeed At Career Fairs
This career article will give you some great tips on successfully navigating thru career fairs.This issue will quickly cover the following:A) Purpose of Career FairsB) How To Best PrepareC) Tips & Strategies During The FairD) Career Fair Follow-UpA) PURPOSE OF CAREER FAIRSCareer fairs are designed to provide job seekers a way to explorecareer opportunities within a variety of companies at one location.
Career Change: A Glittering Invitation To The Emotional Stalkers
As much as you are yearning for career-change, and as much as the trends actually favor it, just contemplating a shift is a glittering invitation to four emotional stalkers who love nothing better than to play a nasty game of team-tag at your personal expense. When you unmask these bandits -- even a little -- they begin to lose their emotional charge - leaving you free to more fully explore the opportunities to re-invent yourself.
Dont Let Difficult People Derail Your Career
Unless you are among the luckiest people in the world, or you are totally free of all relationships in the real world, you have to cope with difficult people in the course of your work.Difficult people are everywhere.
Expose Lies on Resumes
Purpose: Learn about the new Polygraph for management hiresHis heart dropped when he saw his boss from his current company walk into the interview room with his prospective new employer. In a flash, every exaggeration on his resume was known.
Interview Tips - Ten Top Dos & Donts for Winning Interviews
In this day and age it can become increasingly difficult to even get your foot in the door and get an interview; once you've accomplished that you will want to make sure you continue to put your best foot forward and nail the interview as well. Unfortunately, as great as their skills, experience and education are; the interview is where many people lose a job opportunity to their competition.
Are You an Ex-career Woman Living In a New Country?
Were you once a successful, professional woman who had a significant status level and received adequate remuneration for your work?Have you re-located to a new country where the educational degree you worked so hard to achieve is neither recognized nor considered valid?As a result, have you now settled for a job for which you are overqualified and living paycheck to paycheck?If you once had a successful professional career and answered yes to the above, you probaby understand how frustrating it is, to be unable to practice your profession in a new country.The decision to immigrate to another country is a courageous act which involves leaving everything that you know and everything that makes up who you are.
Writing a Must-Read Cover Letter
If you want to land an interview, you'll need more than a perfectly polished resume, you'll also need a perfectly polished cover letter.A cover letter does more than provide a mere introduction, it gives the employer an opportunity to see why you are the right candidate for the job-before she even takes a look at your resume! By taking the time to customize a cover letter to each job opportunity, you can almost guarantee that your resume will get a good look instead of landing a permanent home in the circular file-or worse, the recycling bin.

More Careers & Employment Information:

Related Articles

Writing A Resume That Gets You Noticed
As the old saying goes, "you never get a second chance to make a first impression." In today's business world, of course, that first impression usually does not come from a face-to-face conversation, but from whatever you can tell your future boss about yourself on paper: your resume.
Jesse And Al Should Read This!
Instead of getting all bent out of shape over innocuous remarks made by the President of Mexico, perhaps the Lord and Prince of African-American Ideological Imperialism (that's Lord Jesse and Prince Al) should know just how Americans apply for those jobs they so vehemently claim Mexicans are stealing.The good folks at Careerbuilder.
How to Give Job-Winning Answers at Interviews
Human Resources personnel, professional recruiters and various other career experts all agree: one of the best ways to prepare yourself for a job interview is to anticipate questions, develop your answers, and practice, practice, practice.There are plenty of websites that offer lists of popular job interview questions, and knowing the types of questions to expect can be very useful.
5 Key Factors to Consider When Selecting an Outplacement Firm
With today's economy, more and more companies are finding themselves faced with the situation of having to reduce headcount to remain competitive. Here are five key factors to consider when selecting an outplacement firm if your company is ever faced with a workforce reduction.
Ideal Job and Handling Criticism
How many times have you been asked, "What is your dream job?"Even if you document a dream job on paper, will you be happy every day in that job? Unlikely. Heck, you could work in your dream job for two different companies and end up being happy in one and miserable in the other.
What You Cant Ask a Job Candidate is as Important as What You Can Ask
As a human resources professional or business owner, you face many challenges during the hiring process, from sorting through stacks of job applicant résumés to making an attractive offer to the one person you believe best matches the specifications of your open position's job description. The whole procedure is more than time-consuming; it can be stressful as well.
Conduct An Informational Interview
Informational interviews are designed to get as much information as you can about the industry and career you're seeking a job in from people who are already in that career.Many job seekers don't conduct informational interviews because the purpose of this type of interview is NOT to ask for a job.
Work Is A Four-Letter Word
I can hear the jokes already and most of them are not politically correct. Let me throw out a word that we often don't attach to work and yet I think it is a word of redemption, of contribution, of achievement, of community, and ultimately, of legacy.
The 6 Stages of Modern Career Development
Career experts say that people will change careers (not jobs) 5-7 times in a lifetime. This being true, career management is an important life skill to develop and cultivate.
Why You Only Really Need Four Sample Resumes
Any job seeker looking for sample resumes usually doesn't have to look very far.A multitude of sites today are offering free sample resumes on the internet in addition to the avalanche of books that are released each year touting resume examples.
Practice Speaking
For many people, interviewing is not a natural act any more than going on a blind date is. You are asked a bunch of questions about your work.
Global Economy Creates Need For International Business Pros
The increasing globalization of business has created a demand for MBA graduates with a specialization in the international management of business. Many institutions, including several accredited universities, offer the opportunity to earn an international MBA online.
Marketing You and Your Career
Imagine if a business invested years into the research, design, and creation of a new product, and then failed to tell anybody about it. What if the company assumed (even expected) that consumers should discover their new product, just because it was "great." Flawed logic, right? Yet, that's how many people treat their careers! They spend years learning a trade, gaining education, and writing resumes - but do nothing to promote themselves.
Perceptions
How was your latest car wash experience?Did you take your car to a do-it-yourself car wash where you could ensure that every spot that needed to be cleaned was clean?Did you approach the car wash cautiously, checking your windows 2 and 3 times to ensure that they were firmly secure so that no water could come inside?
Avoid Mistakes and Gaffes in Your Job Resume
Having mistakes and gaffes in your job resume spell disaster for your job search. The last thing an employer needs is to look at a poorly written resume.
15 Tips for Writing Winning Resumes
The thought of writing a resume intimidates almost anyone. It's difficult to know where to start or what to include.
5 Resume Mistakes Telecommuters Often Make
Finding a legit telecommute job can be difficult. Telecommute jobs are in high demand and hundreds if not thousands of other people are competing for the same position.
Match, Meet, and Mesmerize at a Job Fair
Are you considering another trip through the career maze? Attending a job fair can make you feel like you are playing a losing game unless you have a clear understanding of the rules. Here are a few suggestions for making the most of any job fair, and gaining a competitive edge.
Culture Shock
Today we hear much talk of the 'global village'. People are have more opportunities to travel and live abroad than ever before.
Youre Fired Isnt The Finale
According to the U.S.