With more than a decade of surging economic growth, China now opens its doors to the world and offers a lot of opportunities for everyone out there seeking for new and exciting careers.

The expatriate community in China’s major cities has grown exponentially over the past few years. Often you would find foreigners who were sent by the international companies they work with, and others who were invited to China to start a new career path.  A brave few look for the jobs themselves through the internet or start the search when they get there.

One thing to note is that the Chinese are very tolerant of other cultures and religions.  They are often very eager to learn about other cultures and practices, and they are very open and welcoming even in places where there is little diversity.  Settling in sure wouldn’t be easy as with settling in any other country or city.  Aside from getting homesick, you should expect to experience a totally different culture at work and outside work.  Experiencing new ways of doing things such as eating with chopsticks, using squat toilets and bargaining in shopping.   

Prepare a few useful phrases in Chinese and make sure that the dialect is appropriate for the region, otherwise use Mandarin which is understood in most big cities.  If you are planning to stay longer, it’s best to learn the language in a school or with a tutor.  This will save you a lot of frustrating moments and make your life so much easier. 

Finding a job in China if you still haven’t got one is fairly easy.  There are numerous English teacher openings to choose from and you only need minimal requirements for them especially if you are a native English speaker.  If you would like to look for other jobs related to your field of study or those that are in line with your previous experiences, try browsing through websites with international or Chinese job postings. Also check out our own job section, with thousands of english speaking job offers available. After you have found a job and contacted the agent or company, they will help you get your visa and then consult with the Chinese embassy nearest you.  This is a much safer way of moving to China than starting the search one you get here.  Be sure to do a thorough check about the city or region in which you will be moving to before applying for the job.  China is a very big country and has very diverse cultures and environments within.  So prepare for the experience of a lifetime that China is about to give!