The job market for the foreigners

[Dbox117]

Hi, Everyone

I’m thinking about moving to Chengdu, and I’m wondering how the job mkt is in Chengdu for the foreigners. I would really like to know about the careers (not so interested in the jobs that teach Engl nor the jobs that pay so insignificantly). Are there any major corps. hiring the foreigners? If so, in what field? Also, do American credentials count in Chengdu? I’m also curious about what the most appealing things are for the foreigners who live in Chengdu.

I hope someone could provide some insights about to strive in Chengdu; I greatly appreciate it.

[Charlie]

It’s not that easy to find a job here for foreigners outside of teaching english unless:

1 – You speak Chinese and, or

2 – You know people in Chengdu and have connections

There are lots of jobs but the possibilities probably aren’t very wide open unless you meet one or both of the above conditions.

Are you American? I’m guessing you aren’t since you keep saying “the foreigners”.

Another option is to do white monkey jobs although these are usually an unstable line of work to be in.

[Charlie]

It’s not that easy to find a job here for foreigners outside of teaching english unless:

1 – You speak Chinese and, or

2 – You know people in Chengdu and have connections

There are lots of jobs but the possibilities probably aren’t very wide open unless you meet one or both of the above conditions.

Are you American? I’m guessing you aren’t since you keep saying “the foreigners”.

Another option is to do white monkey jobs although these are usually an unstable line of work to be in.

[Rick in China]

RE: Asking about a “job market”, you may want to be a little more specific. If you’re serious about looking for a job, it’s a little silly to say “Can I get a job in Chengdu?” without giving specifics on what you are capable of doing and to what degree you are experienced in that domain.

The only reason I’m bothering a reply is to let other potential question askers’ know how to ask better “can I get a job” type questions. 🙂

As Charlie said, if you don’t have connections or good Chinese skills, Chengdu’s job market is limited/restricted in terms of careers – many career foreigners were sent here by a company that hired them oversees. Local hires are very rarely paid western salaries – especially in big corps – where there is a significant difference between an overseas consultant or domestic employee and compensation.

You may want to list the following:

* “Big corporations” you’ve worked for overseas, role you’ve played, and how long you’ve played that role.

* Type of expectation in Chengdu in terms of role in the organization and relative compensation (like… “pay so insignificantly”, what’s insignificantly to you? that’s ambiguous)

* Chinese skill. Can you communicate with a primarily domestic workforce? That’s uber-important in many domains, since very few companies here run mostly foreign staff – a handful that were started by foreigners, that’s ’bout it.

That’s a start. This allows people to respond with a more accurate response, and possibly give you options if they know of something that matches what you’re after.

Also, @Charlie, I wouldn’t rule his potential Yankee-ness out due to poor language skills 🙂

[Rick in China]

RE: Asking about a “job market”, you may want to be a little more specific. If you’re serious about looking for a job, it’s a little silly to say “Can I get a job in Chengdu?” without giving specifics on what you are capable of doing and to what degree you are experienced in that domain.

The only reason I’m bothering a reply is to let other potential question askers’ know how to ask better “can I get a job” type questions. 🙂

As Charlie said, if you don’t have connections or good Chinese skills, Chengdu’s job market is limited/restricted in terms of careers – many career foreigners were sent here by a company that hired them oversees. Local hires are very rarely paid western salaries – especially in big corps – where there is a significant difference between an overseas consultant or domestic employee and compensation.

You may want to list the following:

* “Big corporations” you’ve worked for overseas, role you’ve played, and how long you’ve played that role.

* Type of expectation in Chengdu in terms of role in the organization and relative compensation (like… “pay so insignificantly”, what’s insignificantly to you? that’s ambiguous)

* Chinese skill. Can you communicate with a primarily domestic workforce? That’s uber-important in many domains, since very few companies here run mostly foreign staff – a handful that were started by foreigners, that’s ’bout it.

That’s a start. This allows people to respond with a more accurate response, and possibly give you options if they know of something that matches what you’re after.

Also, @Charlie, I wouldn’t rule his potential Yankee-ness out due to poor language skills 🙂

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