Martin Li

    martin.mouse@163.com

    SHENZHEN is not the first choice for pursuing a career, according to most foreign students set to graduate from a city university in June.

    Only one or two of the 32 foreign students soon to graduate from Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School (PKUSZ) are planning to work in Shenzhen, according to the school’s office of administration.

    The students are from 25 countries, including Germany, Iceland, Pakistan, Turkey, France, Thailand, Singapore and Russia.

    German Andre Georgi, a management major, yesterday told Shenzhen Daily that he plans to work in Shanghai. He explained that, to him, Shanghai is the most vibrant and developed city in China.

    Georgi, who was offered a position with a Shanghai consulting firm, says: “I don’t think it [Shenzhen] is a particularly nice city. It is still in the development phase. The city itself is not as developed as Shanghai and it does not have so many career opportunities,” he says.

    “I never tried working for a firm in Shenzhen. There are some good companies here, like Huawei and Vanke, but their internship opportunities are either unpaid or not demanding enough. That’s why I prefer foreign firms in Beijing or Shanghai,” Georgi said.

    He suggested that Shenzhen should draw more foreign firms and implement easier visa regulations to enhance its appeal for foreign jobseekers.

    (Continued on P3)

    Kristaps Ronis, a Latvian finance major, is planning to live in Hong Kong and work for a bank in the city. She says she chose not to work in Shenzhen largely due to language issues. “Banking, especially investment banking, in China requires fluent mandarin as well as local connections. If local companies decide to penetrate international markets, international students would probably have more job opportunities here (in Shenzhen)”, says Ronis. “We have a lot to offer Chinese companies, but they are currently focused on the local market where we (foreign graduates) are not as competitive.”

    However, Ronis said Shenzhen is a vibrant city with entrepreneurial spirit, thus any individual with strong drive and good skills can pursue his or her career goals here.

    For Arvy Harahap, an Indian management major, Shenzhen is a viable alternative. “I’m planning to work in Shenzhen, Beijing or Hong Kong,” said Harahap.

    Harahap is keen to enter the entertainment industry, hoping to work for companies such as CAA and IMG in Beijing and Hong Kong.

    Harahap is now waiting to hear back from a Shenzhen firm, a provider of services for expats, including assisting in housing and relocation.

    “The business culture here (in Shenzhen) still looks at the color of skin. (The city should) give all foreign job seekers the same treatment and opportunities,” said Harahap.

    Mehmet Akif Tutuncu, a Turkish student at Shenzhen University, said Shenzhen’s proximity to Guangzhou and Hong Kong makes it an international city. “I’ll stay in Shenzhen and work in the battery trade by taking advantage of my Chinese-language ability,” said Tutuncu, who has studied Chinese for five years. Tutuncu added that Shenzhen is a center for battery production.