Ｅａｓｔｅｒｎ?。校颍铮恚椋螅?/h1>
2008-04-21 03:23:26ＬＡＮＣＥＭＡＵＧＨＡＮ
CHINA TODAY 2008年1期
ＬＡＮＣＥ?。停粒眨牵龋粒?/p>
PERSONAL trainer to rock band Pearl Jam, Seattle-born Brian Bucsit took a severe pay cut to come to Beijing in 2004 with his wife and son. “China was never really in my sights until my wife decided to study Sinology.”
Bucsits wife Katja Sassi submitted a Masters thesislast year to Frankfurt University, looking at the lives of Beijings “halfpats”: foreigners who come to China to develop their careers. Hitherto most of Chinas foreign community was lured by expatriate pay packages. Halfpats however, typically arrive early in their career, and settle for pay and apartments that look more like those of local Chinese people.
Most halfpats are primarily drawn to China by an interest in the local culture, says Sassi. And even though pay is less than for those on expatriate packages, China offers halfpats “access to jobs and a lifestyle they could never expect back home.”
Halfpat pay packages are typically worth 50 percent of the expatriate treatment, says Sherry Xiao, partner at the Shanghai offices of the JLJ Group, an HR consultancy. Medical or accident insurance may be thrown in, but the luxuries of a traditional expatriate deal, like spousal living and education allowances, are excluded.
A halfpat living the Chinese dream, Belgian actress/model Shannti Dinnoo, reckons pay and conditions are better for actors in Europe. “But the market there isnt exploding like it is in Asia. China means more work, more challenges, more excitement,” says Dinnoo, who was cast in a TV commercial within a month of arriving in Beijing in September 2003.
When James Nicholson came to China eight years ago as a local hire to further a career in corporate communications, he got expatriate-style benefits like an annual return flight home and an accommodation allowance. “Today its more about what you can squeeze out of the company,” says the UK native. Housing however has become more affordable, says Nicholson, since Beijing lifted restrictions on where foreigners can live in the city.
Chinese-speaking halfpats, who come without the expense of family relocation and education allowances, are attractive for cost-conscious employers “because their commitment is firstly to China,” says Sassi. “They usually earn less but speak better Chinese than expatriates.” These discrepancies often frustrate halfpats. “They have the insider knowledge but usually still get paid less than what they see as a culturally blind expat.”
Halfpat salaries, however, make settling long-term in China a difficult proposition. Paying off a mortgage on a RMB 900,000 two-bedroom apartment beyond Beijings fifth ring road takes a third of a RMB 10,000 monthly salary, says Patricia Cadena, a Beijing resident for five years and a presenter on CCTVs Spanish channel. Balancing a mortgage with other bills can be tricky. “You pay US $1,000 to go home once a year and you have to pay your own insurance scheme.”
Irish woman Maria Gilsenan concurs, saying comforts like restaurants and beauticians are affordable in China but buying a home on halfpat pay is difficult. Gilsenan moved to Shanghai in 2004 to work as a marketing executive at a real estate management company. “Im not where I want to be in terms of financial security... Friends outside China are doing better financially, they have cars and mortgages.” Yet she believes the professional learning curve makes the move worthwhile. “Im doing so much more professionally than friends at home or elsewhere in the world. I wanted to differentiate myself when I go back home.” Like Gilsenan, many career-oriented halfpats are here for a China experience, but not for the long term.
Chanell Daniels, Publications Coordinator at the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, will return to the UK next year after less than 12 months here. “I fear that if I stay in China for much longer my career will always be associated with this country… I have heard of people having problems finding jobs that have a domestic focus in their country of origin, or that are international without a China focus.”
For those in for the long haul, language ability provides an edge in an increasingly crowded halfpat job market. Theres plenty of chances for go-getting halfpats, says Serbian Ivana Vuckovic, whos spent 10 years building a public relations career in Beijing. She estimates more than 80 percent of foreign PR executives in the city are on halfpat packages. “You dont get the car and the house but your worth will be reflected in holidays, pay and status.”
Like most halfpats, life in Beijing has been a mixed bag for Brian Bucsit, since Chinas fitness industry remains unsophisticated compared to the U.S. But the move was good for family life and has enhanced their life experience. “My wife was able to follow her course and my son has had a rich first three years of life...”
ＬＡＮＣＥ?。停粒眨牵龋粒?/p>
PERSONAL trainer to rock band Pearl Jam, Seattle-born Brian Bucsit took a severe pay cut to come to Beijing in 2004 with his wife and son. “China was never really in my sights until my wife decided to study Sinology.”
Bucsits wife Katja Sassi submitted a Masters thesislast year to Frankfurt University, looking at the lives of Beijings “halfpats”: foreigners who come to China to develop their careers. Hitherto most of Chinas foreign community was lured by expatriate pay packages. Halfpats however, typically arrive early in their career, and settle for pay and apartments that look more like those of local Chinese people.
Most halfpats are primarily drawn to China by an interest in the local culture, says Sassi. And even though pay is less than for those on expatriate packages, China offers halfpats “access to jobs and a lifestyle they could never expect back home.”
Halfpat pay packages are typically worth 50 percent of the expatriate treatment, says Sherry Xiao, partner at the Shanghai offices of the JLJ Group, an HR consultancy. Medical or accident insurance may be thrown in, but the luxuries of a traditional expatriate deal, like spousal living and education allowances, are excluded.
A halfpat living the Chinese dream, Belgian actress/model Shannti Dinnoo, reckons pay and conditions are better for actors in Europe. “But the market there isnt exploding like it is in Asia. China means more work, more challenges, more excitement,” says Dinnoo, who was cast in a TV commercial within a month of arriving in Beijing in September 2003.
When James Nicholson came to China eight years ago as a local hire to further a career in corporate communications, he got expatriate-style benefits like an annual return flight home and an accommodation allowance. “Today its more about what you can squeeze out of the company,” says the UK native. Housing however has become more affordable, says Nicholson, since Beijing lifted restrictions on where foreigners can live in the city.
Chinese-speaking halfpats, who come without the expense of family relocation and education allowances, are attractive for cost-conscious employers “because their commitment is firstly to China,” says Sassi. “They usually earn less but speak better Chinese than expatriates.” These discrepancies often frustrate halfpats. “They have the insider knowledge but usually still get paid less than what they see as a culturally blind expat.”
Halfpat salaries, however, make settling long-term in China a difficult proposition. Paying off a mortgage on a RMB 900,000 two-bedroom apartment beyond Beijings fifth ring road takes a third of a RMB 10,000 monthly salary, says Patricia Cadena, a Beijing resident for five years and a presenter on CCTVs Spanish channel. Balancing a mortgage with other bills can be tricky. “You pay US $1,000 to go home once a year and you have to pay your own insurance scheme.”
Irish woman Maria Gilsenan concurs, saying comforts like restaurants and beauticians are affordable in China but buying a home on halfpat pay is difficult. Gilsenan moved to Shanghai in 2004 to work as a marketing executive at a real estate management company. “Im not where I want to be in terms of financial security... Friends outside China are doing better financially, they have cars and mortgages.” Yet she believes the professional learning curve makes the move worthwhile. “Im doing so much more professionally than friends at home or elsewhere in the world. I wanted to differentiate myself when I go back home.” Like Gilsenan, many career-oriented halfpats are here for a China experience, but not for the long term.
Chanell Daniels, Publications Coordinator at the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, will return to the UK next year after less than 12 months here. “I fear that if I stay in China for much longer my career will always be associated with this country… I have heard of people having problems finding jobs that have a domestic focus in their country of origin, or that are international without a China focus.”
For those in for the long haul, language ability provides an edge in an increasingly crowded halfpat job market. Theres plenty of chances for go-getting halfpats, says Serbian Ivana Vuckovic, whos spent 10 years building a public relations career in Beijing. She estimates more than 80 percent of foreign PR executives in the city are on halfpat packages. “You dont get the car and the house but your worth will be reflected in holidays, pay and status.”
Like most halfpats, life in Beijing has been a mixed bag for Brian Bucsit, since Chinas fitness industry remains unsophisticated compared to the U.S. But the move was good for family life and has enhanced their life experience. “My wife was able to follow her course and my son has had a rich first three years of life...”
