We want the foreigners out of here

Who is out and who can stay.

If you have not came across the article on “Foreign interns flood China seeking back door entry level management inter position.” This blog may give you some hard facts I had encounter through my friends in this city.  According to the news article: the explosion of job seekers are following the advice of the BBC and Forbes Magazine and are headed East - to China to search for the opportunities.

The fact is, under the current European financial crisis and the slow job creation in the US, where would all the recent university graduates turn to get their foot in the door to some of the worlds largest corporation, plus a chance to experience life aboard and gain valuable international business exposure? It is an attractive win win opportunities for the bright minded grads.

In China, most foreign companies were grabbing up these flocks of educated and eager young western graduates knocking on their doors. Even more graduates from around the globe were being persuaded by recruiter’s online or at their school’s placement office to start their career aboard.

There are many reasons for foreign companies operating business in China wanted native speaking employees:

1. Most of these international companies doing business with foreign companies require minimum Chinese language skills, but fluent English speaking skills.

2. Most Chinese university graduates may have some English writing skill, but no communication skills on daily conversation, let alone language skills on the international business level.

3. From my observation, most of these young foreigners came to work in China also took it on their own to learn the language of their host countries. As a result 90% of them can speak enough Chinese within the first year of their stays to communicate with the locals.

4. Young foreigners are more likely eager to learn new skill on their own and became proficient in a short period of time, while their Chinese counter part on the other hand usually consider learning new skill as an extra burden to their life. My team told me once, when they were ask to learn new program, they told me that: “Boss you are giving us too much pressure.” I am ruining their life. If that is the reward I got from teaching a team of young graduates new skill, how disappointing that was. Will you do it?

Therefore if you were the manager of an international company in charge of hiring entry-level staffs, which way would you choose to hire? Local or foreign?

Many of the Chinese university students were angry at these foreign companies chooses to import foreign students for their internship program rather than hire them. They also realize these internships are important because it can help them get their foot into the door of some of the world’s biggest and the best companies in turn the first step leading to a long term employment and they wanted it.

The other fact that lead to the conflict is the current generation of young people; (of course there were exceptions); are the products of China’s one child police. These young people grew up knowing getting what they desired is simple by making demands to their parents and it will hand down to them, no need to work too hard for it; when they apply their same attitude to their career, instead of facing the fact their skill does not met the minimum requirement for the entry level position with mo0st of these international companies, they accuse these companies being discriminatory on their hiring practice giving preferential treatment to foreign students and they are at the disadvantages. Instead they were pressuring their government step in to stop the invasion of foreigners coming to China stealing their very best management jobs. These are no exaggeration these are known facts.

In the past 2 years I saw an increasing young foreign faces on the metro and on the neighborhood streets going to work in the morning, but the day of easy access of China internship programs for foreigners I am afraid are numbered. Under public pressure for job creations and open more opportunities for domestic university graduates, as for July 1^st 2013, China changed the entry Visa law. The law became very restrictive.  

The new visa restrictions make it difficult for foreign university graduates to remain here for internship or come to work here in China, after their academic year is finished, because the law stated that if the internship is a paid position, foreign students will be given a one month visa, If the position is a non paid position, then the maximum stay for employment is three months. If you want to enter China as an individual, you will need a letter of invitation by another individual who is legally live in China, without that, your Visa will not be granted unless you come here with a tour group.

At the same time many of the managerial positions currently held by expats were considered by the government as non-technical position, therefore they will not issue renewal to their visas. That resulted in many companies loosing vital leaderships for their operations.

The slowing of the economy also forces some companies to reduce their operation cost and yet try to maintain the efficiency of their work force, these companies often try to offer their foreign employee a local contract if they wish to stay, which most expats found unacceptable, and choose to return home. 10 of my friends already announced that they are leaving on this month and every day we heard that some one would be leaving soon.

China’s action trying to slow the foreign work force invasions, and hope this reaction will create more work for the Chinese work force is in full swing this summer. The good old ways will soon be a footnote in most of our expat’s life here in China. There may be a little time left on the clock, the Chinese government did not order all foreigners must go to the airport immediately, like what happened in the past. Rather it is a rapid action with the goal to replace management positions with domestic workers as quickly as possible.

The only expat communities are increasing in numbers are the foreign language schools, and the demand of native English speaking teachers. They are in demand at the highest level, and yet the pay is worst than minimum pay back home. Most teachers leave within one or two seasons. If you want to try this, you should apply for teaching position, let it be warn, you will be working a lot for about two thousand dollars a month.

On the flip side if United Sates is in the same position, I am sure similar action would be impose to protect it’s own job market, (similar situation like we were trying to stop the invasion of migrant workers into the southern states, those position were not even valued by most Americans, and yet there were out cry to stop them from coming.) The different is we have a highly educated work force to fill any voids in the market, and China does not.

Just like many examples in Chinese history, this seems like another calculated desperate act to maintain stability in the Nation. China can use their power to force foreign companies to hire all domestic work force, however if these work force are not qualify, that will only slow down productivities and proficiency. Did China think about that? What do you think?

I had encountered many business leaders and product managers across all sectors of industries. The story I gathered from each individual is almost identical. Everyone is frustrated because they felt that their Chinese workers are not the highest quality, they did not take pride on their work or the product they produces, they can’t drop the communist mentality like “Job is just a job, if it failed no need to stress over it”. Compare to the west, workers strive for the best and constantly try to improve themselves.

Chinese workers will never loose sleep over loosing their foreign bosses, (for them good old days are back), business as usual, not to worries; by law their government will protect their employment. No one will ever get ride of them; their thinking is “Want to fire me? Show me the proof I am not productive”. Is this what China really wants for their future work force? Or they are into a rude awakening?

The opinion expressed is base on my personal encountered in the city. Does not reflect any political view or trying to project negative image on policy of China

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