Lucrative Job Alternatives to Teaching in China

When China was originally emerging, foreigners were given high-paying employment along with a slew of additional perks to help promote Chinese businesses. Then, as more Chinese employees gained expertise in different high-level roles, those employment gradually shifted away from previous foreign specialists, driving the great majority of foreigners into teaching posts. That is not to suggest that there are no prospects for individuals with the necessary credentials. Here are six lucrative jobs in China that expats are in high demand for.

Interpreter

To become a translator, all that is required is an advanced level of Chinese and the credentials to show it, the most popular and renowned of which is the HSK exam. There are a variety of ways to make money translating between Chinese and English. For example, depending on your educational background and Chinese language skills, you may make 80-130 RMB per hour if you freelance via websites like Elance.com or other China-based expat website with work postings.

However, be cautious while doing freelance work, particularly in China, since it often operates in a legal gray area when it comes to taxes. In contrast, many competent Chinese-speaking foreigners seek full-time translation jobs with private enterprises or government agencies. For example, translating for a law business may pay between 10,000 and 18,000 RMB per month, albeit these professions demand a strong command of both English and Chinese, since you will be authoring complicated legal papers in both languages.

Unfortunately, there is one significant disadvantage to working as a translator in China: competition from your Chinese counterparts will be extremely fierce, as most Chinese have been studying English since they were six or seven years old, effectively giving those who stuck with it through university a massive comparative advantage. To compete with them, your Chinese language skills will need to be rather exceptional—two years of Chinese in university would most likely not enough.

Hotel administration

China's hotel business has risen by leaps and bounds in recent years as a result of the country's burgeoning economy. International hotel names linked with grandeur and money include Radisson, Hilton, Shangri-La, and Portman-Ritz. With an increasing number of famous movie stars and high-level CEOs passing through town, managers and upper-level staff at such luxury hotels are seeing large salary increases to match the many demands of their jobs.

The average pay for department managers and directors at 5-star hotels are 11,000 RMB per month and 21,000 RMB per month, respectively, according to China Hotel Magazine's 2011 Salary Survey Report. If you are promoted to the position of general manager of an international 5-star hotel, you may expect to earn between 50,000 and 60,000 RMB each month. As an added bonus, you never know when you'll have the opportunity to meet famous actors or singers.

Chef/Restaurateur

This job usually works in tandem with the one listed above. Even if you don't work in the food service sector, names like Paul Pairet, Eduardo Vargas, Jun Trinh, and Alain Ducasse should sound recognizable if you reside in a metropolis like Shanghai, Beijing, or Hong Kong. Even if they don't have pseudo-celebrity status in their city, many chefs and restaurateurs may make extremely pleasant pay in China, with the average monthly compensation for a head chef at a high-end restaurant being over 21,000 RMB per month. And if you've previously gone through the arduous Michelin certification procedure, you can expect to bring in much more. But don't worry if you're just starting out—even rookie cooks in lesser positions may earn up to 10,000 RMB per month, depending on experience and the restaurant.

Designer

Engineers, both Chinese and international, have benefitted significantly from China's huge quantity of development over the previous decade. Despite the fact that Chinese engineers fresh out of university earn only about 6,000-10,000 RMB per month (with chemical and mechanical engineers earning much more), the future for well-qualified international engineers is substantially brighter. A foreign plant manager in China with eight or more years of experience and a university degree may earn up to 70,000-110,000 RMB per month!

Bookkeeper

Accountants are in great demand all throughout the globe, including in China. While the majority of roles are held by Chinese, there are still plenty of chances for foreigners with good Chinese language skills to flourish in Chinese enterprises. According to the J.M. Gemini research organization, the best paid accounting position in China for foreigners is the Director of Accounting, which makes more than 60,000 RMB per month! To be sure, such a job requires 10-15 years of expertise in the industry, as well as a BA or MA in Accounting and a CPA (certified public accounting).

It should be noted that the accounting standards differ from those in the United States or other Western countries, but the Chinese guidelines are gradually being replaced by the International Accounting Standards, so applying for Chinese firms with your Western credentials should be easier in the future. The usual monthly compensation for a Finance Analyst in China with three to six years experience and a degree in accounting or finance is 13,000-27,000 RMB per month, which is somewhat more reachable for younger accountants.

Chief Executive Officer and Marketing Director

With this employment, a significant pay is expected. For years, foreign GMs and CEOs have been flocking to China for good reason. A general manager CRM (Customer Relationship Management) with 15+ years of experience would earn between 100,000 and 150,000 RMB each month. However, if you're a CEO, you're probably accustomed to generating that type of money everywhere you go. A marketing director position for foreigners, a little lower on the totem pole, will pay you 50,000-75,000 RMB per month, depending on the company. Obviously, since this is the highest-paying position on the list, it will need at least an MBA, ideally an International MBA with an emphasis on Asia, as well as several years of experience conducting business in China.

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