Joint venture jobs offer both pain and gain
"The joint-venture job admired by millions of Chinese is demanding, challenging and hard. Because of my work, I have to have a rubber head, two rabbit legs and a myna mouth."
During his eight-hoursplus at work, Wang Zhaohui is like a tightly wound clock. He works, works and works. Even when he goes to the washroom, he has to be speedy about it.
Wang is one of thousands of Chinese employees working for foreign-funded enterprises, including joint ventures.
Admired by millions of ordinary Chinese, people like Wang who have foreign bosses are regarded with envy, but sometimes also with a bit of contempt for being lucky and rich － for they enjoy air-conditioned offices, nice clothes and the convenience of travelling by taxi.
"I don't work in a joint venture for the money but for the opportunities," said Wang, a 26-year-old sales representative.
"Actually, compared to my last job, my salary is about the same. But the work is harder."
A 1988 graduate of Beijing University, Wang's first job was as a teacher.
He soon discovered that his light teaching load, although comfortable, did not give him much opportunity to develop himself, see the world and achieve career success.
"My parents can stay in one work place for more than 30 years, even if it isn't satisfying," Wang said. "But I can't. I am a soldier who wants to be a general."
Wang is not the only one who wants to be a general. Indeed, foreign-funded enterprises, as compared with State-owned work places, can provide the soldiers with more opportunities to become generals.
"We don't pay much attention to whether an employee has a college diploma or not," said Cui Heting, a manager at the Great Wall Sheraton Hotel, a Sino-US joint venture. "What we attach importance to is the employee's practical ability."
As long as you do a good job, you have the possibility of getting promoted, even if you have only worked here several months or have only several months of formal schooling," Cui said.
No matter what background or connections you have, all employees compete on an equal footing. That's one characteristic of joint ventures that attracts people.
Take Pang Weiquan of the China World Hotel for example. The 23-year-old vocational school graduate is now the assistant manager of the French Restaurant Department. Because of his hard work, he was sent to Singapore by the hotel for a six-month training course in hotel management.
"God helps those who help themselves," said the assistant manager, who asked to work in the kitchen for two months so that he could learn about the cuisine.
"I am satisfied with this working environment because it provides many opportunities for young people," Pang said. "But I am not satisfied with myself. I need to learn more to improve my abilities."
Like Wang Zhaohui, Pang's goal is to achieve success in his career. Both feel that getting a promotion is a mark of career success.
"If I can't get promoted here, I'll quit," Pang said. "I am sure that as long as I am competitive, I can achieve success elsewhere."
Unlike people working in State-owned enterprises, young Chinese like Wang and Pang think upward mobility is more important than job security.
That's why it is said that people working in foreign-funded enterprises have more courage.
It takes courage to give up a comfortable and stable life to join a foreign-funded enterprise, accepting the challenges and enduring the hardships. However, it takes even more courage for an employee to leave a joint venture, giving up the extra income and the perks.
"Money isn't everything," said Xiao Jun, one of Pang's colleagues, who left the China World Hotel four months ago.
The 22-year-old former hostess, who is tall and attractive, looks like a fashion model.
"Actually many of my friends advised me to participate in some fashion shows or even films to earn fame and money," Xiao said. "But I'd rather be a student now."
She is studying English at a small school where the classroom, library, dorm and dining hall occupy her daily life.
Student life is considered boring by her classmates, but she says it's OK
"It is boring to be a hostess all the time," Xiao said. "On the surface, we serve people food and drinks and that's all. But, in fact, it is not that simple if you do the work well.
You must do whatever your boss wants you to do. We have two Gods: One is the customer and the other is the boss."
She said she felt no regrets about giving up her job.
It is natural for some clashes caused by cultural differences to arise when Chinese and foreigners work closely together. Chinese employees are asked to adjust, but the process of adjustment is not always easy.
Most Chinese also find it difficult to get used to the idea of being fired. But for those working for foreign-invested enterprises, they at least have the option of quitting, which means they can leave the company if they don't like their bosses. Wen Xiaohai was one of them.
Wen graduated from the Beijing Institute of Iron and Steel Engineering in 1989. He had the chance of going to work at the Capital Iron and Steel Corporation, a leading steel production base in China. But he passed up the opportunity and went to the Beijing-Santiago Copper Tube Corporation Ltd, a Sino-Chilean enterprise, instead.
He began as an ordinary worker, but after less than a year, he was deputy director of the processing workshop. But that wasn't enough. Wen had thought he would have a bright future at the company, but when this didn't pan out, he left.
"Not all foreign bosses are competent," Wen said, "and not all joint ventures are well-managed and have good economic benefits."
"Sometimes, I think I am smarter than my foreign bosses. They often criticize the employees but the criticism is not to the point. In such a working environment, I don't think I would have had a bright future, although I had a relatively high salary and position."
Wen now works for a collectively owned sports goods shop. His monthly salary is about 300 yuan less than his former one.
"I don't care that I am starting from zero," Wen said, "as long as I can use my ability."
The 23-year-old is not pursuing money. And he is not in a hurry to earn money in another foreign-invested enterprise.
"There are so many foreign-invested enterprises in Beijing. I have to choose one that I can trust with my future."
In addition to the joint ventures, there are more than 1,300 foreign resident offices in Beijing. By last June 882 of them had signed employment contracts with the Foreign Enterprise Service Corporation (FESCO), Beijing, the agency that handles the hiring of Chinese citizens who work for foreign enterprises.
Lu Xiaoqin, who is in charge of public relations at FESCO, said at first most of the Chinese employees working for foreign offices were housekeepers, but now secretaries account for 30 per cent and representatives 6.7 per cent.
"Chinese employees are competent in their work," said Rod Camposagrado, banquet manager of the China World Trade Center. "Most of them work hard, although they are not so experienced."
"It is a pleasant thing to co-orperate with Chinese people," the Filipino manager said.
Although Wang and Pang are not as lucky as others think they are, they are really much luckier than Zhang Zhongnan, Wang's colleague.
Zhang is from Anhui Province while Wang and Pang are Beijingers. Zhang has a Beijing residence card but because the joint venture doesn't provide housing, Wang and Pang live with their parents while Zhang has to live in a small dormitory room.
"If any enterprise provided me housing, even if it was a State-owned enterprise, I would join it right away," the 26-year-old sales supervisor said. "What I need most now is stability."
Zhang has been in Beijing for seven years. He said he has had enough of "being homeless." He is really in a dilemma: should he continue to pursue his career in an unstable working enviroment or should he switch to a State-owned enterprise so he can eventually obtain housing?
"The joint-venture job admired by millions of Chinese is demanding, challenging and hard," Wang said. "Because of my work, I have to have a rubber head, two rabbit legs and a myna mouth."
By a rubber head, he means he must be able to withstand being reproached. Rabbit legs and myna mouth mean he must be diligent and eloquent.
"It is true that employees like Zhang and me who work for foreign-funded enterprises are paid relatively higher wages," Wang said, "but we also pay a high price for this."
