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How Much Does an Expat Make in China?

China’s booming economy is finally starting to turn some heads. Contrary to what you might think, those are not only the heads of government officials or veteran entrepreneurs. Today, many young and old professionals are relocating to China. To them working there sounds like an enriching experience, both cultural and monetary.

China has been growing as an attractive expat destination for many years by now. Still professionals tend to refrain from relocating east. The reason for this is partly because of the cultural barrier, the language that is hard to grasp and the many local business customs. All of this is changing now that the financial benefits are starting to outweigh the difficulty of the cultural adaptation process. With its strong currency, high salaries and multiple tax benefits for foreigners, China is becoming the place to be for expats looking to give their career a boost.

Because the expat job application process remains relatively undocumented, we are offering you this comprehensive guide. From how to apply to what kind of Salary you can expect, all the info you need to know is here at your disposal.

The Job Interview and Salary Negotiation

You’re the Expert

No matter what high-end school you went to back at home, they probably won’t know it in China. Unless you went to Harvard or Cambridge, don’t count on your collegial background to be of any benefit during your job interview. It all depends on how you present and sell yourself as well as your background.

Irrelevant of what university you attended, profess it to be the leading university in that field of study. Even if you are highly exaggerating, do whatever it takes to put yourself in a good daylight without actually lying. Explain how your high-quality education, combined with experience you already gained by working on school projects, provided you with valuable insights into the western business environment and way of working. This is insider knowledge that few Chinese employees can claim to possess.

Even more importantly is to present yourself as an all-round expert. Stress your western credentials and also give a detailed explanation of how you are the perfect fit for the job. Don’t shy away from any professional language or business terms. The more you strew them around in your speech, the higher your chances of impressing your potential future employer.

A proper preparation is necessary to achieve this. You should know the company culture and goals of the corporation you’re applying to. Also prepare how you will sell yourself so you come across confident and in control.

Be Honest About Yourself…

 Nobody’s perfect, that we can say for sure. In order to present yourself in a realistic manner you should be honest about your weaknesses as well. Don’t only talk about what you do well or what your strengths are. Mention where you can improve or what you hope to learn while working. It’s always helpful if you can describe the function that you are applying for as the solution to your professional weaknesses. Like this your interviewer will see that you not only have identified your points of improvement, but also know how to tackle them efficiently.

… But Don’t Let It be Used Against You

 The Chinese are known to be tough negotiators. They always try to get the best deal for them. As a Chinese employer, this means getting the top talent and a low wage. They will use several techniques for this. One of them might be going straight for your degree or other credentials, saying that it is worthless and doesn’t qualify you at all for the function you apply for. Another way might be by judging you on your weaknesses you mentioned earlier in the interview. This is an attempt to try to lower your self-esteem and confidence. Both tactics are done in order to soften you up, so you might accept a lower salary.

Don’t fall for this trick. If you are really not suited for the job, they would not let you take an interview. The grilling is part of the application process. You must try to put your foot down and don’t let up, no matter what they are saying on what tone.

It’s crucial to not become angry or rude. It’s better to stay calm, stall the interview and don’t agree or disagree to any claim they make regarding your wage. This way there is a higher chance that your employers might lose their patience and give in to what you are demanding.

Reading this might scare you off, but these kind of interactions are exactly what you should expect when you decide to work in China.

Your Salary

 You might be disappointed to hear this, but it’s hard to give a fixed number of what you can expect for a salary as an expat in China. A lot of it depends on the function you apply for, the experience you already have and how savvy a negotiator you are.

There is however one rule that you have to keep in mind at all times. When the talk turns to what you desire as a salary, always ask for a couple of thousand RMB more. This gives you some room for negotiation because you cannot expect to receive what you actually demand.

25% of the expats in China make around 200.000 USD per year, or about 1.5 million RMB. This quarter of all expats is made up of skilled and well-trained professionals. If you think you belong in this class, there is nothing stopping you from demanding the same. If you are just starting out or apply for a function with less responsibilities and lower on the corporate ladder, it’s best to ask a bit less if you want to be taken seriously.

How to Get a Raise in Your Salary

There are several ways to impress your employers and earn a boost in your wages. Below we will list a few. It’s mainly up to you to get a feel of your working environment to find out what can work in your situation.

Personal Performance

This is the same as in any job scenario: if you work hard, it will get noticed. That doesn’t only mean work on your task, but also to look for changes. The Chinese economy thrives on innovation. Successful companies are those that implement innovative changes as quickly and often as possible. If you can come up with ideas that are beneficial for the working of the company or can increase their revenue, you’re bound to receive some recognition for this.

Learn the Language

If you already speak a bit of Chinese before you actually come to China, definitely mention this during your job interview. Expats with Chinese language proficiency are highly valued and quickly accepted in many companies. If you don’t speak any Chinese it might be worth to take classes in order to gain that skill. This is a good sign that you are willing to integrate and do business their way. Besides helping you with managing and solving corporate problems, it will be of great help in your daily life as well.

Annual Reviews  

When you come to the end of your contract, your boss will review your performance with you. If they ask you to sign an extension of your current contract you know you’ve done a good job. Next to some proper recognition, you can also be sure of receiving an addition to your monthly wages. This could go to up to 120 USD, or 1000 RMB. See it as another moment where you can negotiate your salary or try to obtain any other additional benefits that are available.

Adapt to the Working Standards

 Yes, you can make a lot of money in China. But you will definitely have to work for it as well. The Chinese work culture demands its employees to work long hours and many days. They call their system 9/6. To westerns this might seem like what we have back at home, from 9 AM till 6 PM. However, for Chinese employees 9/6 has a completely different meaning. The Chinese work from 9 AM till 9 PM, 6 days a week. These long hours might sound intense, but the work pressure is not that high all the time.

As a foreigner it’s crucial that you adopt this mindset if you want to be successful. Not only your colleagues, and more importantly, your employers will highly value you. When it is time for your annual review, or even before that moment, those long hours could deliver you a nice reward.

The post How Much Does an Expat Make in China? appeared first on Internships China.



This post first appeared on Internship China, please read the originial post: here

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How Much Does an Expat Make in China?

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