Hey guys. By chance, is there anyone who surfs Lowyat forum who work in China, specifically Guangzhou?
Looking to hang out with fellow Malaysians if there's anyone here.

Just to share a couple of pics I took in Guangzhou

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

Just to list a few benefits and drawbacks - Bear in mind that this is entirely based upon my own opinion.

LIKES
@Work
- My job requires me to travel alot and I am extremely grateful for that.

@Life
- Near to Hong Kong and Macao. You can travel there on the weekends for a break (2-4 hour ride)
- Plenty of parks around. If you're into nature and like strolling in the parks this is for you.
- Super impressive transportation system. You will never get lost in GZ as long as you can locate your nearest bus/train station.
- Online shopping is FUN! Buy anything/everything you need/want on Taobao!
- Chicks.

DISLIKES
@Work
- A little Chinaman style some of the time. So far still bearable.
- Below expectation salary (if you're not in an MNC)

@Life
- Overcrowded/populated country means ques for buses, food, toilet is LOOOOOONNNGGGGGG.
- Some people here are rude even when you talk to them nicely. People push and shove their way up buses and trains even when it arrives empty. It's a hustle to be the first on board the bus!
- Food still can't compare to Malaysia. Go Nasi Lemak!

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Work-related Questions
Disclaimer: I only live in Guangzhou and can't speak the same for other cities in China.

1. If you're looking for a job, the first thing you'll need is a visa. If you're transferring in from a local company/MNC, the company will apply for and get the working visa ready for you. If you plan to hunt for a job on your own, try to get a business visa as working on a tourist visa is a huge NO-NO.

2. You can try searching for jobs on the following apps: 51 Job, 58 Tong Cheng, Zhilian Zhaopin (quick and easy). The best way however is to apply from a company's website itself. Note that if you apply for jobs on the abovementioned apps, it would help if you have a Chinese number as they don't usually call foreigners.

3. OK let's say you're feeling adventurous, have got your visa, and wanna start hunting. How much would you need to survive per month? Let me break it down to you. I used to survive on RMB3000 per month. Of course, you can definitely live better if you can burn RMB4000 per month.
(a) Rent + Utility = RMB1200
(b) Phone = RMB150
© Transport = RMB100
(d) Food = RMB50/day

4. For salary ranges, I can only speak for non-MNCs. Starting for fresh grad is about RMB3K (admin/HR/accounting). Add RMB1k per year of experience. Maybe more. This is just a ROUGH estimate. Different companies will have different rates.

All in all, it's not that easy to get into China if you're doing it on your own. The best way would be if your company allows for a transfer. And that is also IF and only IF your company has a subsidiary in China. However, if you're willing to take the risk, I must say the experience is really out of this world and would be no less of an eye opener for the risk taker be it good or bad.


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My take after all these years:

China is a beautiful place. Yes, there are still many who spit on streets, talk rudely, pee in bushes, etc. However, these people do not speak for the majority of the country. China is expanding and getting more advanced day by day. The people who still have these habits are usually the older generation who come from the "kampungs".

If you put these aside and just take in what the country has to offer, you'll find that it is a place filled with vibrant cultures, beautiful parks, megacities, 4 seasons (who doesn't like winter?!), nice people, great food and more! There are so many places for you to visit from within the country itself. This may sound cliche but the world is huge and you only live once. Go out. See more. Do more. I'm not saying you can't do the same in MY. I miss MY, love MY and will return to MY. But for now, I'm still gonna stick here for a bit to find out more about this intriguing place I call my second home!



This post has been edited by evilbun: Jul 15 2016, 12:00 AM

You are in Guangzhou currently? Under what field?

EDIT: I am not in Guangzhou, just wanna ask.

This post has been edited by Belphegor: Mar 7 2016, 10:53 PM

Yeah I've been here for almost 3 years now. I barely see any Malaysians around (but I know there are definitely Malaysians here).

I'm now in a gaming hardware company. Let me know if you're interested to find out more on the job/lifestyle/culture here. Won't mind sharing for sure

planning to go china, how does the things work there? mind to share?

Yeah, I also want to know how's it like working in China.
Often hear people say not so nice things about China, hope to hear from another perspective

Hi, how do secure a job at guangzhou with 1 year working experience in malaysia. is it hard for malaysian to secure an IT job over there ? appreciate your feedbacks

I onsite there for 1 year before....
I felt ppl too serious...no humor sense....haha

You'll need a working visa or if you know a company there who is willing to work you on a business visa, you can do it too
Let me know what exactly would you like to know about working here.

IT job I think easy. But your IT level have to be quite high. Cuz the people here are very tech savvy.

In terms of salary wise:

I have a friend here working as UI design. She's getting RMB6k/month.
Fresh grads who go into banking/accounting/admin may start off with RMB2.5k/month.
I personally am in event management and am at RMB5k/month. (1 year exp)
My brother is in HSBC. 2 years exp. RMB10k/month.

Don't expect salaries here to be very high. Unless of course, you work with MNCs, then it's a different story.

Work wise, it really depends.

Life wise, pretty fun. Cuz from Guangzhou, you can visit many surrounding places.
I visit Hong Kong and Macau on alternative months.
During the weekends, I go up the Baiyun Mountain and bicycling at Dafu Mountain.
If I have longer holidays, I go to other provinces like Chongqing and Hangzhou just to see what its like there.
Shopping? Everything can be bought on Taobao at a fraction of the price sold in Malaysia. Everyday you get parcels which is super exciting.
Food? Macam macam ada. If you miss Malaysian food, there are many Malaysian restaurants opened by Malaysians.
Not to mention, there's 4 seasons here. So you get to experience winter too. Winter is not very cold so that's also a good thing.
Very interesting lifestyle. Been here for so long and the main reason why I am not going back is cuz I like visiting.

OH and just FYI, no point hiding my salary and how I spend it.
So it goes like this:

(RMB)
Salary = 5,000

Rent + Electric + Utlity + Internet = 900
Transport Card = 100
Call and Data Plan (1GB) = 30
Food = 60/day = 1,800
Toiletries = 100
Hair cut = 30
Shopping = 500

Total = 3,460

Balance (Saving) = 1,540 which is approx. MYR970

Of course, this is just based on my 5K salary. Thing is, with 5K RMB salary, I am able to save RM970 a month. You can definitely stretch that based on your lifestyle. Some of my friends who earn RM4K don't even save RM500 per month.

As far as I know, minimum requirements to work in china is to have at least 2 years experience in specify field, mind to share how you secure a job with 1 year working experience ? Already booked my ticket to Guangzhou for job hunting next month.

Double posted

This post has been edited by hifi: Mar 21 2016, 09:15 PM

Nice!

Wow its really cheap in Guangzhou. I am in Shanghai now, and rent alone costs me 4500. And 4500 is considered "cheap" unless you share with other people. Single room apartments in the city center are 7k and above

Shanghai is really way more expensive bro.
For me I'm living in a so-so area.
If I wanna stay in a more acceptable area, the best would be to rent an apartment with 3 rooms.
An apartment with 3 rooms in the heart of Guangzhou's city @ Zhujiang New Town can go for about 5000 RMB/month. If split it by 3, it will be more reasonable. Too bad I don't have good friends who all happen to wanna look for a new place

Honestly speaking, I went there straight after graduation to help out at a friend's place. So I can't really say what the minimum requirement is to work in Guangzhou is.
But for what its worth, it doesn't matter what skills/background you come in with. Just being able to understand English is already a major plus. So if you're in a specific field, and understand both Chinese and English, chances for you being accepted is pretty high.
Give me a call if you're in town next month. I can help show you around if you want

For MNCs in Shanghai, last i heard starting pays for their graduate programs pay between 10-15K. 5 years experience you can get between 25-35k

Not wanting to sound stupid but is it a must to read and write in Chinese if one were to work over there?

I can speak Mandarin fairly well but absolute zero when it comes to reading and writing.

gaming hardware company?
thats interesting.. which company exactly if you dont mind me asking..

Is halal food easy to get in China?

depends on where you go i guess, i dont recall seeing halal food/shop in SZ area, as i frequent there for work.

Depends on company and what role you are in. If you deal with locals you will need to know how to write and read in chinese. I can read and write Chinese but my job does not require it as I deal with internal staff, not external clients

That's mean Hard..
Food is the main problem living abroad

This is really interesting! Thanks for sharing!
How about your peers in China? Is there a culture gap? how were you perceived by your colleagues when you first work in China? Are they friendly or are they very demanding?

Over here there are alot of Lanzhou Noodle shops who are Halal. But then again, you can't be eating noodles everyday.

Being a Malaysian Chinese, people didn't see me as a foreigner as they think you're from China. If you're a westerner then it's a different story altogether.
When I was there, I had English as an upper hand so people still think I am at least good at something.
The people here are friendly. Those stories where you hear China man shouting and all are those uncles and aunties from the 80s who came from small towns.
The next gen people, or people around my age (i'm 26) are pretty normal just like you and me
Hope that answers your questions.

I came in to Guangzhou with only primary school level Chinese. It took me awhile to understand and speak Chinese like the locals.
Now, when I go back to Malaysia and speak Chinese, people think I'm from China. lol.

Back to the question, it sure helps if you can read and write in Chinese as it'll help you a lot not just at work, but in daily life in general as well.

Haha let's just say I'm in a company heavily invested in virtual reality

VR gaming hardware? Sounds like dream job...

I will be going to work in China, Shandong district. Was a lot of worries came into my mind (culture, environment, work place, colleagues). Hope can have a great life here.

How long will you be here for? If it's just a couple of months then no need to worry too much.
If it's long term, no need to worry also cuz you'll eventually get used to the lifestyle.
Think positive

It is fun cuz we get to go to a lot of shows. Shows that you only read on magazines like CES, GDC, E3, etc.
Plus we travel the world very often.
Downside? Salary still only 5K lol.

I made a trip a weekend to Guangzhou, the choices of food n fresh food r widely available...and they also have harajuku Street very similar like Taiwan..all in all one of the place I would work there..on the other hand at shandong, their Chinese accent is thicker...have to ask them speak slowly..or sometimes sign language..

Will be staying for 2 years. Just hope wont have a bored life there.

I don't think you will be bored. Boredom should be the least of your worries! Haha.
Never once in my life had I felt bored in China.

Where would you suggest to look for, for job postings from MNC companies? I am interested to work in China.

I worked in Weihai and Rongcheng in Shandong province for 7 months during my shipbuilding days. Not too bad. Halal food are easy to find cause got a few chinese muslim restaurants. Sometimes i cook also. Town is clean but the air is heavy and polluted. But chinese KTV joints are excellent

Weekend can go visit historical places or spend the afternoon on the seaside or visit neighbouring towns.

This post has been edited by kamilnu: Apr 3 2016, 10:45 PM

Honestly speaking, I still am trying to answer that question myself.
I would expect searching at job postings from MNC companies that have a huge presence here in China - HSBC, Standard Chartered, Huawei, etc.

In my case, I just got myself a visa, a ticket to Guangzhou, and the rest is history.
I went on Zhilian Zhaopin and applied for every single dam job on the classified and waited for calls to come in.
Thankfully, I'm now in a super awesome company and am enjoying life here in China.

This post has been edited by evilbun: Apr 3 2016, 10:47 PM

How good does one's technical skill have to be? Really really good? Or average skill but can speak fluent English is considered good enough already?

Do anyone know any agency to help apply business visa ?

Business visa is easy. You can apply it yourself
http://www.visarite.com/china_business_visa.htm

I'm having an interview with a china company (I think from Hong Kong, but if get the job will stationed in mainland) soon, it is a company partnered with my university that offer a 36 month apprentice program.

The company is one of the largest garment manufacturer for big companies. I'm planning to venture out of Malaysia and have been searching for jobs in SG for few months yet there's no suitable one yet, now thinking if China is a good place for me to go or not.

Initially I'm planning to work few years SG then move over to Aussie as PR if possible, now I'm thinking China as my alternative for SG if I managed to score the interview and get a job offer from them. How's the life quality in China? As in comparison for pros and cons to life in Malaysia vs SG vs other countries from experienced peoples.

Which part of China are you gonna be stationed at?
I'm in Guangzhou and can't speak the same for other cities

Not sure yet, but i think their main factory will be in Guangzhou as well, meanwhile HQ stationed in HK. How's life there? Similar to KL? I heard the living cost there is quite low and can easily save quite some money

Not sure about Guangzhou, but Shanghai is on par, if not more expensive than Singapore. If you are posted to Shanghai, please make sure you are adequately compensated. Also the tax rate here is higher than Malaysia

will non chinese ppl able to adapt and work in China ... just our of curiosity... there seems to be a lot of oppurtunity in the manufacturing sector...

There are tons of expats in shanghai. The last tally was amount 2 million of non Chinese nationals here. Malaysians in shanghai is easily above 10 thousand

Bro, please share a bit more of your life in China and the super awesome company. Thanks.

Bro, please share a bit more of your life in China and the super awesome company. Thanks.

Just an update, went for the interview and found that the factory is located in both Dongguan and Zhongshan instead of Guangzhou as I thought, any info about these working places?

The offered salary is around 20k HKD with free accommodations & food at all time. 2 round trip back to Malaysia per year. This offer seemed really good from my point of view especially for a freshie (their target) while I'm with some working experience. The only problem now is the lifestyle there that I don't really have much info about.

This post has been edited by LovelyPotato: Apr 7 2016, 05:33 PM

Dongguan

lol, red light city/district?

If you're gonna be based in Guangzhou roger me! Haha.
Life in Guangzhou in terms of living costs is similar to Malaysia.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before but for comparison, take a McDonald's lunch set for instance:
Spicy Chicken McDeluxe is RMB22 which is about RM11.
500ml Bottled Water is RMB2 which is about RM1.
Rent for single room depending on location but I would say RMB2000 would bag you a nice single room apartment with good environment.
Transport wise, 1000x better than Malaysia. You have buses and trains that connect you throughout the ENTIRE city. People tend to say that you'll never ever get lost in Guangzhou as long as you can locate the nearest bus/train station. Rides are cheap as hell too. Buses are RMB2 whilst trains can go up to RMB10 if you take it to the airport.

This post has been edited by evilbun: Apr 7 2016, 07:48 PM

Oops. Just saw this.
Costs should be the same in terms of food (see previous post).
Rent may be more expensive in Dongguan and less expensive in Zhongshan.
I've never been to Dongguan. As for Zhongshan, it's a nice little city that isn't as hectic as Guangzhou.
20K HKD is pretty good IMO. I'm only on 5K RMB lol

lol i think as far as the company goes, the great thing is we attend many tech shows globally so you get to travel alot. I'm currently in London and will be back in GZ at the end of this month.

As for life in China, maybe I should post some pictures soon

Haha yeah, the salary is so tempting and free accommodation & food for the entire contract period. Problem now is it takes another 1-2 months to process to know if i'm passed for 2nd phase. During this period if I get any offer in SG I will stuck in between 2 ship lol.

After did some research China actually seemed like a good place to venture for my career path.

In my opinion, another advantage that working in China offers aside from working experience and career path is the chance to live and experience an entirely different environment and culture.

In the beginning, when I just arrived in China, I hated the country. I had the impression that people spit everywhere, skies are always foggy, counterfeit items will be sold to you at all times, the typical thoughts one may have for China. But since living here for 3 years now, it really changed my perspective of the country. I'm not saying that doesn't happen anymore, it's just not as rampant as we read in the news. Plus there are great sides to this country as well.
For instances, the country has great parks, plenty of tourists attractions (if you're into nature and that kinda thing), nice people, etc.

This post has been edited by evilbun: Apr 7 2016, 08:28 PM

How are the working culture over there? Does people try hard and OT all the time? Or relaxing most of the time? How's the food over there? I heard the fish there are full of bones. lol

Thanks.

Uploaded to first post

Ok. Thanks.

Nice , heard that too ... should have went when china was booming .... now i guess better India or Vietnam

Have a few friend work in Shanghai and Beijing.

They thought of maybe working for 2-3 years and then head back or move to other cities somehow they've been stuck and enjoy the life till now.

Hi mind to share how you secured a job ? From sending resume until you received the offer.
How the interview conducted, thru video call or you fly over there just to have your interview.

Thank You.

Hello. the method I got my first job in China is through a relative, so there is no offer required.
Interview was conducted in KL, and then when confirm accepted, they sent me to China to commence work immediately.

hi evilbun, thanks for sharing your experience. I've recently got an offer for a job in Dongguan from a MY company, pay is RM9k/ month and I'm still considering it. Can you share with me any areas that I should watch out for? Any specific areas that I should request for?


thanks!

Hi Eric,

If it's already slated for Dongguan then I guess there's nothing much to worry about. Most places in Guangzhou/Dongguan/SHenzhen are pretty safe if that's what you're worried about.

How long will you be there for? Have you got your working visa ready? Of course, given a chance, if you are able to request any specific areas, Guangzhou city area would be best as you have everything there.
Cheers!

I go to Guangzhou almost every month.

Just came back from Canton Fair

Any Muslims here working in China? or have experience working in China?

Very interesting thread. Thanks for the share

By the way, people in Guangzhou speak Mandarin or Cantonese?

Nice thread. TS Please post more photos, the life there seem very enjoyable.

Both. Haha. When you go out, you use Mandarin. When you chat with your peers/friends, you use Canto.

Have added my Insta account. Too many to share. Of course, at times life is good, but there are times when life is not so good too

Weird, why go out use mandarin but use canto with peers and friends instead.

Thanks for sharing TS. Current GM of my workplace is from China

Haha. Mandarin is like the standard language you use when you first communicate with strangers.
Cantonese is used when you know the other fellow you're speaking to speaks Cantonese, then you start using Canto too.
Not sure if that makes sense

Haha. I hope he is nice to you!

Yeah he is a nice guy, very down to earth.

I see quite different from HK or even KL. KL Chinese often speak Cantonese even with strangers hmm

I got Malay friend working in China, but not sure where the location. Seem fine, I guess.
But to tell the truth, living outside Malaysia you will face a lot of bittersweet journey.

RMB 5k is toooooo cheap !!! I recommended quite a lot Malaysian to my china frens and all of them getting >RMB 30k......of course they have >4-5 years working experience

If u know their market well, their fresh grad can get RMB 7-9k in some giant companies there ( >RMB 10 for B A T )

Haha IKR. Company is a start up but its really promising. So tak ape la.
Maybe aim for MNC later on.

hello all, the American Company which I am working has started Asia Expansion and will arrive in China too.

Its a network marketing company created by Millionare Bill Farley, Chris Gardner, and Dr Deepak Chopra

wow, TS your rental is cheap as compare to Shanghai. rental in shanghai hiking up like crazy here.

Haha that's cuz I'm staying in a REALLY small room.
It's like a mini-flat. Staying on the 5th floor. No elevators.

Nice! I thought IG is blocked in china? use vpn to "flip wall" ?

Haha mesti bro.
Even lowyat forum is throttled here. Takes super long to load without VPN.
Basically the more famous apps/sites that are banned include Google, Gmail, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, WordPress, Blogspot, etc.

Location also big factor bro. Are they in Beijing/ Shanghai ?

I thought so too.
For Guangzhou, even engineers here get like RMB10-15K only.
RMB30k is really on another level.
Mine personally just hit one year and gonna increase to 7K - considering current exchange rates, about RM4.2k not so bad la.
Plus living expense is more or less like KL.

Do you mean engineer with 4-5 years exp?
Congrats on your increment

Thanks bro

And yup, engineers with 3 years experience onward are able to hit that figure.

Nice of you to share your experiences in China. Have you come across any good business that can be invested there?

Any Malaysian companies that is successful where you are so far?

Sorry for the late reply. Been busy lately.
I can't speak for the majority of Malaysian companies cuz honestly I don't see many around.
The most common Malaysian companies I know of are in the F&B industry. But then again Malaysian food not very well accepted here so...

Hi

Any website that I can look for a job in China?
I went to Guangzhou last month to find job, they said they don't hire foreigners.
There said the salary would be around 2k/pm if Im lucky enough to get the job.

edited as per request.

This post has been edited by evilbun: Jul 16 2016, 05:27 PM