Living In China

The Chinese place great emphasis and value on the education of their children and as a result at least nine years of schooling has been compulsory in China since new education reforms were passed back in 1986.  The availability of schools and higher education institutes in China is good and education in China is currently free for all students even at university level.

However, the Chinese school system is so foreign to western children that the vast majority of expatriates living and working in China send their children to international schools in cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen or they send them overseas to boarding school.  This article looks in detail at the education system in China and the schooling options available to expatriate parents.

Gone are the days when the only expatriates to be found working in China were teaching English as a foreign language!  Since China joined the World Trade Organisation in 2001 not only has foreign investment been free flowing but so have the numbers of foreign workers entering China to live and work. 

For those interested in jobs in China some of the main recruitment sectors for expatriate staff are IT, engineering, teaching, manufacturing and scientific research and the Chinese are keen to attract university educated, professional and qualified European and North Americans into positions of management and expertise.

On many levels China appears to be a dichotomy; on the one hand it’s a communist state whose citizens generally consider themselves as belonging to a group rather than being individual thinkers, and on the other hand the country is quickly embracing capitalism and advancing economically. 

Therefore it’s little wonder that the fundamentally confusing picture that China presents results in expatriates living and working in China often suffering from severe culture shock upon first arrival!  This is an introduction to living and working in China to lessen the culture shock for anyone considering making the move.