Games, food, raffle, hay rides, harvest cooking contest, second-hand sale, pumkin carving…

2pm-5pm. Transportation provided

More info below.
Contact: pto@cdischina.com

12 tips on “How to succeed (or not fail) doing business in China”

1. Take an interpreter to the first meeting. “Never expect to convey a technical message to a Chinese in English. He will never admit he doesn’t understand” experts say. A Chinese interpreter will cost between 50$ to 1000$. An Israeli interpreter will want much more and will probably want to be involved in the business development.
2. Present your business card with both hands. You must study your Chinese college’s business card and under no circumstances should you ever stash it in your back pocket.
3. When negotiating there’s only one person you should be talking to – the Senior manager. There is no open conversation with the rest, as approaching them will embarrass the negotiating team.
4. You should try and spot who’s the real decision maker. Some Chinese pass the burden of making the decision from one manager to another so that they don’t assume responsibility.
5. The most important part of negotiations is spending time together in a good restaurant, or at a Kareoke (KTV). Some deals will not be signed before drinking together a Chinese liquor. Some Israelis have commented that it tastes awful.
6. Chinese are not impressed with the use of body language. They consider that a weakness.
7. Arriving late to a meeting is considered an act of insult which might undermine a whole deal.
8. Gifts should be presented on a personal basis, and not in front of other members of the organization, so that it wouldn’t be considered a bribe.
9. The Chinese refuses gifts 3 times, but will accept it on the 4^th.
10. It’s better to wrap gifts in red paper, as it is considered a symbol of luck and fortune.
11. Recommended topics for conversation : The weather, domestic tourism in China, Chinese art, good experiences in China.
12. Recommended topics to avoid : Political subjects

Maxxelli-blog: Name, Sex, Position?
Karin: Karin Noll, female, director of QSI International School.

Maxxelli-blog: What do you do in Chengdu?
Karin: I came to Chengdu in 2005 to be the director of QSI Chengdu.

What did you do before?
Karin: I have been working in international schools around the world for the last 30 years. Both teacher and administrator.

How QSI started? When? Why?
Karin: QSI stands for Quality Schools International. QSI is a non-profit organization operating over 35 international schools in Europe, Central Asia, the Far East, South America, and the Middle East. The QSI International School of Chengdu benefits from the unique opportunities afforded by this organized network of schools with three decades of proven performance.QSI in Chengdu opened its doors in the fall of 2002.

Maxxelli-blog: Who are your customers?
Karin: Diplomatic and international business.

What kind of services and products do you propose to customers?
Karin: QSI offers a high quality American education in English for students from three years old through eighteen years old. An enrollment of 120 students is projected for the 2009-2010 school year, representing at least 20 nationalities, including students from the international business and diplomatic community. We expect continued growth coinciding with the growing international community.

Maxxelli-blog: What is the difference between your school and other schools?
Karin: QSI Chengdu is fully accredited by MIDDLE STATE ASSOCIATION. Our teachers are all native English speakers with teaching certificates.

Contact:

Address:

#188 Nan 3 Duan
3rd Ring Road
American Garden
QSI Int’l School of Chengdu
Chengdu, China 610041

Telephone:  86-28-8511-3853

Fax: 86-28-8519-8393

Website: http://www.qsi.org/home.htm

E-mail:  chengdu@qsi.org

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Recent graduates in industries from engineering to finance in both Europe and the U.S. are making their way to the country, hoping to land their first jobs faster and more easily than their competitors.

Lesmes Gutiérrez, a 23-year-old engineering graduate of Loughborough University in the U.K., who had a two-week placement with Baoshang Bank in Beijing late last year, says potential employers are more impressed with those who can demonstrate a willingness to move out of their comfort zone. “It’s quite a big step to go somewhere not knowing what to expect. The idea of going to China calls for awareness and the willingness to relocate,” which could be appealing to employers, he says.

And he’s not the only one to have spotted the competitive advantage work experience in China may bring. Applications for internships there have more than tripled over the past couple of years, according to figures released by CRCC Asia, a London-based recruitment consultancy.

In 2009, the company received about 250 applications, compared with more than 1,000 so far this year, says CRCC Asia Director Daniel Nivern. “The Chinese economy is booming and it’s very appealing for graduates to get an insight as to why that’s happening by visiting [the country]. With the job market depressed in the U.K. and the U.S., China offers a great opportunity to get a long-term career,” he says.

He says China has also come into focus for Western companies looking to grow. “A lot of businesses realize that if they want to be part of the global economy, they need to be going into China,” adds Mr. Nivern, whose company has mostly placed recent graduates from the U.K. and the U.S., but also from other European countries like Spain, in finance, marketing and legal firms in China.

“I have been told repeatedly that my work in China looks great on my résumé,” says Alexander Lesher, who recently finished a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering at the Indiana-based Purdue University and subsequently undertook a two-month internship at environmental company Nanjing Zhuangxun Tech Co. in Beijing.

He says his experience there gave him a greater awareness of cultural differences. He says he was surprised by the way business people interacted during lunches. During a working meal with a group of about eight people, a single person would buy enough food to completely fill the table and would go out of his or her way to make sure everyone ate as much as possible. “Then they would act humbly, as if they have done nothing,” he says. “That wouldn’t happen in the U.S.”

Others visiting China for the first time found the first few days disconcerting. Sophie Corcut, a former unpaid marketing intern at fair-trade company Shangrila Farms, says: “Living in Beijing and dealing with a totally foreign language was challenging. Things like crossing the road or buying things in the supermarket or counting the numbers were suddenly difficult.” But it was precisely that challenge that Ms. Corcut, who borrowed from her parents to fund her trip, was looking for. “It was brilliant. I was looking for that stimulation.”

Ms. Corcut, who now has a full-time job with management consultancy Accenture in London, says her two months’ work experience in China was more rewarding than previous internships she had done in her native England. “I have done a lot of work experience in the U.K., and they actually don’t need you. You are just there, and they are constantly trying to find you work. You are given something very menial,” she says. “But in China they were actually using me. I was lucky to be interning for a young company that needed a lot of help.”

She says initially after graduation she wasn’t sure what to do professionally with a degree in history and French, but in China she learned how to use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and started designing promotional leaflets for the company. “I tried to get a big sales push and tried to get new clients,” she says.

But some recruiters are swift to point out that China isn’t the only place that will help students stand out. Chris McCarthy, of London-based recruiter Hays PLC, says it isn’t China experience per se that employers are looking for but evidence that potential employees are willing to challenge themselves.

“If Europe and the U.S. are going to maintain their place in global business people need to be prepared to put on a back pack” and head for less familiar places, says Mr. McCarthy. “It is evidence that people are willing to challenge themselves, not specifically China, that employers are looking for. They want to see a bit of ambition and entrepreneurship,” he says.

He adds, however, that China can be of particular relevance to employers looking for people with experience in emerging markets.

But while experience in China may be invaluable, some obstacles can seem formidable. Mr. Gutiérrez, working at a microlender, struggled with Chinese. “The problem with a rural bank is that Chinese is its first language and English is not used at all. When it came to producing reports on the fluctuation of gold prices, there were no previous templates I could use so I had to rely on an intuitive process and then improve the subsequent reports based on feedback.”

Despite some barriers, the benefits run in both directions, and companies in China are profiting from the surge in interest from potential interns in the West. Thomas Cao, chief executive of Beijing-based Broad Global Venture Capital Co., says he finds real value in the work done by interns.

“We look for graduates to come and do real work. We have asked our interns, for example, to help us analyze the chances of companies going public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange,” he says.

Ultimately, says Mr. Lesher, going to China was about turning a personal fascination into a tangible benefit for his career. “The country was just a point of personal fascination. I wasn’t sure how it would work out.”

Source: http://online.wsj.com/

CDIS –

The school was founded in 1997. At the beginning there were four teachers for 18 students. Now the school has 26 foreign teachers and 48 Chinese staff members under the direction of Jim Belcher and there are 250 students.

Where is the CDIS located?

The CDIS is located outside of Third Ring Road in one of Chengdu’s two high-tech industrial zones.

Initially the school was located at the third floor of the Jia Hao School. As the number of students was continually increasing, CDIS moved to the fifth floor of Jinguan Xincheng School in 2002. Finally the direction board decided to build a new campus exclusively for the CDIS in which the school moved in on December 24, 2005.

What are the facilities of the CDIS?

The campus has three classroom buildings, an auditorium, library, science and computer labs, a track and field, and two basketball courts. There is wireless internet access throughout the campus.

What kind of extra-curricular activities does CDIS propose?

Students can participate to different activities such as art, choir, drama, band, chess, volleyball, basketball, soccer, baseball and dance.

Since CDIS is part of the International Schools of China (ISC) which is a multi-school program, students and teachers are able to participate in system-wide programs where they can interact with others outside of their immediate school. Students compete in chess, basketball, volleyball and soccer tournaments. They also participate in the annual ISC choral festival in Tianjin.

What kind of guiding principles does the CDIS observe concerning its students’ education?

CDIS wants to provide quality college-preparatory education to its students.  The keywords are academics (“focus on the mastery of a core body of knowledge and on the discovery of additional knowledge”), character (“act with honor and integrity in all areas of our personal and professional lives”) and truth (“articulate and defend an appropriate view of truth”).

How can my child be admitted to the CDIS?

The admission procedure is detailed on the CDIS website or you can contact the school by phone (see contact information below).

Contact :

Campus Address:

Chengdu International School
399 Shuxi Road
Zhonghai International Community
Chengdu, Sichuan 611731
P.R. China

蜀西路399号
中海国际社区 611731

Telephone: +86 (028) 8608-1162

Fax: +86 (028) 8759-2265

Website: http://www.cdischina.com/

Directions:

1. On 3rd Ring Road, at YangXi Overpass, take the Exit toward ChengGuan Expressway
2. Continue for 3.5 km
3. Make a left turn at a McDonald’s© Drive-Thru Restaurant; Chengdu International School is on the right side.

Maxxelli blog has made a Google map depicting the bus route of the 4 QSI buses.

Bus line number 1 is BLUE

Bus line number 2 is RED

Bus line number 3 is GREEN

Bus line number 4 is YELLOW

Please click on the individual bubbles to see the address and name of the compound.

For more information about QSI Chengdu, please see this link
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