“What Color is your Parachute” taught the world that here are two types of job searches; the “traditional” and the creative job searches. In China, the traditional option (matching resumes to newspaper job ads, etc), may not even exist for many of us. There are always jobs out there, if you haven't found your target position, either you are using the wrong method to find it, or it isn't advertised. If 80% of jobs in the global market may be unpublished, we can only imagine how many jobs are hidden in China, especially for the non local, non Chinese reading applicant.
Want to work in Shanghai? Many people from all over the world do. There are more people from other countries who want to come live and work in Shanghai than there are jobs with expat salaries. In the last few years, the job market has been flooded with educated and experienced overseas Chinese or overseas educated mainland Chinese being attracted to the same thing expats are attracted to: the lure of riding the booming economy. With issues of culture, language, disparity in pay scales, and suitable job availability, there is not always an easy solution to finding a comfortable niche. Many seek to move here without the benefit of company support and an expat package. One recruitment industry manager indicates an educated guess of less than 20% of the expats in China are here on an expat package. Given the range of talents and available positions, a job seeker might break down potential opportunities: 
Job searching can be a frustrating process, especially if you are an expat trying to find your way abroad and unsure who to approach for that dream job offer. 
Given the recent upheaval and turmoil in the whole visa process, many folks are considering becoming legal. If you are to be sponsored as an employee by a local company or have been hired by a small to mid-sized company as an expat, you may find yourself in the predicament of having to walk through the entire work visa process on your own. Having joined a local start-up as a consultant, and then as an employee, I had the distinct "pleasure" of going through the process myself and now seems a good time to share what I know and put together a step by step manual. Please be advised that everything is subject to change here so contact the relevant authorities to confirm. This will be a guideline of sorts and based on information of November 2010.
A few years ago we wrote an article about the perception of a boom time in China and in Shanghai in particular and how foreigners from all over the world were treading their way to Shanghai in hopes of creating their own niche in China's booming economy. Times have changed, but people are still coming. At the Shanghaiexpat Coffee Meeting, I am meeting some people who are just landing in Shanghai on their tourist visa and starting a job hunt. Brave people. I hired one recently.
One of the big questions I get on a regular basis is, "How do I get a job in Shanghai?" Speaking from experience, if you are a Westerner who does not have a company to send you here, it is not going to be easy, but it is certainly doable. The easiest and fastest way to come to Shanghai is to get a job teaching English, and that is how many expats get their first taste of China (including me!). See our other articles on teaching for more information.
