I'm wondering if anyone has any information whatsoever on the employment climate in Xiamen, China. There seems to be decent opportunities for foreign architects in Hong Kong, Beijing, and other parts of China, but I can't seem to find a glimmer of anything in Xiamen. My research has been limited to Google, Archinect, and a couple Chinese job posting sites because I really don't know where else to look. Can anyone out there offer any guidance in pursuing a job in China?
For what it's worth, I'm a 27 year-old licensed architect from Denver with most of my experience coming from commercial and sports related projects. I have no Chinese language skills.
Any help at all is greatly appreciated!
midlander
Dec 11, 15 4:42 am
Xiamen is a small city by Chinese standards, and not a particularly fast growing one. I doubt any international firms have offices there, and even the LDI's working there are probably based in the nearby provincial capital Fuzhou.
It is a nice city and a pleasant place to visit, so there might be a few independent designers located there, but I don't know of any - and they probably wouldn't be able to offer a paid position.
The market for architects in China is quite weak right now. Most of the big firms have been laying off, a few foreign firms have closed their China offices. For someone at your level of experience who speaks no Chinese, I think it will be difficult to find a position that would be worth moving for. There are always unpaid / underpaid positions in the bigger cities, but they are probably done illegally (won't sponsor a work permit for you to live in China, and could get you in trouble).
Archibat is a big recruitment company focused on Chinese architects. Look through their postings. But I think you'll find better luck to stick to international firms and high-design studios in major cities, esp HK.
gwharton
Dec 11, 15 6:28 pm
Xiamen is a fairly nice place for China, with a beach city vibe and some interesting history going back to Portuguese involvement when the city was called Amoy. The current President of China, Xi Jinping, started his political career in Xiamen and there are a lot of plans in the works for expanding the city. They are currently building a series of satellite cities around Haicang Harbor and the population of Xiamen metro will likely more than double in the next five to ten years if those plans come even partially to fruition.
But most of that work is not being done by firms local to Xiamen. Nor is that likely to change.
And like midlander says above, the employment climate for foreign architects in China is very weak right now.
tduds
Dec 11, 15 6:42 pm
I have to ask: Why Xiamen? For someone with your limited experience - in both Architecture and China - Xiamen seems like an oddly specific choice.
g.thomas.z
Dec 12, 15 5:06 pm
Thank you everybody. Sounds like my fears have been confirmed.
tduds: The reason I am so particular about Xiamen is that my girlfriend has been offered a teaching job at an international school on the island. It's a 2-year contract and fantastic opportunity for her to get a foot in the door of the international teaching circuit. Our housing and living expenses would be covered, so I could even settle for a marginal paycut if there were any prospects out there.
It is a very tough decision for me. I am with a small startup firm of three people and we've already greatly surpassed our revenue goal in our first year, with some great potential for 2016. It would definitely be tough to walk away from that.
midlander
Dec 12, 15 10:50 pm
well, this is going to be tough then. I don't honestly believe you will find any job at all in Xiamen as a foreign architect with under 10 years experience. And if you did, it would at best be a 2 year pause in your career - more likely a step back.
how reputable is the school your gf is looking at? I don't think Xiamen has a large expat population, so it's possible it is really more of a bilingual school for wealthy chinese / overseas chinese families rather than international. There is a lot of fraud in that industry - make sure she has really done her reaerch and contacted references from previous foreign employees to know that this is legit and won't end up with her working in poor conditions for far less money than contracted.
g.thomas.z
Dec 13, 15 11:40 pm
midlander: That appears to be the case. A two-year pause could hinder my professional growth, but the opportunities for travel and cultural experience would certainly help make up for it. I have been told that my skill set and experience are beyond my years, so I do think I could overcome a pause / sabbatical without much trouble.
The schools she has been in contact with are all very reputable. She subscribes to a pricey listing service that provides detailed third party reviews of all the top international schools in the world. She's already had multiple conversations with the principal, current music teacher, as well as former faculty members that now live in Denver. The gig sounds so good it almost makes me wish I was a teacher too!
Fortunately, a recent development from today... She's secured interviews with schools in Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur, both of which I would greatly prefer over Xiamen.
Archinecters,
I'm wondering if anyone has any information whatsoever on the employment climate in Xiamen, China. There seems to be decent opportunities for foreign architects in Hong Kong, Beijing, and other parts of China, but I can't seem to find a glimmer of anything in Xiamen. My research has been limited to Google, Archinect, and a couple Chinese job posting sites because I really don't know where else to look. Can anyone out there offer any guidance in pursuing a job in China?
For what it's worth, I'm a 27 year-old licensed architect from Denver with most of my experience coming from commercial and sports related projects. I have no Chinese language skills.
Any help at all is greatly appreciated!
Xiamen is a small city by Chinese standards, and not a particularly fast growing one. I doubt any international firms have offices there, and even the LDI's working there are probably based in the nearby provincial capital Fuzhou.
It is a nice city and a pleasant place to visit, so there might be a few independent designers located there, but I don't know of any - and they probably wouldn't be able to offer a paid position.
The market for architects in China is quite weak right now. Most of the big firms have been laying off, a few foreign firms have closed their China offices. For someone at your level of experience who speaks no Chinese, I think it will be difficult to find a position that would be worth moving for. There are always unpaid / underpaid positions in the bigger cities, but they are probably done illegally (won't sponsor a work permit for you to live in China, and could get you in trouble).
Archibat is a big recruitment company focused on Chinese architects. Look through their postings. But I think you'll find better luck to stick to international firms and high-design studios in major cities, esp HK.
Xiamen is a fairly nice place for China, with a beach city vibe and some interesting history going back to Portuguese involvement when the city was called Amoy. The current President of China, Xi Jinping, started his political career in Xiamen and there are a lot of plans in the works for expanding the city. They are currently building a series of satellite cities around Haicang Harbor and the population of Xiamen metro will likely more than double in the next five to ten years if those plans come even partially to fruition.
But most of that work is not being done by firms local to Xiamen. Nor is that likely to change.
And like midlander says above, the employment climate for foreign architects in China is very weak right now.
I have to ask: Why Xiamen? For someone with your limited experience - in both Architecture and China - Xiamen seems like an oddly specific choice.
Thank you everybody. Sounds like my fears have been confirmed.
tduds: The reason I am so particular about Xiamen is that my girlfriend has been offered a teaching job at an international school on the island. It's a 2-year contract and fantastic opportunity for her to get a foot in the door of the international teaching circuit. Our housing and living expenses would be covered, so I could even settle for a marginal paycut if there were any prospects out there.
It is a very tough decision for me. I am with a small startup firm of three people and we've already greatly surpassed our revenue goal in our first year, with some great potential for 2016. It would definitely be tough to walk away from that.
well, this is going to be tough then. I don't honestly believe you will find any job at all in Xiamen as a foreign architect with under 10 years experience. And if you did, it would at best be a 2 year pause in your career - more likely a step back.
how reputable is the school your gf is looking at? I don't think Xiamen has a large expat population, so it's possible it is really more of a bilingual school for wealthy chinese / overseas chinese families rather than international. There is a lot of fraud in that industry - make sure she has really done her reaerch and contacted references from previous foreign employees to know that this is legit and won't end up with her working in poor conditions for far less money than contracted.
midlander: That appears to be the case. A two-year pause could hinder my professional growth, but the opportunities for travel and cultural experience would certainly help make up for it. I have been told that my skill set and experience are beyond my years, so I do think I could overcome a pause / sabbatical without much trouble.
The schools she has been in contact with are all very reputable. She subscribes to a pricey listing service that provides detailed third party reviews of all the top international schools in the world. She's already had multiple conversations with the principal, current music teacher, as well as former faculty members that now live in Denver. The gig sounds so good it almost makes me wish I was a teacher too!
Fortunately, a recent development from today... She's secured interviews with schools in Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur, both of which I would greatly prefer over Xiamen.