Working In Shanghai

Shanghai is one of the richest and largest cities in China, located in the Yangtze River Delta. It is one of the richest economies in terms of business and trade, transportation, and technology.

Shanghai is the business capital of China. Most multinational companies based in Shanghai have their headquarters in China, and some even have their Asia-Pacific headquarters here. Their foreign employees work mainly overseas and live on international salaries of various sorts, for purposes such as education and transportation. Increasingly, however, these companies are recruiting foreigners at home. Working in Shanghai is an excellent experience and with the desire to learn, you will have more opportunities. So if you work in any organization or institution, you will always find a lot of ways to develop your career.

Whether you're new to the language or have been learning for years, make an effort to speak a little Chinese in your first job in China! You may not be able to work with it directly, but even if you're just using it when you're chatting, gossiping and saying hello here and there. Your local colleagues will also appreciate it.

The truth is, most jobs in China involve some kind of overtime. It may come in on Saturday mornings at the start of each semester or on nights when you regularly work at a tech company. As a foreigner, you can sometimes avoid overtime pay because for Chinese bosses, as they do with the locals, it's easier to get overtime from foreigners than from locals. There's no discomfort in extracting extra unpaid hours there. However, if you are the only one home on time each day, it can be detrimental to team morale. That's not to say you should always work overtime, but every now and then, when work is busy or you have a deadline to face, your team will Gratefully stay there.

Generally speaking, humility is good advice for life, especially in your first job in China. In the West, people usually accept hard-earned praise or compliments, whereas, in China, even false modesty is expected to be rewarded with Praise. If someone compliments you on your work, praise those who help you achieve your goals. Even if it is overall just a compliment to you, mock it for not being true. Also, please note that it's common to refer to handsome or beautiful people in Chinese, so if you comment in this way, please Don't get too excited or worried.

Again, general life advice is all well and good, but in your first Shanghai job, being different can also lead to being specific! The purpose. The workplace in Shanghai is much more candid than in the West. Rarely criticize or contradict co-workers in front of them, and never antagonize your manager or boss, especially in public.

When starting your first job in Shanghai, you may find some inefficiencies or painful areas. Just make sure you provide your feedback in the right way, otherwise, it could backfire.

While expats in China often face some culture shock, language barriers and unfamiliarity upon arrival, Shanghai's close-knit expat community, international atmosphere, and exciting nightlife is a huge motivator for them to leave the Western world and start over in China.