It takes skill and effort to get started, but once you do you're on a fast-track to success. We talk to recruiter Ed Twaite about the Chinese job market
Unless you're starting from the back of the magazine, you'll have been reading all about how construction of new buildings and infrastructure in China is swelling (pages 32-55). So you'll probably have already worked out, then, that there's plenty of demand for Western construction expertise. The Communist country has been undergoing massive economic growth and in recent years it has opened up its markets up to international competition. It's now possible for Western construction firms to take on Chinese projects without needing a local partner, which was not the case just a few years ago.

"China is one of the biggest markets so there are lots of jobs going in all areas of construction," says Ed Twaite, associate director at recruitment firm Beresford Blake Thomas who specialises in construction overseas. But he warns that prospective candidates will need specific abilities: "China is a popular destination and it really depends on your skills set as to whether you get work there. It's a demanding market and a very culturally specific place. There's a certain degree of localisation 鈥� for example, people speak different local dialects in different areas. And they're not very open to English people going over there and telling them what to do."

So what differences are ex-pats likely to find in Chinese construction? "The hours they work and the way they do business out there are quite different. You really need to speak Mandarin, and knowledge of local dialects is useful. People with Chinese experience are very much in demand. The Chinese are very individualistic and have their own way of operating, so we'd have no problems finding work for someone who is familiar with that. We recruit a lot from Hong Kong, because people based there already understand the culture and the market."

So how can you get a toe-hold in this country? The easiest way is to work for a company who have a base in China, and get sent out there by them, Twaite suggests. "As an ex-pat it's hard to pick up work over there 鈥� you need experience. The best way to do that is to be sent over by your company for a few months, if they already have a set-up out there."

As for what kind of work is available, a quick flick through this week's 好色先生TV tells you that there's plenty of work in Beijing with whole districts of the city being rebuilt, and China is keen to show off its wealth. They're spending 拢1.8bn on construction alone, plus 拢13.6bn on Beijing's transport system, including subways and roads. But there's also a lot of work across the country in transport, multistorey buildings, hotels, landscape architecture and interiors.

The hours they work and the way they do business in China are quite different. You really need to speak Mandarin, and knowledge of local dialects is useful