The 5 Amazing Chinese Speaking Jobs and Where to Find Them

Would you like to start a career that would allow you to put your Mandarin Chinese talents to use? If so, here’s the good news: If you’ve passed the HSK exam (The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi – Chinese Proficiency Test), you’ll have a broad list of potential jobs to consider. Numerous careers demand Chinese language abilities, ranging from educating students in Mandarin Chinese to working in the public sector. And many of them pay well.

Doesn’t it sound good? Let’s explore the top 5 excellent Chinese speaking jobs and how to get these positions in this article. 

The top 5 most popular Chinese speaking jobs

Chinese instructor  

When some Mandarin students start taking Chinese classes, they often aim to become Chinese instructors.

This profession lets you express your passion for and expertise in Chinese with others, whether in a school, community college, or university environment. You’ll be expected to assess students’ skill levels and design classes accordingly. Ample knowledge of Mandarin Chinese is required for this role.

You must either become licensed or obtain a qualification exemption to become a Chinese teacher. A bachelor’s degree is also required, as is the completion of initial teacher education.

Because language classes are in such a growing market, the workforce for Chinese teachers is hugely competitive. A qualified Chinese instructor can make up to $61,805 per year. 

Subtitler or transcriber 

A transcriber listens to the audio and then transcribes the conversation into text. Subtitlers are transcribers that make subtitles for movies, television shows, and educational materials. Being a transcriber or subtitler is one of the most straightforward ways to generate money using your Chinese talents. However, there is no certain standard salary for a Chinese subtitle or transcriber. The salary varies depending on what type of material needs to be transcribed, its length, and the given time. 

Being a transcriber is generally a freelance job, so you don’t usually need a degree. All you need is a certification for Chinese reading and speaking fluency. Most of the time, you will transcribe a recording, which starts with a software doing most of the work for you. You will then go through the audio, correct all the mistakes, and add in punctuation. So basically this job doesn’t require complex devices – all you need is a computer or laptop, and a strong internet connection. If you’d like to work as a Chinese transcriber or subtitler, you can consider applying for an established transcription or translation company. By doing this, you don’t need to seek the work as the company will assign you to certain projects. Moreover, most businesses prefer to have their translation work done by a trusted company, rather than a random, unaffiliated freelancer.

Translator 

A Chinese translator typically works on a freelance contract basis instead of remaining with one company for a long time. For example, agencies hire freelance translators for regular projects. Chinese translators often specialize in a particular type of content, such as news, finance, health information, or software documentation. Some translations are time-sensitive, so someone in this role may work unusual hours. This job also pays well – the US’s national average salary for a Chinese translator is around $49,953 per year.

Unlike the Chinese interpreter who deals with multiple spoken Chinese dialects, a Chinese translator works with two main written forms—simplified and traditional Chinese. Chinese translators possess a high degree of writing expertise in the target language. A Chinese translator can work in many fields. Literary, legal, technical, commercial, and medical fields all offer productive avenues for the skills of the Chinese translator. 

Interpreter

Being an interpreter requires good listening and speaking abilities in Chinese. Because it is a freelance vocation, many of the qualifications for being a live translator are comparable to those of a transcriber. You’ll need to be virtually native-level fluency in the language to get any jobs.

Chinese interpreters have a diverse job market, including roles in policy and government, medical interpretation, conferences, consulting work, and more. Working as an interpreter is a fun and lucrative way to keep your Chinese abilities sharp. The flexibility, independence, and salary are also very appealing. You can earn from $42,580 and $54,678 per year, depending on your education, certifications, specializations, additional skills, and the number of years you have spent in your profession.

English instructor 

Another typical ambition for Mandarin learners is to travel overseas and teach English to Chinese speakers. Teaching English in China entails everything that teaching Chinese in the US does, and more.

Though prerequisites vary by program, most demand a bachelor’s degree, two years of post-graduate job experience, a TEFL certification, and a valid passport. Having a working grasp of Chinese is beneficial if you want to take your students to the next level.

Although many bilingual Westerners are saturating the marketplace for teaching English abroad, it’s vital to realize how many nations speak Mandarin and how many possibilities you genuinely have.

There are numerous advantages to teaching English in China. For example, teachers are a much more respected position in China than in the US. Though the salary ranges from $16,800 to $26,400 per year, the cost of living in China is much lower than in the US, so it may be easier to save up money, even if the salary is lower than what you might make in the US. Moreover, foreign teachers in China will be able to enjoy free housing, health insurance, and the ability to obtain visas.

Journalism 

China is an excellent destination for editors seeking fresh experience, and there are several opportunities for copywriters. Many media businesses are looking to broadcast China’s activities to the rest of the world from significant locations. 

Furthermore, numerous foreign news syndicates offer technical information on businesses in China, such as banking or technology, to high-end clients.

Chinese language abilities are unquestionably advantageous in an atmosphere where your primary duty is to make Chinese sources understandable and entertaining to a Western audience. 

Entry-level editing employment in a city with many news syndicates, like Beijing or Shanghai, typically pays the same as teaching English jobs at a training center but are far less demanding.

Journalism is also a logical move for English teachers because it is less demanding in general than other occupations. However, working for Chinese news syndicates that transmit news worldwide 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, can mean working odd hours.

Where to find Chinese speaking jobs?

In the 4.0 generation nowadays, it is easy to stay at home, prepare a good-looking CV and apply for Chinese-speaking jobs. Here are some of the websites with a high reputation for job-seekers.

Indeed 

Starting in 2004, Indeed supports a simple goal: to assist people in finding work. It is now the world’s largest job website, with over 250 million monthly users and ten new job advertisements added every second. Candidates can seek employment by job title, location, salary range, posting date, and level of experience.

Indeed was voted the best overall job website because of its size, the variety of sectors and occupations it serves, and its unrivaled update regularity. Indeed posts job openings for job seekers in every industry, at every level. 

Glassdoor 

Since 2008, Glassdoor has offered 1.9 million jobs, 100 million business reviews and analyses, and over 11 million job openings in its system. 

The main function of this platform is to give salary visibility and ethical business reviews to thousands of present and prospective workers. Because job seekers can search for openings while simultaneously reading full details on corporate success, CEO, bonuses, and better offers, Glassdoor is the clear winner for employment knowledge and analysis. 

LinkedIn 

Founded in 2003, the company has grown to become the world’s largest professional network, with about 800 million eligible participants from all businesses and all over the world. LinkedIn is a directory of open positions, an online resume platform, and a social networking tool all rolled into one. 

Unlike most other job sites, LinkedIn allows you to add interviewers and other people you’re interested in into your virtualized environment, making it the best place to connect with employers immediately. 

Since your LinkedIn profile serves as a fully decentralized résumé and portfolio that is given to recruiters once you’ve applied for a job, it’s vital to make sure it’s thorough, correct, and search tool targeted.

It is free to build a LinkedIn profile and search for opportunities. Still, LinkedIn also offers a high price membership feature that allows users to see who viewed your profile. It also gives you incredible in-depth insight into the other candidates who applied for the job you’re interested in, and how to express messages to people you haven’t yet connected with.

Once your LinkedIn profile is complete, you can use it to apply for open positions and make connection requests (equivalent to Facebook friend requests) to expand your networking opportunities. Recruiters may give you a call about applying for specific jobs if your CV is well-optimized for search.

The bottom line

The demand for Chinese speaking employees is growing so rapidly that there was an 80% increase in job ads requesting fluency in the language. It also opens a host of opportunities for Chinese speakers, offering competitive wages, many attractive benefits, and chances of promotion. 

So, now is the time to master this language and seize the opportunities. And Pandanese can help you with that! Pandanese is a web-based Mandarin learning platform that assists users in learning Chinese for business, school, and travel. With specifically categorized lessons, Spaced Repetition Systems learning method, and an unlimited collection of Mandarin flashcards, Pandanese is an easy and effective way to help you get along with Chinese better. 

Sign up for Pandanese and start learning Chinese now!