Robert Brownell, a former IT engineer with Microsoft in Seattle, is now teaching in a private school in Beijing. He enjoys teaching in China and appreciates the different atmosphere in the school. His actions are a lot less restricted here than they would be in the U.S. "For good students, I can give them candy," he explains. "But in American schools, if you give food to students, they have to be sealed and airtight and tested. [In China] I can pat them on the back and raise my voice. But in America, everything is regulated so much, you just can't do anything. So the class here is much more fun and lively. There is just more freedom."

Starting Businesses in China

Apart from alluring job opportunities, China is also overflowing with lucrative business opportunities.

"By providing the start-up capital and going through all necessary procedures, one can get a business license in China as long as one has a good business plan," Kodi Keith Avila told China Today. The 30-year-old Hawaiian is running a business English school, New York Minutes, in Beijing.

Avila first came to China in 2007 on a scholarship program as a student of University of Hawaii. It was encouragement from his professor that finally convinced him to go to China. "He thought China would overtake other countries in trade, consumption and technology," Avila said.

Kodi Keith Avila with his students.

Avila saw a burgeoning affluence in Beijing. "So many limousines Audi, Mercedes-Benz, so many businessmen and skyscrapers," he marveled. The miraculous growth of China's economy also amazed him. "There are really many good opportunities for personal careers or business development in China," he said.

Avila's school courses focus on corporate training. When he started the school in 2009, he went through a really hard time. "I was young and naïve. I thought everybody would want to study in my school." Although many Chinese people have learned English for many years, their spoken English was very poor and they never talked to native speakers. Avila decided at the very beginning that all his classes would be given by native English speakers. But to his disappointment, few people applied to his school.

Then he started going door to door in office buildings to try his luck, offering free demo classes to potential clients. "I think Chinese society is a show-me kind of society. Show me the result, then I'll be willing to pay," Avila remarked.

"In the beginning, I got my clients this way. But now I mainly get clients through referrals," Avila said. Many of his students, impressed with the standards of teaching in class, recommend new clients to Avila's school.

His hard work and understanding of the Chinese mentality has rewarded him well, and Avila has attracted a number of big clients like Sinopec, Huawei, and several big Korean companies that operate in Beijing.

"Doing business in China, you'll have many competitors. Chinese have different ways to do business. The best way to get business in China is to become friends with your clients," Avila remarked.