Working in Beijing
Being among the emerging and largest cities in the world, Beijing offers a bigger opportunity for migrating expatriates.
The promise of a good fortune is beckoning to both white-collar workers and manual skilled laborers. Working in Beijing imbibes various opportunities as China's economy continue to soar.
Skilled professionals are in-demand, particularly from the fields of information technology and teaching professions, especially for English teachers. Middle management positions are also vastly recruiting for foreign owned manufacturing companies and commercial trading.
Business Etiquette in Beijing follows a conservative and traditional Chinese way in dealing with people at the workplace. The common greeting at the workplace and elsewhere is by bowing their heads, although some of the locals also practice the handshake in doing introduction among colleagues. However, wait for them to offer their hands first.
Communication in the workplace entails less use of hand gestures, as it is considered a distraction among Chinese. The Chinese are not fond of speaking with hand or body movements. When pointing is needed, use an open palm instead of using the index or pointer finger.
The average working hours in Beijing are from 8 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday. Lunchtime lasts about one to two hours.
Mandarin is the most widely used language in the city, but international companies based in Beijing, prefer to use English as the business language.
Living in Beijing is fairly costly; it ranks 16th in the recently concluded Mercer's 2010 World Cost of Living. The cost of living in Beijing may be higher than other key cities in Asia, but it's where career opportunities loom and where expats are mostly heading.
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