All of the comparisons to immigrants in the U.S. who can't speak English don't necessarily apply. I worked in Beijing as an assistant teacher (really a full fledged instructor) in a startup 3D animation school run jointly by Americans and Chinese. At least when I was there in 2007, the students held myself and the other western instructors in very high esteem, even though I was younger than most of them. There's a perception that the westerners especially in teaching roles are the key to all knowledge, and there's a huge desire to learn everything. The school had translators present so language wasn't really an issue. I visited several companies and schools and found other westerners in similar roles, so I imagine there are still opportunities other than teaching English if you look specifically at startups and other institutions.
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All of the comparisons to immigrants in the U.S. who can't speak English don't necessarily apply. I worked in Beijing as an assistant teacher (really a full fledged instructor) in a startup 3D animation school run jointly by Americans and Chinese. At least when I was there in 2007, the students held myself and the other western instructors in very high esteem, even though I was younger than most of them. There's a perception that the westerners especially in teaching roles are the key to all knowledge, and there's a huge desire to learn everything. The school had translators present so language wasn't really an issue. I visited several companies and schools and found other westerners in similar roles, so I imagine there are still opportunities other than teaching English if you look specifically at startups and other institutions.