Jobs for Non-Native English Speakers in China

It is well known that native English speakers have an advantage when it comes to finding work in China – if nothing else, there’s always English teaching. However, what if you don’t come from one of the major English speaking nations, what if English is your second or even third language? What opportunities can you expect to find in China?

Photo: Данила

English teaching
While the teaching jobs available to non-native English speakers may not be the best the teaching world has to offer, there are still plenty of teaching opportunities available to people for whom English is not their native tongue. While you might not be chosen as an oral IELTS instructor, being a non-native speaker is rarely a detriment when it comes to teaching children, especially very young children. Many kindergartens employ non-native English speakers. While it is normal that as a non-native English teacher your salary might not be as high as your native speaking counterparts, beware, for many unscrupulous schools will take advantage of non-native speakers, particularly teachers from African nations and the Philippines, by offering insultingly low pay and near exploitative conditions. If you are employed as a foreign teacher, no matter the color of your passport (or your skin), you should be making a fair wage that is, if not equal, at least comparable to what your native speaking colleagues are making.

Translation
As a non-native English speaker your best asset may in fact be your ability on your own native language. While translators between Chinese and English are fairly easy to come by, it is not so easy to find translators that are competent in three languages. One Vietnamese woman in Kunming honed both her Chinese and English skills and set herself up as a successful freelance translator. A Danish man set up a translation company in Shanghai and employs a team of translators from around the world specializing in many different languages. Speaking a language that is not commonly studied in China but not necessarily obscure either, such as Arabic or Italian, along with having above average Chinese skills can be a big advantage in the translation industry.

Consultancy
Many people of all nationalities have profited from China’s increasing economic prowess and have set themselves up as consultants, serving as much-needed go-betweens for foreign companies looking to expand into China. Do you have what it takes to be a consultant? Having some connections in your home-country can be a start. One group of Italian friends set up a consultancy business after an initial success with family business connections in the marble industry. Their company went on to work with the Italian embassy and escorted Italian clients around Guangzhou during the annual Guangzhou trade fair. While setting oneself up as a consultant is easier said than done, those individuals with the right mix of skills, personality and connections could find consultancy to be a very lucrative endeavor.

Childcare
While not as high-flying as translation or consultancy, there is a market in China for English speaking nannies. Since most native English speakers can make more money teaching English than they can looking after people’s children, this job usually falls to Filipina women. In Beijing the starting rate for Filipina nannies (ayis) is about 50RMB per hour at minimum, and often includes benefits such as room and board. While it doesn’t sound like much, this is about twice what local nannies make. While an English teaching position may require experience and educational qualifications, nanny positions only require experience, and for those non-native speakers whose English language or Chinese skills are not up to par, nannying for wealthy expats in Beijing or Shanghai could be a good second choice career.

Superstardom
Well, maybe superstardom is an exaggeration, but if you have a talent, consider exploiting it in China. Many foreigners, regardless of nationality, in Chinese cities from Kunming to Chengdu to Beijing to Guangzhou have set themselves up as DJs, honing their skills as they go along. Foreign-looking women can book gigs as dancers even without much dance experience and foreign men can pass themselves off as rappers as long as they look the part. Fire-dancers, drummers, singers, strippers, saxophonists, and even Beijing opera and xiang sheng performers have been able to make good livings for themselves by plying their talents to the Chinese public. If you actually are talented then all the better, but for many, the ability to fake it really well has proved good enough! There are some opportunities too that are available to anyone with the right look, no need for talent – films and TV shows often look for foreign extras, and advertising agencies are often seeking foreign models. If you have foreign or half-Chinese children who love preening for the camera, you could consider child modeling, as foreign child models are always in high demand.

China is one of those places where you can truly make your own destiny, and no matter whether you’re from the UK or Ghana, you should be able to find your niche in China. While finding a good job or a stable income may be more difficult for non-native speakers who do not necessarily have the cushion of English teaching available to fall back upon, there are plenty of other opportunities that can be even better.