[pawlowski6132]

I'm considering this as a means to advance my career and do something interesting for a change.

Anyone else considering this?

 

[Kirosia]

why, you have a hard time finding work/advancement in America?

 

[zotjen]

It seems like a pretty drastic move to do something interesting. What's your career? What does China have to advance it that other places don't?

 

[Ferbose]

Are you ethinically Chinese?
Anyway, China probably has a lot of business opportunities.
But I would think three times before becoming a long-term resident there.
Let's not forget it is still a communist country, politically.
Lots of Chinese people come to the US and try to stay on.
Lots of them end up in Southern California.

 

[pawlowski6132]

I'm in finance for a logistics company. Just seems like China is going to be the next Economic superpower. With so much business going over there I started learning Mandarin and then I read this which sorta confirmed my thinking:



Execs see China as place to boost career
POSTED:21 Mar 2006, SOURCE: The Dallas Morning News
Bobby Carter shows all the symptoms of China fever.
Each week, he meets with a private tutor to learn Mandarin. On airplanes, he listens to language tapes. And in his spare time, he reads books about the Asian powerhouse and blogs written by expatriates living there.

China "is really intriguing to me. I want to experience it," said Mr. Carter, 44, UPS' international sales and marketing manager for the Southwest region.

Although he's traveled in the region for his job, now he wants to work full time in China, for at least a few years.
"Who would think in our lifetime we would have the opportunity to be pioneers in anything?" he said.
As China evolves into an increasingly important market for many U.S. companies, a growing number of Americans are eager to work there, despite potentially formidable obstacles of language and culture.

Interest in China extends beyond multinational corporations. Increasingly, managers at small- and mid-size businesses are volunteering for forays in China, seeking excitement, riches and a career boost.

"It's not a hardship," said Louisa Wong-Rousseau, managing director of China for Stanton Chase International, an executive search firm. "People see going to China as a career advancement."

Though many in China prefer to hire locals, a shortage of skilled executives means expatriates remain in demand, said Lisa Johnson, director of consulting services for Cendant Mobility, a large relocation company.

Many companies award assignments in China to their rising stars, she said. "It's where a lot of companies' future is."
According to a Cendant Mobility study conducted last year, people moving to China for business reasons are typically married men in their early 40s.

Shanghai, China's most cosmopolitan city, ranks as the top destination for expatriates. But a growing number of them are headed to less well-known places such as Chengdu, Dalian and Tianjin.

For example, Dallas attorney Ryan Greene recently accepted a job with EnterHealth China LLC, which manages two hospitals in the Chongqing area. The firm aims to become a leading provider of health care services in China.

Mr. Greene, 34, already has an apartment leased and furnished for him in Chongqing. Initially, he plans to spend half his time in the southwestern Chinese city and the remainder in Dallas.

'Industrial revolution'
After three trips to China, he has developed an admiration for the Chinese people's work ethic and culture. "In the next five to 10 years, everyone is going to be going over there," he said. "I want to be on the leading edge of that transition.

"What's happening there is so amazing," he added. "It's the industrial revolution in early 19th-century America all over again."

Americans who have taken the plunge and moved to China often find the experience an eye-opener.
In November 2004, Nokia Oyj employee Ron Davenport sold his house and two cars in Grapevine and moved to a gated community in Beijing.

Now, he is helping develop low-cost phones at Nokia's product creation center in Beijing.
"The pace is quite frantic," Mr. Davenport, 41, said of the Chinese business environment. "But I am much more sensitive to growth in other parts of the world."

For Mark Abe, living in China became a necessity. The 40-year-old executive for Plano-based Electronic Data Systems Corp. arrived in Beijing three months ago to help his company win information technology services contracts from Chinese airlines, airports and other air services providers.

"It's very hard to build those relationships when you're flying in and out," he said.
The expatriate from Orange County, Calif., quickly learned that conducting business in China requires forming personal relationships, not just making sales calls.

"The business models that are prevalent here in China are different from ones in other parts of the world," he said, referring to the nation's many state-owned firms.

"Don't wait," he advised others considering working in China. "The country is changing so fast. Jump in with both feet and don't look back."

A few challenges
Taking on a China assignment does involve some challenges and adjustments.
Chief among them is finding health care that meets U.S. standards, according to the Cendant Mobility study.
An unhappy spouse and children can also cause problems.
"Make sure your family really wants to come," said Mr. Davenport, who moved to Beijing with his wife and two of his three daughters. (The oldest daughter lives on her own in the U.S.)

Mr. Davenport said his wife and daughters are thriving in Beijing because of their outgoing and independent personalities. His middle daughter has found a new hobby, snowboarding in the nearby mountains. His youngest, a second-grader, is studying Mandarin.

Once expatriates and their families adapt to life in China, the hardest part is often coming home.
Attorney Carter Meyer endured a difficult transition when he and his wife returned to Dallas in August 2004 after living in Beijing and Tokyo for a little more than two years.

"It was hard getting used to it," he said. "I missed the [Chinese] food quite a bit. I missed the people."
During his time abroad, Mr. Meyer traveled throughout Asia. In China, language didn't prove to be a huge barrier because most of the professionals he met spoke English.

And to their delight, he and his wife were able to save a lot of money but still live comfortably, with help from a driver and a housekeeper.

Mr. Meyer, 37, recently left Vinson & Elkins to become head of a small venture capital firm. But if the right opportunity came along in the future, he would consider going back to Asia.

"On a résumé, it has a lot of credibility," he said of his time spent in China. And "I appreciate the size of the world a lot better."

 

[chadbang]

It will probably be the greatest experience of your life. Hong Kong is magnificent, if you can find work there. It's like NYC with a view. A bay, mountains.... I moved over to Thailand for five years and loved it to death. Asia is great. Coming back home, the U.S. seems very dull.... If you're young and single, I say go try it out. You'll get homesick, but you'll also have the time of your life. Ah, the women....

 

[Orpheus]

I went to China for about 3 months 2-3 years ago. I would never dream of living there any longer than that. It's extremely dangerous--many street cops do not carry guns and could care less about your safety. Health care is MUCH MUCH MUCH worse than in America--you just watch how they do dentistry. It'll horrify you. Another thing they don't get in China?--a blue sky. All the friends there marvel at the picturesque pictures of blue sky from America. It's all grey smog and buildings blocking the light. Sure, they got the country side, but that won't be where you'll be staying. And avoid the southern portion of China--the girls are much more unattractive than northerners. Oh, and the worst thing of all--the weather. I went during Fall, and the moment I stepped off the airplane I was STRUCK by a wall of hot, humid air--I'm not kidding... it just punched me in the face as soon as I stepped off. The northern climate should be better though. I did visit Beijing briefly. It was definitely an improvement over the southern Guong Zhou, but it still wasn't up to American standards.

Hong Kong is different by the way... It's not really "China" despite the fact that Great Britain gave it up to China years ago. They don't even allow citizens of China into Hong Kong without a very hard to obtain visa. I visited there for about 1-2 weeks. It probably is sorta like New York, like Chadbang said. But again, it's not China.

 

[AlanY]

My girlfriend's father is a mid-level executive at a large automaker and moved to China a couple years ago after he got divorced. He really likes it and plans to stay there for at least a couple more years. If you're interested in going, I'd definitely recommend doing it. As long as you're working for an American company, it can only boost your career. Traditionally, accepting a foreign posting has been a shortcut to higher levels of management, and there's no question that China is the world's hottest market right now, with annual growth rates in the double digits for most of the last decade.

 

[YamiTenshi]

My parents tried to get me to consider going to work in China after graduation too.

If you are serious about going consider getting a position with an American based company with the option to transfer back to the States. There are some companies that are desperately looking for American-educated employees and most positions do not require any Chinese language. If you get lucky there are even jobs that will offer you room and board (as in they pay for rent and food if you live in a certain area) and some even cover travel back to the States during holidays.

Though things may not be up to American standards over there if you plan to only go for a few years, live frugally and take all your savings and transfer your position back to the States I think it will be well worth it.

Hong Kong is very different from China and as others have said more closely resembles a big city in America. A lot of the similarities include: difficulty in getting a job, difficulty in getting a good paying job, difficulty in finding a decent place to live, cost of living is very high, and work competition is very high. Some of the good parts include: Hong Kong was under British rule for 99 years, so you know at least they have minimal health/safety standards comparable to the States, and more people are likely to speak English.

If you can find a good job in Hong Kong go for it. But understand that Hong Kong has probably already reached its peak for a few years. I would recommend looking into the Shanghi and Beijing area more since that is where most of the "boom" in the next few years will be.

There are many individual things to consider also. What does your family think of this? Are you ready to take on an entirely different culture? Where in China are you planning to go? For how long? What are you exactly trying to achieve with this risk?


Wow, that was a long post.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

I bet the houses are cheaer than in southern california.

Now the big question: Are chinese Wal*Marts stocked with American-made products?

 

[tattoou2]

My wife has visited China on company business three different times. I was lucky enough to accompany her once. I loved it and am looking forward to going again.

 

[BodiesOfLight]

My dad was thinking about it, if it wasn't for his health (has Asthma). He'd been over there on several occasions on business for two weeks at a time and liked it quite a bit (after getting used to the food). He's really into Asian food now. Hehe.

Copped some hella cheap DVDs, too. Haha.

 

[perplex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orpheus I went to China for about 3 months 2-3 years ago. I would never dream of living there any longer than that. It's extremely dangerous--many street cops do not carry guns and could care less about your safety. Health care is MUCH MUCH MUCH worse than in America--you just watch how they do dentistry. It'll horrify you. Another thing they don't get in China?--a blue sky. All the friends there marvel at the picturesque pictures of blue sky from America. It's all grey smog and buildings blocking the light. Sure, they got the country side, but that won't be where you'll be staying. And avoid the southern portion of China--the girls are much more unattractive than northerners. Oh, and the worst thing of all--the weather. I went during Fall, and the moment I stepped off the airplane I was STRUCK by a wall of hot, humid air--I'm not kidding... it just punched me in the face as soon as I stepped off. The northern climate should be better though. I did visit Beijing briefly. It was definitely an improvement over the southern Guong Zhou, but it still wasn't up to American standards. Hong Kong is different by the way... It's not really "China" despite the fact that Great Britain gave it up to China years ago. They don't even allow citizens of China into Hong Kong without a very hard to obtain visa. I visited there for about 1-2 weeks. It probably is sorta like New York, like Chadbang said. But again, it's not China.

No police in UK carry guns and it's a lot safer than in USA

 

[fr4c]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orpheus Hong Kong is different by the way... It's not really "China" despite the fact that Great Britain gave it up to China years ago. They don't even allow citizens of China into Hong Kong without a very hard to obtain visa. I visited there for about 1-2 weeks. It probably is sorta like New York, like Chadbang said. But again, it's not China.

Britain did not simply "give it up" to China. Hong Kong is Chinese territory to begin with, and the only reason GB had control over it for so many years was because of GB's oppression over China with its opium trade, and China's failed attempt to drive the British out. HK's reason to become part of China once again was because the war pact signed between GB and China was over, sort of like a loan period.

Also, HK is pretty much like Shanghai and other major cities. The only difference you will probably see is that more people are fluent in English in HK.

 

[Denim]

I spent a year and a half in Beijing for an extended field trial. I only met one American that worked for a Chinese company, and that was the telephone company. Everyone else there was brought over from their company, either the US, Europe, or where ever and was paid appropriately for living there.

My wife and I were completely lost until we made friends at the silk market. I look back on it now and remember having a great time. But every simple convience is gone. If you know the language and can read it, then that will help a great deal. The media, including Internet access is controlled by the government. The simplest things were so confusing for us. It took a while before we could tell salt from sugar without popping a hole in the bag to taste it.

For what it's worth, my chinese experience is on my resume and I'm not getting any special consideration because of it. If you want to go for the experience of a different culture, then you will love it. It's not the place to better your career.