Gap Year in Beijing, China
Beijing is a big, busy, and exciting destination for your gap year in China. Whether you're here to teach, volunteer, intern, or simply relax and learn Chinese, you'll find new and fascinating around every corner!
People say that China is the best place to reinvent yourself and this is true. Beijing doesn't really have a definite working “culture” yet, and even inside western companies, expats are perceived as free willed, upfront, quirky and all those adjectives that at home can get you fired, so if a little of your personality shows, you’ll be fine. Here you can teach with pink hair, volunteer on the coolest projects and make your entrance in an industry that is hard for a newbie to get into at home (i.e the fashion and media industries are starting to boom in China and intern opportunities are everywhere, if you know where to look). Read below to find the best program for your lifestyle!
Study Mandarin
While this might be the last thing you will want to hear about, enrolling in a language course is the easiest way to do this “Beijing thing”. The school will send you all the information needed after you pay the initial fee (if they ask for the full fee upfront be weary and Google to see if it is a normal practice for that school) and will give you most of the security you need to start you off, including your visa documents. Studying also allows you to go to the college hospital (if you decide to stay in one), live on campus (much cheaper and convenient) and have discounts on monuments and Beijing sights, provided you show the student card at the cashier. If all this wasn’t enough, please remember that Chinese is a hard language and the more help you can get, the better.
Internships
While work can be hard to come by (with all the perks included like visas, housing and so on) you can always intern, and for this you can apply right from your couch. Check companies that interest you and if you don’t see an intern ad, drop them a line and say you would be happy to relocate at your own costs and only need an invitation letter to get your visa. You will probably get a monthly stipend and great networking opportunities. If you do a great job, maybe you can even ask for "intern business cards" to hand out when you meet someone.
Teach
If you are an American or British national, teaching can bring you everything; Visa, housing, paid trips, monthly stipends besides your monthly earnings, health insurance and sometimes even free Chinese lessons. But be sure what you are signing up for. Make sure your contract has the amount of hours you are working and be advised that once you get there, they will try to make you work some more. Be sure to check out how many students you have and how much you are making per class.
Keep your own records, how many hours you teach per day, how much per class and your final earnings for that day and make sure everything adds up at the end. Not that the Chinese are not to be trusted, but your employer will always try to get something more out of you, no matter what your contract says. They shouldn't keep your passport for longer than two-three weeks, the amount of time that is usually necessary for a Visa application to come to an end. If it goes past a month, start asking questions.
Work
To be hired while not in Chinese territory is hard. The many Working Visa bureaucracies and the high rotating positions in any company make hiring international a bit of a shot in the dark. If you want to work from the get-go, the best is to look for international companies with whom you can interview in your home country and then ask for a Skype interview with the Beijing branch. If you are already in China with a valid visa you can pretty much do it all. Changing visa types is much easier and from teaching English to applying for that dream job that you can only pant for at home, everything is possible.
Volunteer Programs
From teaching, saving wildlife to even translating content for websites and flyers or helping to organize benefit parties, there are lots of NGO’s in Beijing waiting for you and a simple internet search will unveil whatever suits your fancy but beware: most of these positions come only with a small stipend and at times not even the Visa is included so maybe, just maybe, consider volunteering while working and/or studying? I know it seems too many hours to dedicate to others but trust me, China forces you to make the time you never thought you had!