Job opportunities in China

[bailewen]

So, I'm always being asked to introduce my "foreign friends" and, honestly, here in Xi'an, I don't really have any...well one or two but that's about it.

Two editing jobs I'd like to introduce for anyone looking for something to do in China:

1. The Confucius Institute
Doesn't pay well, but you can probably negotiate with them. They typically only give about 100 yuan for 1000 words but I'm sure you could get more. No Chinese language skills required. Just native speaker level English and you can do it from anywhere. They email you assignments, and then wire money into your Chinese bank account the next month. Probably a decent side gig for someone here who just wants to train kung fu and not be burdened with a real job. Just some nice little side cash, probably enough to live off modestly in a 3rd tier city. Maybe if you did well, they'd have enough work for 2nd tier. I doubt you could live off of it in Shanghai or Beijing though.

2. Huawei
Biggest telecom in the world actually. That's where I work. They are making a huge push to expand their foreign staff these days. Modest pay by western standards but you can earn a freaking fortune for the local economy. Absolutely no financial pressure ... if you do it full time. No Chinese required, but it's very helpful. You do need a college degree for this one. (I think). You would definitely need one to get paid well and get benefits and all that.

I don't get any kickback or anything. Just passing it along. China seems to be a decent place to be these days...pollution aside. Xi'an is much more liveable than when I moved here back in the day and, seriously, if you have a degree and want to live in China, you can live quite well as a technical editor these days. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone with a degree who's still stuck as a barista somewhere or waiting tables whatever. 9 -5 cubicle job...but with plenty of room for advancement. (especially if you are a native English speaker)

[nicklinjm]

Thanks for the tips Omar. Am pretty sick of my job at the moment and considering doing something else. So both are editing jobs rather than translating, right?

Also, could you go into a bit more detail about the Huawei job? What kind of salary are they offering? And what kind of materials are you expected to edit?

[edededed]

I should have changed what I was doing, ahem, 5 years ago...

[bailewen]

Thanks for the tips Omar. Am pretty sick of my job at the moment and considering doing something else. So both are editing jobs rather than translating, right?

Also, could you go into a bit more detail about the Huawei job? What kind of salary are they offering? And what kind of materials are you expected to edit?

Huawei is aggressively expanding their workforce in Xi'an and trying hard to recruit native English speakers to act as editors for their Chinese team.

I do some translating but mostly editing. It's mostly technical manuals having to do with IT infrastructure. I personally work with wireless stuff (cell towers, how the spectrum is divided up or how network loads are managed) but there's also other land-line stuff, cloud computing and what not.) The translating jobs I get are basically press releases or scripts for little videos that will probably play on a loop in some exhibition. Stuff like that, stuff where the locals just can't get a handle on that level of colloquialism.

In addition to editing I do a lot of software testing (checking the GUI's for linguistic errors) and teach as much English as I can to the local staff (monthly presentations, lot's of Q&A on the internal chat tool)

I cannot speak explicitly about my own salary but the foreign editors tend to come in at around only 10k (yuan) per month. You could make more (by the hour anyway) teaching at an EF center or something but the main thing here is that your salary can go up from there. Also, that maybe only so-so in Shanghai, but in Xi'an, it is a veritable fortune. A pretty nice sized apartment will run you about 1200-1500 yuan. You can totally live here on 4k/month. At 10k, you can maintain a lifestyle similar to what 10k USD would get you in the US.

It's not as footloose and fancy free as teaching at an English training center. It's hard work. But there's definitely a future and even if you ultimately move on to greener pastures, it's a hell of a thing on your resume. You will definitely learn stuff.

I feel incredibly lucky to have this job right now and the only reason I don't recommend it more is that it really isn't for everyone. If you want to just hang out in China and goof off, party a lot, go bar hopping or exploring the countryside, this isn't the right job. It's a standard 8 hour day (or more somtimes) and everyone works really hard and, most significantly, you don't get a free pass for being white or American or British or whatever. It's a "real job" with all the good and the bad that that entails.

So far, I really like it.

[nicklinjm]

Thanks for the additional info Omar. Very tempting - as a guy who does want a 'serious job' and is not looking to goof off, the Huawei gig sounds like a good deal! How did you get offered the job?

And as for the cost of living....dang but the difference between cost of living between Shanghai and Xi'an is huge, 1200 RMB in Shanghai would maybe get you a single room in some crappy 50-year old flat somewhere miles out!

[bailewen]

How did you get offered the job?'

Totally random.

My wife took a translation course a few years back, kept in touch with the teacher and last year when they got together for a meal, the teacher found out her husband was American (she doesn't tell people generally) the teacher texted her a number for the guy in charge of Xi'an with the message that they were looking for native speakers. I worked as a sub-contractor for about a year before making the transition to direct employee. There's no official time frame. I just fit in.

We have a center in Shanghai too...well...probably way on the outskirts by 4th circle road or something. If you didn't want to move, or just wanted to feel it out more conservatively, I could put you in touch with someone out there. But I think that the best deal is in Xi'an...if you can handle living in Xi'an. My understanding is that they pay you more in some of the other cities but compared to the local economy, I bet you live best in Xi'an,

Anyways, I feel pretty close with the folks in Shanghai. I haven't been there yet but I have a really good working relationship with a lot of them over there, probably more than with any of the other cities.

After meeting last year (that was you right? Not some other Nick?) I expect you would fit in well. One of the main tricks is just being able to cross that cultural divide well. It's not a job requirement but it definitely helps, just like you don't need to speak Chinese but if you can, it definitely helps everyone feel comfortable with you.

Anyways, if you, or anyone else who's interested, is..er...interested...pm me and I'll hook you up with whoever's doing the interviews these days.

I just gotta be honest about the job. It's not "sexy". It's just a cool job (to me anyways) and it's hard to get editors in here because if you haven't lived in China it's hard to attract someone over here for the salary. It is what it is. But it's a pretty good gig for some folks and the timing is right. 5 or 6 years ago, this sort of job just didn't exist.

Later dudes.

[nicklinjm]

Definitely interested, have sent you a PM.