Q: I am Chinese and am in the process of acquiring an American education. I am already immersed within the Chinese culture, having lived in Hong Kong for four years, and am proficient in Chinese. When I graduate, would it be better for me to work for a firm in the U.S. that has projects in China, or to work for a U.S. firm in their China office in terms of pay, types of projects, growth opportunities, and lifestyle?

A: The answer to your question depends on a number of considerations.

First is the way the firm views the Chinese market. Do they view it as a short-term or long-term opportunity? Do they plan to grow the Chinese office into a full-service operation or do they plan to be simply a representative office? If the answers reflect a short-term view, while working in their China operation may be a good short-term position, working in the U.S. office may give a better long-term opportunity for growth in the company.

Second is your view of lifestyle choices. Living and working in the large cities of China can offer many opportunities, not unlike those in a large U.S. city. On the other hand, if the office in China is not in one of the main cities, there may not be the same creature comforts available as you may find in a smaller U.S. city. For instance, your four years in Hong Kong should give you a reasonable idea of what you may find in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, but you would likely have quite a different experience living in Tianjin or Hefei.

Third is pay. If you are a Chinese national employed in a representative office, you will need to be hired by the company through an employment agency in China. The agency will pay you the going rate in China (which will likely be less than what you would be paid in the U.S.). The agency would take care of all of the paperwork for taxes and withholding and, if you want, make arrangements for direct deposit of your pay. Additionally, you would be able to get local housing at a reduced rate from the government. Some U.S. companies provide an additional stipend to what you would receive from the Chinese employment agency; others do not.

The type of project you get the opportunity to work on is really more a function of what skills you have and the type of projects the company pursues. Many U.S. AEC companies have been awarded a broad range of exciting projects in China, whether the company has an office in China or not. Here again, researching the company’s capabilities and success in international project development is necessary.

Another question you may ask is, “How can I be most effective in helping the firm succeed in China?” We have found that the best route for success is to have our employees spend enough time working in the company’s U.S. operations to gain a sound footing in the company’s culture, vision and the way we go to market. Being a good ambassador of what the company stands for will give you and the company the best chance of success no matter where you are located.

Thanks to Randolph W. Tucker, P.E., who is executive vice president of The RJA Group Inc., a global fire protection and security consulting firm that has worked on construction projects in more than 60 countries. The RJA Group's Rolf Jensen & Associates Inc. subsidiary has established a representative office in Shanghai and plans to open a second location in Beijing by mid-2004. He can be reached at rtucker@rjagroup.com.

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