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There is a high demand in China for people with particular types of industry-specific skills and experience. The areas of high demand currently include agriculture, construction, engineering, hotels, IT, shipbuilding, oil, mining and textiles. There is also a need across the economy for people with good management, leadership, training, sales and marketing skills. There is always a high demand for English teachers, although the pay is usually low. There are now also opportunities for teachers of other subjects such as business and marketing.

With the shift away from state-owned enterprises, private industries are expanding rapidly and there may be jobs available for expatriates in small and medium-sized companies. For most jobs it will be necessary to speak Mandarin.

The most effective way of getting a job in China is often through personal contacts. However, there are an increasing number of Chinese on-line jobsites, as well as executive search firms. There are also job advertisements in the China Daily, the country's national English-language newspaper. Some people go to China to teach English initially, and then apply for other jobs once they are there.

It is not necessary to have an ESL or TESL qualification to teach English in China, but most English schools require native speakers of the language. Many teachers are recruited via organizations in the west that provide basic training, secure employment and support once their recruits are working in China. They charge a fee to the recruit for these services, often in the region of US$4,000 including air fare. An alternative option is to apply directly to English language schools in China, many of whom advertise on the internet.

To apply for a job in China, you will need to submit your resume (ideally in both Chinese and English), copies of diplomas and certificates, and often a residence ID if available.

Expatriate working hours in China are often very long. A recent survey of American expatriates reported an average work week of sixty hours. Business negotiations often take much longer than in the west, and meetings are conducted in a very formal way. The official working week is 40 hours, with a compulsory 24-hour rest period each week. There are seven paid public holidays, and Chinese employees are eligible for 7 to 14 days of vacation each year.

Added March 2007 by Olive:
I am currently an ESL Teacher at a Language Center in China.
I believe that finding jobs and maintaining them in China is getting worse by the day.
The so called 'Agents' take great advantage of the fact that the would-be teachers do not know exactly what the schools have on offer and therefore, most expat teachers are losing their benefits to these Agents.

What they tell you is that the school is unable to pay up all your demands such as airtickets, travel allowances etc and all this then goes into their pocket ....

Be careful what your contract is with the school and I believe the most important step would be to take up a job directly with the specific schools...eliminate the Agents!!

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