A Boot Camp Pitch For Getting An MBA in China

CEIBS boot camper Julia Drue spars with a kung-fu instructor during a recreational/cultural event        – Ethan Baron photo

While CEIBS pitches opportunity to the boot campers, it also puts forward some of the challenging realities facing international MBAs, even graduates of respected Chinese schools, should they wish to work in China.

Number one, it can be hard to find a job. “You really have to demonstrate you can bring (more) unique value to an organization than Chinese students,” says MBA Director Chen. “It takes much more effort to find appropriate positions.”

MOST WANT TO STAY, HALF SUCCEED

Eighty per cent of CEIBS’ international grads express interest in working in China after graduating, but, says MBA Director of Admissions and Career Services Yvonne Li, “the successful staying rate is 50%.” Sometimes a job goes to a Chinese-speaking applicant, or expectations between the applicant and employer don’t fit, or the foreign MBA isn’t attracted by the salary, Li says. Most of the international students who do find work in China end up in jobs not requiring Mandarin, Chason notes.

International MBAs, particularly Americans, tend to have stronger soft skills – in communications, teamwork, and dealing with people – than Chinese students, Chen says. “If you can convince these companies these qualities plus your China experience, brings them value, I think they will hire you,” Chen says.

In 2014, 43% of CEIBS’ 189 MBA graduates were from overseas, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, with 10 students from the U.S. and two from Canada. Nearly 80% of international MBA graduates go on to work in Asia, MBA Director Chen says. CEIBS’ 2014 MBA Career Report shows that while the median salary for foreign grads working in mainland China topped that of the median for Mainland Chinese grads – $57,600 – it was only $61,600. Median salaries for graduates working outside Mainland China were much higher, at $100,000 for Mainland Chinese grads and $86,500 for overseas grads.

ETHNIC CHINESE FROM U.S. HAVE AN EDGE

According to global consulting firm Mercer’s 2015 cost of living ranking, Shanghai has the sixth-highest cost of living in the world this year, up four places from last year; Beijing has the seventh-highest, also up four places, and Shenzhen and Guangzhou are at 14th and 15th most expensive, both up a number of places from 2014 – making all those locations more expensive than New York City.

Half of CEIBS U.S. students are ethnic Chinese, an asset for obtaining jobs in China, Li notes. “They have that international perspective and they speak the local language. They will bring more value even than local Chinese,” Li says.

International students are offered classes in Chinese in their first year. Language poses a hurdle for foreign MBA job seekers in China who don’t speak fairly good Chinese, Li says. “China is no longer the market of 10 years ago, (in which) expats were so popular, and easily find a job,” Li says. Most of the hiring, including that by multinationals, is for local operations, and even if Mandarin fluency isn’t overtly required, speakers have a decided advantage, Li says.

CEIBS GRAD NETWORKS HER WAY INTO MULTINATIONAL

But the school’s career services staff devotedly pursue job opportunities all over the world for CEIBS MBAs, and more than half of international grads find work via the careers department, Li says. “CEIBS, the school, is like nurturing a fishing pool,” Li says. “Fish are career opportunities, screened by career services. For our international students there are other fish through other channels.”

CEIBS MBA Director Shimin Chen – Ethan Baron photo

Channels provided by the school include mentorship, help from faculty, and job fairs, but for foreign MBA students, making connections among faculty, peers, and industry representatives is vital, Li says. “To find opportunities you have to start networking from day one and use all the resources that we have,” Li says. “You have to build the relationships. This is true globally but I would say more so in China, so they can trust you. Some of our international students, if they’re not aggressively reaching out and building that network, and only leveraging very narrow resources, they might lose their dream.”

Indian graduate Ranjeeta Rai’s post-education career result shows the benefit of networking. A former banker, she’s now regional category manager in the Shanghai office of Henkel, a German multinational company whose products include Loctite adhesive, Dial soap, and Right Guard antiperspirant. “If you look at the outcome of the MBAs, for most of us it means a good job,” Rai tells boot campers on their visit to the Henkels office. “I just met somebody from Henkel at a networking event at CEIBS. I said I was looking for a job and he said he was looking for somebody. Some of you could be apprehensive. Will you get a job? Will you get an internship? I got both.”

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