Many international students hand in their curriculum vitae during the job fair held at Peking University. Photo: Courtesy of CSCSE
Many international students hand in their curriculum vitae during the job fair held at Peking University. Photo: Courtesy of CSCSE
Summer is the season when fresh graduates start their careers. Among the numerous graduates are also international students studying in China who are eager to kick off their professional life in the middle kingdom.
On April 22, the third Career Fair for International Students in China, organized by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE), was held at Peking University.
The event provided more than 500 career opportunities covering fields such as civil engineering, artificial intelligence manufacturing, new materials production, finance, telecommunications and technologies, law and education. Some of China’s leading companies such as China Railway Construction Corporation (International) Limited, HNA group, Power China Resources Limited and China Minsheng Banking were among the recruiters.
Apart from big companies, the job fair also featured the participation of startup facilitators and innovation companies from Zhongguancun Haidian Science Park, which also helps support international students who hope to start their own business in China.
Metropolitan talked to several job hunters at the fair to learn more about international students’ ideal jobs, expected salaries and other concerns.
Students have the chance to meet and communicate with recruiters at the job fair. Photo: Courtesy of CSCSE
The ideal job
According to a report on People’s Daily Overseas Edition on April 28, more than 440,000 international students are studying in China as of 2016, a 35 percent increase compared to 2012. Working after completing studies in China has become a common hope for a majority of the international students.
A report that surveyed international students who participated in last year’s job fair revealed that about 86 percent of the students wanted to obtain a short-term internship in China, and 95 percent said they hoped to stay in China to work after graduation.
Dags, a 22-year-old who comes from Latvia, is on an exchange semester that started in September and ends in June at Guanghua School of Management at Peking University. Majoring in finance, he came to the job fair with an aim to find out if there are opportunities to begin a finance career in China.
“I’m looking for something finance specific. I’d prefer investment banking or private equity,” he said.
Dags said while the Chinese companies may provide more jobs to local students, he has set his goals mainly on international companies who run branches in China and are also looking for international employees.
He believes he is competitive in China’s talent pool. “Finance is kind of a global market. There is no significant preference toward one nationality. I would say finance is a pretty open market in China.”
Teja, a student from India, is now completing her first year of study in an international MBA program at Beijing Technology and Business University. Having lived in China for three years, she said she has already made the decision to work in China after graduation. Therefore, it is never too early to begin to familiarize yourself with the Chinese job market, she explained.
“I’m looking forward to working as an intern, and after that, getting a job in China in the marketing field,” she said.
Apart from the promising market opportunities provided in Beijing, Teja also attributed “China is safe” to the reasons that attract her to stay in the country.
For French-Chinese Pierre, a first-year PhD student majoring in hydropower engineering at Tsinghua University, China’s increasing overseas cooperation in the hydropower industry provides opportunities for him to gain work experience in the field.
“I have talked to some Chinese companies. One company is operating overseas projects, so they look for foreign employees,” said Pierre, who is optimistic about his career path.
A South Korean student surnamed Li, who is still a freshman at Peking University, said he came to the job fair to look for part-time jobs.
“I had a part-time job before. But their business ceased due to the THADD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) incident. I was kind of ‘fired’ two months ago,” he said.
Curriculum vitae placed at the booth of an Internet company during the job fair. Photo: Li Ying/GT
Salary expectations
In China’s international job market, the salaries and wages provided are not considered high enough compared to more developed countries.
Chinese undergraduates earn an average of $995 a month, which ranks them 15th in earnings out of the 17 countries surveyed, according to a report published in 2016 by Korn Ferry Hay Group, a global management consulting firm that collects data from more than 20,000 companies around the world.
Most of the international students have a higher expectation for their salary than the local students.
Dags said he expects his salary to be more than 30,000 yuan ($4,352) per month. “Some of my friends went into investment banking in London, and their salaries are a little bit higher. But I want to learn about emerging Asian markets. China is a developing country, and it is growing so fast. It would be really interesting to work here compared to Europe, which is already a stable market,” he said.
Having earned his master’s degree and obtained job experience, Pierre said he expected a monthly salary above 20,000 yuan.
For Joao Gondar, who comes from Portugal and is majoring in business administration at the Beijing Institute of Technology, a monthly salary starting at 10,000 yuan would be acceptable once he graduates.
“Around 10,000 yuan is quite okay for me, but it depends. If the employer provides accommodation, it can be less,” he said, mentioning the rent in Beijing can be expensive.
Teja, who has decided to start his career with an internship, would ideally like to make 5,000 yuan.
The visa problem
China has a growing demand for international talents, which is in line with the implement of the One Belt and One Road initiative that has led China to participate in more international cooperation and competition against the backdrop of economic globalization. International students who have been educated in China, developed an understanding of Chinese language and culture and have a professional specialty are important to China’s development.
“China will not only educate international students, but also give them a chance to put their skills to good use,” said Cheng Jiacai, the deputy secretary of the Party committee of CSCSE, according to the report from People’s Daily Overseas Edition.
One of the major factors that dictate if an international student can work in China is whether they can obtain the working visa.
In February, the Chinese government announced eased visa policies that will help international students, including those who have completed their master’s degree in China and are in their first year after graduation and those who complete a master’s degree from a famous university abroad and are in their first year after graduation.
Other requirements for the working visa include no criminal record, excellent academic performance and getting concrete job contracts in which the work is accordant with their major.
An information session at the event about China’s visa policies for international students attracted a lot of attendees.
A Malaysian international student surnamed Zeng was among the students who brought up their concerns.
“I will graduate next year, and I want to learn more about my chances of working in China. Can I work directly after graduating, or should I have certain work experience? What is the process of getting a working visa?” he said.
However, under the current policy, Zeng, as an undergraduate, needs work experience before he can apply for the visa. Zeng said he plans to find a job in Beijing because he has become familiar with the city and wants to continue to live here. In addition, his fluent Chinese is also helpful for living and working in China.
“However, if I do not qualify for the visa, I will choose to go back to Malaysia or work in other countries,” he said.
