Virtual Fair with British Council China

Even if you will not be in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing on the 7th of March, you could still attend the British Council China’s virtual fair to gain insight into the Chinese economy, job market and employment opportunities.

The British Council China is holding the Alumni UK Career Development Workshop and Job Recruitment Fair on 7th March 2010.
This annually-organised event has achieved remarkable success over the past few years, and has helped hundreds of UK alumni in China to re-position themselves in the highly competitive job market in China.

They will hold four workshops on the same day respectively in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing. In addition, they will also organise a virtual fair so as to benefit wider range of UK alumni.

The British Council China aims to provide services to Chinese students who want to study in the UK at various stages of their journey. With Alumni UK, a network of more than 15,000 members, the Council annually runs Career Development Workshop and Mini Recruitment Fair in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing. This year the event will particularly focus on the discussion of the job prospects of UK alumni in the promising and rising China economy as well as will provide valuable career development opportunities for UK graduates that returned to China.

Dozens of renowned international or domestic companies with hundreds of job
vacancies will be available for UK alumni.

UK alumni based in any city beyond these four cities will be able to communicate with employers and HR specialists via online chat about the job opportunities and career development issues.

RSVP required and students shall register for the event
via the Alumni UK official website
Interested alumni need to register , the official UK alumni network in China, before they sign up for this event.
Copies of degree certificates or student ID card are required for entry.
All detailed event information, including dates, venues, recruiting companies and job posts can be obtained from the above website once students are approved of Alumni UK Network member.

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Volunteer Opportunities for Shanghai Expo 2010

If you are a UCL student interested in a volunteering experience in China, working at the UK pavilion in the upcoming World Expo could be the opportunity you’ve been looking for.

2010 is the year of the World Expo taking place in Shanghai, China, from 1 May to 31 October. A World Expo is an opportunity for participating countries to showcase their achievements in areas such as culture, technology and industrial development, and the Shanghai Expo will be the biggest ever, with nearly 200 countries participating and over 70 million visitors.

The UK is one of the leading participant countries and has developed a stunning UK Pavilion, designed by British designer Thomas Heatherwick, to create a lasting impression with the hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Pavilion. The UK has also developed a range of activities for the Expo to enhance cultural, educational and business collaboration and exchange between China and the UK.

The UK Pavilion has now opened up opportunities for volunteers to work at the Pavilion, engaging with Chinese and international visitors. This is an excellent opportunity for all students with an interest in China and we would be grateful if you could pass on the relevant information to all of your students and encourage them to apply.

More information about the volunteer opportunities, along with application details, can be found on the UK’s official website for the Shanghai Expo:

where you can also learn more about the UK Pavilion and the UK’s programme of activity.

The initial deadline for applications is 31 January 2010, but applications will continue to be accepted until the end of February 2010 for people applying from overseas.

All applications and any queries about the volunteer opportunities should be addressed directly to the recruitment company, DTZ, at mailto:hr.pma.sh@dtz.sh.cn

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China Employability Workshop

The British Council’s – China office is organising an Employability Workshop which aims to help Chinese students currently in the UK to get a better comprehension of the employers’ needs and the job market in China, as well as to prepare you to enter/re-enter the job market after graduation and enhance your employability and competitiveness in the field.

HR executives from major employers will attend the workshop to
give an overview on the competitive job market in China, and talk about various aspects of recruitment from employers’ view as well as to share successful experiences of other alumni via case studies.

The London workshop will take place on Saturday 21st November from 3-5pm and will be held at Westminster City Hall. To attend please visit: http://www.educationuk.cn/alumniuk/uktour/index.html

 

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Graduate Recruitment in China

During March this year, I participated in a Labour Market Intelligence gathering trip organised by AGCAS and the British Council and I spent a week in Shanghai meeting government bodies and graduate recruiters in a bid to gain a better understanding of the job market in China.

Economic Situation

According to Mckinsey Quarterly since the end of the 1970s, the Chinese economy has transformed from a planned economy (where the government fixes prices and production) to a market-driven economy.  Economic experts believe that China’s economy will revitalise and achieve 8% GDP growth in 2009 (each % growth relates to 700-800,000 jobs) and will contribute the most to global economic growth (estimated to be 1%).  Interestingly China has not been plagued by the economic crises in the same way; the financial system for example is still heavily regulated.  However, China is victim of the ‘domino’ effect of the global economic crises with manufacturing being hardest hit.

According to the Shanghai Overseas Talent Support Centre, approximately 6.1 million new graduates are expected in 2009 and this figure excludes overseas educated students. Graduate unemployment remains high and is further hampered by a critical talent shortage with fewer than 10% of Chinese graduates being suitable for work in a foreign / multinational company.

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UK-China collaboration equals career opportunities for UK educated Chinese students

I was reading the Guardian at the weekend and spotted an article about Claire Robertson a former manager of a Woolworths store who recently came to an agreement with the building’s owner to open a new branch of the stationery chain, calling it “Wellworths”

The recession may seem like a poor choice of time to start up a new business with venture capital firms reluctant to fund companies; however, as some large chains head into administration, the market is open for small enterprises and overseas companies to gain a head start over the competition for when the UK economy enters a recovery.

Early this year, the UK government issued its first strategic paper on China which demonstrated Britain’s long-term strategic vision in developing relations with China. The paper highlighted shared interests and convergence of views on major global issues, such as the international financial crisis, climate change and sustainable development.  An example of potential UK-China business collaboration is the TechnologyWorld09 event organised by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI). The event due to take place from 23 to 24 November has resulted in over 20 Chinese companies registering, including a delegation of mobile/wireless technology companies.

This got me thinking about the potential career opportunities for UK educated Chinese Students. You not only have a unique first hand understanding of the UK and Chinese culture but also possess excellent language skills – which is a highly employable combination. However, the key to success is research: identify employers who may be interested in your skillset, who are considering business partnerships in the UK. Websites such as China Britain Business Council , UKTI and China British Chamber of Commerce not only carry the latest industry insights but can also help you create a professional network. It seems there is a silver lining to the recession…

By: Saiyada Smith, International Students Careers Adviser, UCL

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