Why Am I Drawn to a City of Smog?

There are job fairs in Beijing all year round. Some of them specifically target expats or foreign companies.

Golden Opportunities for Career Start-ups

A young and energetic Dutch employee has worked in my company for almost two years. When he finished postgraduate studies in Amsterdam University he immediately came to China to look for work. During the interview I asked him why he wanted to work in Beijing. He replied that he regarded the Chinese capital as a place to develop his career path. The answer was simple, but he proved this logic over two years. From an immature recruiter he became a professional team leader who knows the recruiting business and the niche market in and out. Such opportunities are the dream of thousands of young European graduate. Therefore, many young people seek internship experiences in Beijing and Shanghai.

This is evident from the popularity of overseas internship programs in recent years. AIESEC, the biggest student networking organization, does brisk business sending foreign students to do internships in China. The existing and rapid developments of AIESEC allow young people who live outside China to see how career opportunities and development there differ from Europe, Australia, America and other countries.

If they realize how fast career development is in Beijing, then they will probably decide to stay longer. Then the crux becomes businesses and companies’ platforms in China. Fortunately, the good news is that expats are surrounded by many business opportunities and good companies in Beijing. Companies in media and legal industries typically ask their headquartered employees to work in Beijing once or twice a year. Furthermore, sales and marketing disciplines in pharmaceutical and logistic industries are releasing more positions in Beijing for expats. As China gradually becomes an indispensable part of the global economy, I see no reason why young expats would give up a made-in-China experience.

According to the latest A.T. Kearney Global Cities Index, Beijing is now one of the world’s top 10 global cities. This surprises some people. They cannot believe that smoggy, air-polluted Beijing is among the top 10. However, I am not surprised by the big stride Beijing just made. The fast-changing city deserves the trophy.

Air pollution is a problem to be solved by the Chinese government. In April, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with visiting German Vice Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Sigmar Gabriel. They discussed cooperation in developing clean energy, energy conservation and environmental protection technology. This is the latest and best proof of the government’s determination to make Beijing a clean city! In the long term there is a brighter, greener Beijing ahead.