In a statement given to China Daily, the Ministry of Education has announced that international students would soon be able to take up part-time work to supplement their studies in China.
There have been a number of moves taken in recent years which have paved the way for the opening up of China’s labor laws to foreign talent, including when in 2017 the central government introduced a program for international students with postgraduate degrees, or for those who had attended distinguished universities abroad, to obtain Chinese work permits after graduation. Previously, you needed to have a minimum of two years’ work experience outside China before applying for a work visa.
This move towards allowing part-time work will enable international students in Beijing and Shanghai to take jobs or internships off-campus, as long as they have permission from the university and the entry and exit administrative authorities.
While we aren’t entirely sure what kind of hoops students will need to jump through to get the permissions mentioned, it is a move in the right direction, especially for university students looking for real-world work experiences within China to further develop their language and professional skills.
Wang Huiyao, director of the Center for China and Globalization, explained to China Daily that it makes sense for the country to broadly expand such innovative policies, since it serves the strategy of reinvigorating China’s workforce development. He also added that foreign employees could give domestic enterprises an advantage as they expand overseas.
This will be welcome news for international high school students who would rather stay in China instead of going abroad for their university years, as they will ultimately want to get a taste of China’s job market to help decide whether or not it’s worth sticking around.
Photo: China Daily
