Americans go job hunting in China

CROSSING OVER: A booming economy and low cost of living lure job aspirants

Even those with limited or no knowledge of Chinese are heeding the call. They are lured by China’s surging economy, the lower cost of living and a chance to bypass the low pay and entry-level drudgery common to first jobs in the United States.

“I’ve seen a surge of young people coming to work in China over the last few years,” said Jack Perkowski, founder of Asimco Technologies, one of the largest automotive parts companies in China. “When I came over to China in 1994, that was the first wave of Americans coming to China. These young people are part of this big second wave.”

One of those in the latest wave is Joshua Arjuna Stephens, who graduated from Wesleyan University in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in American studies. Two years ago, he decided to take a temporary summer position in Shanghai with China Prep, an educational travel company.

“I didn’t know anything about China,” said Stephens, who worked on market research and programme development. “People thought I was nuts to go not speaking the language, but I wanted to do something off the beaten track.”

Two years later, after stints in the nonprofit sector and at a large public relations firm in Beijing, he is highly proficient in Mandarin and works as a manager for XPD Media, a social media company based in Beijing that makes online games.

Jonathan Woetzel, a partner with McKinsey & Company in Shanghai who has lived in China since the mid-1980s, says that compared with just a few years ago, he was seeing more young Americans arriving in China to be part of an entrepreneurial boom. “There’s a lot of experimentation going on in China right now, particularly in the energy sphere, and when people are young they are willing to come and try something new,” he said. And the Chinese economy is more hospitable for both entrepreneurs and job seekers.

Grace Hsieh, President of the Yale Club in Beijing and a 2007 graduate, says she’s seen a rise in the number of Yale graduates who have come to work in Beijing since she arrived in China two years ago. She is working as an Account Executive in Beijing for Hill & Knowlton, the public relations company.

Sarabeth Berman, a 2006 graduate of Barnard College with a major in urban studies, initially arrived in Beijing to take a job that would have been difficult for a 23-year-old to land in the United States: programme director at BeijingDance/LDTX, the first modern dance company in China to be founded independent of the government. Berman said she was hired for her familiarity with Western modern dance rather than a deep knowledge of China. “Despite my lack of language skills and the fact that I had no experience working in China, I was given the opportunity to manage the touring, international projects, and produce and programme our annual Beijing Dance Festival.”

After two years of living and working in China, Berman is proficient in Mandarin. She travels throughout China, Europe and the United States with the dance company.

Willy Tsao, the Artistic Director of BeijingDance/LDTX, said he hired Berman because of her ability to make connections beyond China. “I needed someone who was capable of communicating with the Western world.” Another dynamic in the hiring process, Tsao says, is that westerners can often bring a skill set that is harder to find among the Chinese.

“Sarabeth is always taking initiatives and thinking what we can do,” he said, “while I think the more standard Chinese approach is to take orders.” He sees the difference as rooted in the education system. “In Chinese schools students are encouraged to be quiet ; it fosters a culture of listening more than initiating.”  Perkowski says many Chinese companies are looking to hire native English speakers to help them navigate the American market. “I’m working with a company right now that wants me to help them find young American professionals who can be their liaisons to the US,” he said. “They want people who understand the social and cultural nuances of the West.” Among many young Americans, the China exit strategy is a common topic of conversation. Woetzel of McKinsey said work experience in China was not an automatic ticket to a great job back home. He said it was not a marker the way an Ivy League education is: “The mere fact of just showing up and working in China and speaking Chinese is not enough.” That said, Woetzel added, someone who has been able to make their mark in China is a valuable hire.  “At McKinsey, we are looking for people who have demonstrated leadership,’” he said, “and working in a context like China builds character, requires you to be a lot more entrepreneurial.”

New York Times