The bank said, while 35% of expats were happy with the move, 23% said they made the wrong decision to go to China and 42% are of “mixed minds” about the decision.
NatWest IPB’s research, which was conducted between October and December last year and which surveyed 1,800 British expats based around the world, found the majority (63%) of those living in China are on work assignments. Indeed working in China brings clear benefits, with 86% of respondents saying they enjoy a higher salary and almost 70% highlighting the career advancement China offers as a benefit.
Interestingly, the more social aspects of living in China were not rated as highly by respondents as the benefits brought to their work and career. Only 48% of respondents said they liked the “exciting culture” the most about living in China, 43% cited the Chinese people as the best factor and 39% said they liked “feeling worthwhile in a community” the most.
It should be noted however, that, despite clear cultural differences, almost two thirds of respondents believe China is a “foreigner friendly” country. Respondents also said a major benefit of living in China is the “increased cross cultural awareness” it brings.
By far the largest form of employment of expats in China is language teaching, with 37% of expats employed in this field, with financial services, IT and health attracting 19%, 15% and 12% of expats respectively.
When asked about aspects of living in China they do not like, expats highlighted a number of perhaps unsurprising issues. The largest of which is the language barrier, cited by 96% as one of the biggest obstacles, while 63% said overcrowding is a problem and 72% said pollution is a concern.
