Why should I study in china?
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Is getting a Masters degree in China worth it for a foreigner? Is there opportunity for work outside of English teaching provided fluency?
I’m assuming you’re looking for jobs aside from teaching English. Let me start by stating the truth of Master’s degrees in China for almost all foreigners:
They’re largely a sham and you don’t learn much. Why?
I won’t speak for other subjects e.g. management or the humanities, but let’s go with engineering. I’m taking a Master’s degree in engineering which is conducted in Chinese, so I know what I’m talking about.
If you come with zero or rudimentary knowledge of Chinese, you’re not going to absorb much from Chinese classes even after a year or two of slogging for Chinese, unless you’re a genius (in which case, you wouldn’t come to China). When the teacher writes formulas, explains concepts from the slides and asks students questions in Chinese, you probably don’t understand much, if at all.
Discussions with your Chinese classmates? They’ll avoid you like the plague, because they know you don’t understand much and can barely hold a decent conversation, much less a technical discussion. HSK 5 being sufficient for studying in Chinese is nonsense, because it’s so easy local Chinese and folks like me who’ve learnt Chinese from young think it’s child’s play.
Would you pass? Yes, because foreigners can’t fail.
Would you actually learn anything? Highly doubtful. You’ll go through your Master’s having learnt nothing from your lessons.
If you take classes in English, the syllabus is watered down significantly, because teachers aren’t able to teach the material as well in English as opposed to Chinese. You learn bits here and there, but nothing like the rigour you’d get if you learnt in Chinese. I haven’t gone into detail about the lab experience… it’s even worse than this.
So, how does all this relate to whether a Chinese Master’s is worth your time?
Are you intending to work in China with little or no work experience?
It’s impossible for fresh bachelor degree holders to get a job in China, especially when it’s not for a position to teach English. You may see ads promoting high salaries and whatnot, but they’re almost all scams - you’ll get deported and have a travel ban imposed on you for a few years. Getting a work visa for non-teaching work requires at least 2 years of relevant work experience, so that stint you had as a barista at Starbucks isn’t going to cut it. Your network isn’t going to help you here either, because it’s getting harder by the day.
On the other hand, it’s possible to get a work visa as a freshly-minted Master’s degree holder. While there are still significant challenges to surmount (including getting a offer and preferably graduating from a good i.e. 985, 211, C9 institution with good scores), if that’s what your aim of studying a Master’s in China is, you can consider giving it a shot.
Be warned though - many HR personnel reject foreign graduates from Chinese universities because they’re typically of much lower calibre than their Chinese counterparts, for reasons which I partially elaborated on in the earlier part of this answer, so you have to be really good, or know someone - which means you need to have some substance anyway, otherwise they wouldn’t recommend you. Trying to make your way through an interview if selected is difficult too - because you haven’t learnt much from your Master’s degree; a Chinese technical interview will crush you faster than you can step on a bug.
Are you looking for increased remuneration?
This depends on your country of origin. I’m not sure how it works in other countries, but in China, you’re not going to get more in a non-teaching job compared to a Chinese graduate if you have minimal or no work experience, unless you prove that you have a valuable skill that the company can’t find in the huge labour market at the premium you’d like to command. You’ll get the same pay, and it may be below your expectations - it may even be below what English teachers get paid. Even if you’re fluent in Chinese, you’re definitely less fluent than a local. In addition, how good is your English?
All Chinese students study English (varying levels of fluency), and you have overseas returnees competing in the job market as well, some of whom have excellent English considering they’re non-native speakers. If you have a skillset that’s really valuable, for instance being able to compose a technical report, give technical presentations and liaise with various groups in both English and Chinese fluently, and it’s what you anticipate a Master’s degree in China would help you to achieve, you might be on to something.
If not, look elsewhere… you’ll learn more and get paid more (before taxes and factoring in cost of living at the least).
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