Stuck with Gaohua

I applied to Asia and I told them I wanted to be in HK. The little boys put me in Beijing. I'm American. I don't want to be in Beijing! Does anyone know how they make these decisions???

Is it because my last is Lin and not Lam?

What can I do in Beijing??

10 Comments
 

is that for corporate finance or research? do you speak mandarin? did you intern w/ gsgh or gs hk over the summer? i ask because this is the first time i've heard an american being "put" in beijing - granted, it is an unspoken rule that ppl from prc backgrounds interviewing for ibd positions with gs asia will be automatically be considered for beijing, and all the hk/american folks get to stay in hk. but still, it wouldn't surprise me if their headcount is tight for hk and you speak mandarin fluently...if you interned w/ gs hk, though, you may still have a chance to stay in hk if you have enough hk bankers vouch for you...just my two cents...

 

no i interned at a debt fund in nyc my junior summer, but i knew an alum from my school who works in gs hk, so he told me to apply. i did, and somehow im at gaohua. my mandarin skills are more conversational than fluent

dont most of their analysts get put in beijing? i heard the very limited hk spots are for hk kids or kids of hk desent?

 

Alright guys all jokes aside, how does Gaohua compare with HK, what's the difference, and how do I get back to HK? Thanks!

 

if your mandarin skills are less than fluent, you're gonna have a rough time as an analyst in beijing. period. business is done very differently in the mainland, and in some senses one can argue that analysts get far more responsibilities and "client exposure" (can be good or bad depending on the person, make your own choice) in beijing than anywhere else. but again, language skills are crucial. if i were you, i'd keep interviewing at other banks in hk (if hk is where you want to be) and avoid gsgh if possible. i'm honestly very surprised that they gave you a beijing offer knowing you don't speak fluent mandarin in the first place.

 
Best Response

JJLM- Don't be so quick to brush Beijing aside. I was there this past summer for 2 months and I loved it. I had the chance to choose whether to go to Shanghai or Beijing and I chose Beijing mainly because I knew there would be more opportunity to improve my Mandarin, but I was very hesitant going into it because I thought Beijing was slightly backward and probably very boring, when compared to what Shanghai has to offer.

Beijing has terrible weather (pollution is insane), is dirty, and in some aspects, kind of ghetto, but all of that seems trivial once you settle in. There are still plenty of night spots to hit up, women at the bars/clubs are beautiful, locals love foreigners, and the cost of living is low.

I went to Shanghai afterwards and didn't like it as much as Beijing. There is less culture and for the most part, locals are rude, many of whom act like they deserve some sort of entitlement.

Career wise, I'm sure most would argue that HK is the better choice, but I just wanted to throw it out there that Beijing isn't as bad as some may think. Also, if you get paid American wages (I assume so), you will be ballin out of control (hope that the dollar doesn't drop anymore). If you do get "stuck" with Beijing, send me a PM and I can tell you all about Beijing in greater detail.

 

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