A great article, but the term “halfpat” implies the possible downside in a multinational company hiring the type of person you describe: someone who has the valuable language and cultural skills, but perhaps lacks the kind of business experience that multinational companies need to do business in China or anywhere, for that matter.

Let me suggest the concept of the “fullpat.”

In the last 3-5 years an increasing number of people in China with maybe 20 years’ experience in major multinationals, who have held senior customer and supplier relationship management, sales, business development positions.

There are seasoned corporate people in China who have spent the past three-five years working as foreign experts for the Chinese government, teaching at universities and working with the Chinese people every single day to solve real problems.

They have gained a tremendous amount of respect with the Chinese for their ability to live and work harmoniously, to pull together many various people as if they were members of their own family.

I think such people would be extremely valuable to the multinational company. They already have the business skills needed to hit the ground running.

I suspect business skills may count to someone in the corporate office even more a person’s ability to speak rudimentary Chinese and use chopsticks with some dexterity. This seems to be why Ford, Delphi and others spend so much to shift the so-called “expats” to China, often with dire results.

I have at least 10 years’ experience working with and for Chinese-owned companies and government agencies in the US and China and
I suspect the business skills and experience also count more with the Chinese.

The Chinese know we are not Chinese, and they do not care how well or how poorly we speak chinese or understand their culture. I we make a cultural faupau, they tend to overlook, it saying: “It doesn’t matter.” They like us precisely because we are foreigners, and we can help them do things they need to do.

I’ve found the Chinese are a lot like multinational corporate managers–they respect age, wisdom, and someone who has the ability to cooperate, and especially someone who can get results.

I think the ability to accept and respect the Chinese is key to good relationships in China, and the “fullpats,” with corporate experience balanced with China experience, seem to fit the bill.

I was a “halfpat” in Eastern Europe for 7 years and then an “expat”in China for 5. It is incredibly amazing how alike the two areas have in terms of how the employment scene developed.

Companies started out by bringing their own people with the understanding that they should train up the locals to take over the roles in a short time. This worked for awhile but then led to the “revolving door years” as locals got experience and then jumped from job to job for higher and higher salaries.

In both regions this led to situations where people moved so quickly that while their salary rose, their skill set did not keep pace. Suddenly costs were up but performance wasn’t matching it. In many cases locals were getting as much if not more in compensation than the expats – thereby reducing one of the biggest perceived benefits of the markets.

This opens the gates for the halfpats but often they are less experienced than the senior level expats were or new to the industry. While culture and market knowledge is great it isn’t the whole picture either. Enter the second wave of expats….

This cycle has kept management recruiters, consultancy groups and HR gurus around the world in business over the years. I spend at least 1-2 days a week on this very issue with my clients. The number one question? “How is it possible that a (fill in the blank……..sales director, VP, GM etc.) costs that much when the market is SUPPOSED to be low cost?”

If anyone ever comes up with a real solution to this they will really and truly be able to retire wealthy.

*and please let me know as soon as you do – I have about a dozen clients who will want to talk to you!)

i agree with you. i think HK/Taiwanese managers are infamous for their demands. This is because back in our home country (region) the employment sector is hyper competitive due to high population density, more or less equal backgrounds and skill sets. One would have to work extremely hard to stand out in the crowd. Demanding exceptional results with normal pay is the norm.

With overseas chinese managers being used to this environment or having worked for these types of managers they expect the same from local Chinese staff.

However, i do feel that overseas Chinese managers with “western” background or education are better at bridging the gap between the “hardcore” and the “lasse fair”

There are also a lot of problems with hiring overseas Chinese into mid-senior positions in China. Having recruited mostly local Chinese for foreign companies in China now for 13 years, I can’t tell you how many times locals have expressed dissatisfaction with their treatment by overseas Chinese managers. There is a lot of regionalism and pride in China and many overseas Chinese have little understanding or often even disdain for local culture. Beware of generalized prescriptions on hiring and carefully vet those you hire for their interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity.

I now have a clearer definition of an “expat”. i used to think that anyone sent overseas from an office abroad is considered an “expat” but knowing years of experience it takes and the importance of the role i feel comforted that i am not making as much as these “expats”

I guess it makes more sense for companies in china to recruit mid-senior positions from countries such as Taiwan, Singapore and from HK. These overseas Chinese understand the language, culture and are also able to fully integrate the two together.

I enjoyed your article…I don’t feel quite so lonely anymore!

I’m currently working in Taiwan in sales and marketing for a local company. They also operate a facility in China.

Came to Taiwan on hiatus from a few years of work for a US MNC. Took some time to pursue travel and music and eventually found myself here.

I can literally count on both hands how many halfpats I’ve met in Taiwan. It’s true that there’s a pool of semi-experienced, educated, bilingual non-locals just itching to get into the professional circuit in Taiwan or China.

It would be exceedingly easy for foreign MNCs to hire these individuals (economically and logistically). There’s always the ’service’ visa problem though, but with a MNC sponsor, it shouldn’t be a problem.

A lot of bright people here, let me know!

Cheers

My problem is that i do not speak chinese. What can i do to ensure i will receive headhunt offers for jobs in china.

I have considered it would be an advantage to
1) work for a danish company because my knowledge of danish will partly offset my lack of chinese speaking skills
2) personally apply for the work and residence permit in advance instead of having the company have to do that amount of paper work. Are there anyone with experience in the requirements for work permits in china?
3) change work to a big danish company with activities in china in order to increase the chance of an internal transfer to china
(it does not have to be a danish company but it seems practical due to reason 1)