Recruiting in China

By Perri Capell

Question: I'm a 50-plus marketing and training consultant, who will be going to China as a "trailing spouse" for six months this fall. While there, I need to work or acquire skills or knowledge that I can use on return. How I can I take advantage of this experience?

Answer: China is now a top expatriate destination, and 90% of companies surveyed globally expect to send as many or more expats there as they have recently, according to relocation-services company Cendant Mobility, a unit of Cendant Corp. of New York. That means that more professional spouses, such as you, may be seeking work.

This situation can be tough. World-wide, only 21% of trailing spouses and partners worked during a foreign assignment, even though 60% of them were employed before it, according to a survey conducted in 2004 by GMAC Global Relocation Services (GRS) of Woodridge, Ill.

The key to making the most of your stay is to get busy now. Start by taking Chinese language classes and cross-cultural training. Find out if your husband's employer offers training. Ask friends and networking acquaintances to recommend books about China or international aspects of your field, and research the Internet about your destination city, which you said separately is Nanjing.

"Develop a mini-curriculum similar to an independent-study program," says Lisa Johnson, director of consulting services for Cendant.

Gill Aldred, director of strategic services in London for GMAC GRS, believes your stay is too short for you to expect to secure full-time work. However, American corporate skills are scarce in China, and many Chinese employees accustomed to central controls lack U.S.-style initiative, says Ms. Aldred. Helping to train local employees in U.S. work styles may be an option for you, she says.

To find clients, tell all your current and past clients about your plans. Find out if any have subsidiaries in Nanjing and if you can provide training to their employees. Also use your network to gain referrals to managers of Nanjing-based companies. They may want to know how to market their products to the U.S.

If neither are possible, offer to research for U.S. companies how products and services are sold in China and how they might tap this market. "Let them know you're going, and ask what initiatives they have in place," says Ms. Johnson. "Ask if you can be a resource on the ground, doing research, training, or working with local trainers there."

You likely will need a special visa or license to work in China, says Stephen Hincks, China manager in Shanghai for Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP, a corporate immigration law firm based in New York. There are visa and work permit issues you need to research.

If you learn from the China Immigration Department and Labor Bureau that an "F" visa isn't right for you, you can enter China on a different type of visa and then file for a work permit and residence license, Mr. Hincks says.

If you can't find work, make the six months an information-gathering mission by learning as much as you can personally and professionally, says Beverly L. W. Sunn, president of Asia Pacific Properties, a corporate real-estate and relocation-services company based in Hong Kong. "Probably, the most realistic expectation is to return home ready to articulate new knowledge about the country," says Ms. Johnson.

Local expatriates have a lot to offer. Local expatriates have a lot to offer. Consider joining groups such as the American Chamber of Commerce and the American Women's Club. You also can network by joining local professional groups, such as Chinese marketing or training societies. Offer to speak about corporate marketing and training at one of these groups or perhaps to business students at local universities.

Find ways to interview corporate marketers or trainers in Nanjing or observe them at work. "Look for companies that provide training for local Chinese trying to move ahead in an international career, since they will mostly offer training in English," says Ms. Johnson.

Also consider teaching English or volunteering in hospitals or orphanages or for another cause. Take language, cooking, art or Chinese culture classes. Participate in activities that are part of the general culture, such as morning exercise sessions in a park, Ms. Sunn suggests.

Travel to China without preconceived notions, and be ready to change course if you find doors closed to you. Keep track of what you learn by writing a daily journal or letters to friends. Finally, don't let professional demands keep you from sightseeing and enjoying this adventure with your spouse.