What jobs are typically suited for an english major?

Jobs in China for non-Mandarin English speakers?

• I am considering moving to China for the next 1-2 years (my girlfriend has a job in Beijing). I am looking for a few pieces of information: 1. What should I be wary about in regard to the many "teach english in china" opportunities? I know that there are very mixed opinions about such programs in Japan, particularly with racism, cronyism, and the quality of the students and training. 2. Are there jobs for non-Mandarin English speakers other than teaching English? I have backgrounds in IT, photography, filmmaking, and customer service. What avenues are there for finding such jobs? The various "jobs abroad" -type sites have been of limited usefulness.

• Answer:

  Dear Joshwa, Do not only consider going to China, do it. It is an amazing part of the world, changing very fast. I'm part of that change and feel very much excited by it, every day. Do not let any Japanese experiences deter you. Japan is quite a different place from China. Chinese tend to be proud of their country, are certainly nationalistic, but also very earger to learn - especially English. But underneat that layer of proudness, they are also rather unsure, more than the Japanese. Chinese see their country changing every day and nobody has a real clue what is going to happen tomorrow. Chinese tend to be rather self-oriented: they try to get the best out of it for themselves. But who can blame them for that. They are rather curious about the outside world. Prepare for many hours of questioning. Quality of the language training is an issue. Best thing is to go to Beijing (I'm living in SHanghai so have no first hand information on Beijing) and take a month to check it out. Many universities offer English language courses, offer free housing and a good surrounding to get familiar to China. Largest foreign language training provider is English First. You can check them out at http://www.englishfirst.org/ Upcoming force is also Wall Street (http://www.wallstreetinstitute.com/content.cfm?pg=about&BAPid=11#277) They employ more marketing people than teachers, but that might be an opportunity anyway. New oriental is large in training for tests like GMAT and TOEFL, but they only have a site in Chinese, unfortunately: http://www.neworiental.org/ You are not very specific about your qualification in other fields, but I would not worry too much. Go for a month (if that is possible and build up your network. A growing number of Chinese companies is looking for foreigners to help them to enter the global market. There is a great need for good photographers and in the IT, you might have to compete with many Chinese engineers, so it depends here really on your qualifications. Good luck and go for it. Cheers, Fons