Acheni kudanganya watu uchumi wa China unakuwa katika speed ambayo siyo ya kawaida. Matokeo yake kumekuwa na demand kubwa sana ya wafanyazi walioenda shule, matokeo yake mishahara pia inaoanda kwa kasi ya ajabu na inawafanya wafanyakazi wakatae kusaini mikataba ya muda mrefu ili akitokea muajiri anaongeza dau basi jamaa anajongomea kirahisi. Huu hapa chini ni mfano halisi. We Mkulima na mtoto wako wote inabidi mrudi shule.
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Bilgin is our longest-term expatriate alumnus from the Department of International Business. In his position at Allianz, it seems as if he knows everybody in Shanghai you would want to meet! His working days and long and hard, but he has never lost the "fun" and friendly part of his personality, as you will see in this interview.
When we interviewed Bilgin and asked him if he had always planned on moving to China and living there for such a long time (almost 7 years now), he admitted…
This is as question, which I have been asked so many times. To be honest, it was my semester abroad in Qingdao, where I had a lot of fun (of course with my studies
). Actually I had always been planning to work abroad. Even though I had never planned to focus on China, I recognized after this semester abroad that I made the right decision. I promised myself that I will not waste what I have learned about this country and will do exactly that which my study program had prepared me for.
What is your story?
The story is short: I was a good student with good marks
-)), always concentrated on my studies
-)), always attended 100% of my lectures
-)), never went to the BA-Parties
-)), when I suddenly beamed from a "10,000 Einwohner-Dorf" to a 1.3 Billion citizen country.
What degree do you use your Chinese that you learned in FH?
The Chinese language is a very complicated language and this is a worldwide well-known fact. I often this recognized during my studies, as it is time consuming to learn and remember Chinese characters and on top of that to learn the right tones. Today I can say that in 70% of my daily life I speak Chinese and it would make my life much more complicated not being able to use Chinese. Definitively HFU Furtwangen provides the basics, which make it really easy for any student to later become very good at Chinese, if you settle down in China. Many foreign managers without this basic Chinese as their background failed or gave up the plan to study the language from the scratch in China, as it is too difficult to manage the ongoing language study parallel to work.
How did you find your job?
I was recruited from Bertelsmann during my internship in China and I had signed a contract even before I graduated, due to an outstanding Sales performance in my internship (in short: lucky guy
). I started to work as the Business Development Manager for 2 1/2 years, before I received an offer from my current employer Allianz (one of my main Key Accounts at that time). I have been with Allianz from November 2002 and I have never regretted my decision.
How did your studies at the FH prepare you for this job?
Most valuable in China: all English courses, Chinese from Frau Fang-Heck and IBC from Prof. Hale. (Note: IBC was later renamed ICC, MCD and OC)
What kinds of problems do German graduates face in China?
Fierce competition! The achievement of a certain status, the integration and the respect within the organization is more "to fight for it" then a collegial "smooth integration". You have to prove that you are worth earning more than a local person who has a similar position.
What do you love about China?
That everything you think is impossible might be still possible, just do not give up. There is always "a key", " a hidden door", "Chinese creativity" or "some little guanxi" which will help you to solve your problems. As a "Southerner" (my family is from Turkey) we are more polychronic people, which matches the Chinese generally polychronic tendencies (although some studies indicate and describe Chinese as moderately monochronic, I have never seen the monochronic part in my 6 ½ years in China ). I love it, how chaotic it seems to be here but still people are able to manage everything in a "chaotic way", as opposed to the Germans would do it in an "organized and controlled way".
Hiring Process (The contract, permanent or temporary)
I would never sign a contract with a term more than one year in my current position. The reason is simple, I can always ask for a higher salary on a yearly basis, when my contract expires. But the basis, of course, should be your "outstanding performance", otherwise, the company will not extend your contract with you and you can look for an new employer
.
The Salary (How much a recent graduate should expect in China?)
The days are gone, where companies paid high salaries to find people who would commit themselves to working for a certain period in China, which often then recognized as a difficult overseas assignment. But this for sure has changed in a tremendous way and today China appears for many of us as a very unique country in its dimensions, which are often difficult to compare with our own country. It is a human behaviour that when something is interesting, it attracts more attention, which is also applicable for graduates, who are intending to work in China (especially the number of French graduates have outranged other countries within the past two years).
Jobs are definitively limited for foreign graduates, as usually foreigners cost more and language barriers often exist. Companies today prefer hiring Asians to Europeans, as usually their cultures are similar (Malaysian, HK, Singaporean, Thai, Taiwanese, Japanese, etc.) and as they are less expensive in terms of salary expectations. It is very difficult to tell, how much a graduate should expect, but personally I would not expect less salary than the salary I would make as a graduate in my own country. But if "gaining experience" is your driving motivation, then as a graduate you can adventure to work for less salary (but not really local salaries) but make sure you always limit the duration of this "working for less period". I also would like to remind our graduates, that if you started to work for less salary than usual in a company in China, then you will in seldom cases have the chance that your salary increases within this company to normal levels. Just give you an example of why European graduates appear to be more expensive in the market: A Chinese Department Manager, fluent in English, with a 10-year working experience would be able to make a average gross monthly income of 600 Euro to 1300 Euro in an international enterprise (of course some companies pay sometimes more, but just take this as an average). I do not want to scare off our graduates, just be aware of the fact, but still do not be afraid to try your luck, as with the education our university provides we still have some advantages and are better prepared in comparison to other graduates.
Are you ambitious?
Yes and you should be too! Ambitious for me means "driven" and if you are "driven" by something you will always reach your goals, wishes and dreams quicker than if you are not. Being ambitious can be easily compared to being non-ambitious; it is like a "Ferrari" compared to a "donkey".
What do you plan for your future?
It is for me obvious today that I am a person who needs to be independent. I really do not like to work for others and I see my current situation as a "Gain Experience and Build Network" period, why I therefore plan to set up my own business in Shanghai within the next 5 years.
It is out of the question that I will look for a job in Germany, as my current salary cannot be paid in Germany. Things seem to be simple on paper, but the fact is, if an organization retracts you back from abroad to Germany, then the integration often means a "set-back" in your career, with lower position level less autonomy and less salary.
Can you share an anecdote about the cultural differences?
For sure I can give an example and I am happy that you are only asking for one, as the list is long
. When thinking of cultural differences the most important thing, which comes to my mind, is the Chinese concept of "Face". Face has to do with the image, level or credibility of the person you are dealing with. Always keep in your mind, that you should never insult, embarrass, shame, yell at or otherwise demean a person, as this will make that person lose "Face". But something which is new for Germans, you can also "give face". On a daily basis you recognize something new, which sometimes sounds very funny but probably has some background you need to learn about.
Please talk about your internship, theses and ex working experience if you have and also about your current job.
My internship was the "door opener" and I was lucky to receive this opportunity. Currently my responsibilities cover different areas: Key Account Management, Channel Implementation, Expansion, Marketing, Project Management and Business Development. It is for sure my dream job, as I am more acting in the front-end than in the back-end, which allowed me to develop an amazing network within the international community in Shanghai. My career path will definitively continue into the right direction.
And anything else you would like to add….
Yes, for sure! Don't hesitate to contact me, if you have any questions, looking for internships, theses, need some accommodation or help in your first days in China or something else related to China. I am happy to help students in the Department of International Business if they are serious about working in China.