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What’s it like to work for a Chinese boss?
Have you ever been at a point in your job/career when you thought, “I wish I could reinvent myself,” or “restart my career on a different path”? What if I told you I knew of a place where a construction worker became a director of marketing, a sales manager became a journalist, a real estate opportunist started a school, a student became a university economics teacher, and a graphic designer became a CEO (if only for one night).
Such are the opportunities of an emerging market like the big cities of China. But, before you quit your job and throw yourself a going away party, just remember the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.
If you have read a newspaper sometime in the past ten years, you may have heard China is quickly becoming the financial center of the world. Obviously, opening a market of this size creates many opportunities. And although we are talking about a 5,000 year-old culture, China only “re-opened” its doors to the business world a mere 35 years ago. This creates an interesting relationship between a very proud nationalist people and what they literally refer to as “outsiders”, or the rest of us non-Chinese folks.
For those non-Chinese who have worked in China over the years, the Chinese adaptability is both an opportunity and a deathblow. During the (business) visa interview, one of the questions asked is, “What skills or education do you possess for [this job] that a Chinese person does not?”
If you are working in China, and want to continue working in China, that is always a good question to keep in the back of your head. Because like any country, they are trying to protect their workforce, and when your workforce numbers in the hundreds of millions it becomes even more important.
So, what does the present job pool look like for the non-Chinese?
The short answer is, it is still quite large but shrinking quickly. The most obvious job for a person living in a foreign land is that of a language teacher.
English, as the “international language” is the most sought after. Many Chinese people see that learning English can be a benefit to their work or personal life, however the government seems to waver on whether or not it is in its national interest to teach it in Chinese schools at all, or at least at a higher level.
For now, this leaves the door open to native English speakers to charge a premium for tutoring Chinese children. Take note that the current trend is that a “western American accent” is preferred (not so long ago it was British). However, English is in such high demand that any speakers of English can find work.
As Chinese companies big and small take to the internet and enter the international stage they are in need of copywriters skilled in the language of each of the many global markets. This is one of the many jobs that the Chinese who have been educated in the West have started to fill, and at this point, not very well.
Source: http://www.saporedicina.com/english/whats-it-like-to-work-for-a-chinese-boss/
