One of the main obstacles to being granted an employment visa in China is that two years of prior and relevant work experience is normally expected. However, there are still ways to get around this. A common question among hopeful job candidates is,
“Can I still get a job in China if I don’t have two years of work experience?”
The answer to this is a definite yes!
Firstly, a long-established exception to
the rule is for the English-teaching profession. English teachers are in high
demand, so visa requirements are not as strict. One need only obtain an
accredited English teaching certificate (TEFL, TESOL, CELTA or better) and have
a bachelor degree in any subject, and then it is possible to begin searching
for English teaching jobs in China. Anyone can get into it, from the day they obtain
their bachelor degree. But what about other professions and industries?
In January 2017, the Chinese government introduced new laws making it easier for particular people to find professional work in other Chinese industries. Here is the official government line:
“Under the new regulations announced on January 6, 2017 by the Ministries of Human Resources and Social Security, Foreign Affairs, and Education, foreign graduates with a master’s degree or above from a university in China are immediately eligible to apply for work visas within one year of graduation.”
This means that anyone who has newly graduated from a master’s degree program at Chinese university is eligible to begin looking for work in the Chinese job market. Furthermore, this privilege extends to anyone who has graduated from a master’s program at any of the latest Top 100 universities in the world.
To be clear, that is anyone with a master’s degree from:
1. Any Chinese university
2. Any Top 100 global university
Anyone who meets the criteria can apply
directly for jobs in China, however there are two caveats:
1. Applicants must apply for jobs within one year after graduation
2. Jobs must be relevant to their field of study
For example, if somebody graduates with
their eligible master’s degree in January 2019, they have until January 2020 to
find suitable work. Also, the work must be relevant to their degree program
(their area of expertise), so for example an Electronic Engineering graduate
will be eligible to work in the tech sector, but cannot easily look for jobs in
Finance, Tourism or Logistics.
A Success Story
Francisco approached eChinaCareers hoping
to find work after graduating from a master’s degree in Computer Science from
UeSTC, the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. Upon
graduation, he was eligible to find work in the technology and software sector.
eChinaCareers assisted him with his work visa application, helping him to
successfully gain employment with a tech firm in the region, working on the
latest IT and software projects.
So yes, it’s definitely possible to find
work in China, even without two years of work experience. As long as you meet the criteria outlined in this
article, you too can start looking for work in China today!
