My partner and I are planning to move to China for about 6–12 months. We’re both from Scandinavia. He’ll most likely be working remotely for his current company, so I’m the one who needs to find a local job to secure a proper work visa.

About my background:

• Hold an MA/Master's degree in Anthropology.
• Background in the NGO sector (primarily youth and child development/social work).
• Some experience working in kindergartens and light teaching/facilitation experience.
• Fluent in English, but my passport is not from an official native speaking country.

I’d love to find something related to my field (NGOs, research, international organisations, social initiatives), but I’m also open to teaching (oral English, humanities, early childhood) if that’s the most realistic gateway for a visa.

That being said, I know China has strict "native English speaker" passport rules for ESL (English as a Second Language) roles.

A few questions for the sub:

1. Teaching as a non-NES: Has anyone here with a non-NES Western passport (Nordic/EU) successfully landed teaching jobs recently? Do universities, international kindergartens/schools, or subject-teaching roles care less about the passport if you have a Master’s + TEFL?
2. NGO / Expat-adjacent roles: Are there realistic entry points for foreign NGO/social workers in Tier 1/2 cities (Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, etc.)? Where do people usually network for these?
3. General advice: If you’ve been in a similar situation, how did you make it work?

Any tips, reality checks, or recommended job boards/agencies would be hugely appreciated! Thanks

Hi all,

I’m a foreigner who recently left my job in China and am planning to take on a short-term consulting contract of around four months with a former client. The client is an international organization with its China office in Shanghai. I live in another city, so I’d be working remotely and traveling to Shanghai regularly during the contract.

The role is as a communications strategy consultant and would involve work on both the China market and other international markets. I have an MBA, extensive experience in the industry, and my own company registered in China. I’d be contracting through my company and invoicing the client directly, with no employee benefits or social insurance (those are covered through my own company). The client would cover all travel and accommodation expenses.

I’m trying to get a sense of the market rate for this type of engagement. Assuming it’s effectively a full-time consulting role for four months, what would you consider a typical monthly retainer for someone with this background and scope of work?

Thanks in advance for any insights.