What You Need to Know When Working in China

Many people consider China a fascinating destination for career development in that there are numerous job opportunities open to both Chinese people and foreigners. If you would like to work in China, you will be dealing with people from a completely different cultural background. Therefore, it would be a good idea to know a bit more about what you need to take into account when working in China. The following five tips may come in handy in the future.

Working in China – Important Tips

1. Apply For a Work Visa

Nowadays many foreigners have the opportunity to study at university in China and obtain a student visa. However, it’s not a good idea to work in China with a student visa, and the local authority has started to pay attention to similar problems. Despite the fact that it’s complicated to apply for a work visa, most Chinese companies which hire foreign employees are obliged to offer assistance to potential candidates in order for them to successfully obtain a work visa.

2. Fast-Paced Working Environment

China’s economy has been growing rapidly in recent years, and Chinese people are frequently faced with huge pressure at work. Therefore, working overtime has become part of their daily lives. If you choose to work in China in the future, you will need to adapt yourself to a fast-paced working environment as you will have to deal with a large number of tasks on a daily basis.

3. Centralized Management

Chinese employees usually treat their superiors as the final decision-maker. They tend to listen to whatever their superiors say even if they don’t agree with them. Of course ordinary employees in China are allowed to state their own opinion on a certain issue, however, they wouldn’t openly have a “debate” with their superiors as it might put them in an awkward situation. Meanwhile, it’s not a good idea to flatter your superiors in order to make a good impression on them. Professionalism and specific skills are considered much more important.

Working in China – Suggestions

4. Learn Chinese

Young people in China now more or less understand English in that they’ve realized the importance of acquiring a good knowledge of English. However, it would be a good idea to study Chinese if you would like to communicate with your colleagues more effectively. Furthermore, most Chinese people would be amazed even if their foreign colleagues can only say a few phrases in Chinese, which could be a good chance for you to make yourself “impressive” in front of your Chinese colleagues.

5. Bring Your Own Lunchbox

If you work in China, you might’ve noticed that many Chinese people bring their own lunchbox every day. They think it’s convenient because many restaurants are full of customers during lunch break, which means you might need to queue to get yourself a seat if you decide to go out for lunch. In addition, you can save some money by bringing your own lunchbox as sometimes it could be a bit expensive to eat at a restaurant. At the same time, many Chinese people also choose to order takeout if they can’t be bothered to cook by themselves.

We hope you’ve learned a little bit more about China. To find out more interesting facts about china and Chinese culture, check out one of our blog posts 7 Things About Chinese Culture First-time Travelers Should Know