A lot of recent graduates are not able to find a job.  Or the best one they can find right now pays only $7 an hour part-time.  Because of the current economy, many Americans are leaving.  They are going to places where there are still jobs available.

One of these places is China.  Many recent grads have hopped on planes and are now teaching English full-time.  English teachers are in high demand for both Chinese students and businessmen.  For example, Mikala Reasbeck just recently graduated from college and couldn’t find a job in the U.S., so she headed to China and found a full time job without speaking any Chinese dialects. 

In China "the jobs are so easy to find.  And there are so many," Reasbeck said.  These jobs are not only offering graduate’s salaries, but professional experience.  However, when the economy does improve, they will face a difficult decision of continuing to work in China, or coming back to the U.S.

Chris Watkins manager of a headhunting firm in China and Hong Kong said that "China is really the land of opportunity now, compared to their home countries."  "This includes college graduates as well as more established businesspeople, entrepreneurs and executives from companies around the world."

Even though China has also faced a slowing economy, the prospects of finding employment are much better over there.  China has seen young foreigners coming for work, because the markets are much worse in the United States, Europe, and some Asian countries.   

Many graduates had to accept job offers that were different than they had planned, because they either couldn’t find work or companies withdrew their offer. So many college grads are teaching piano lessons, leading fishing tours in Alaska, delivering pizzas, or whatever else they can find.

For individuals that either can’t find a job or hate their job might want to think about working abroad.  China is one country that can be easier for foreign workers to get into.  There have been difficulties acquiring work permits in Russia and some other European countries. 

Although rules were tightened preceding the Beijing Olympics in 2008, which forced some foreign workers to leave because their visas expired.  Approximately 217,000 individuals held work permits in China at the end of 2008.  But thousands more use temporary business visas and go abroad regularly in order to renew them.

Many young professionals report that they live more comfortably in China with a lower salary than they would enjoy in the U.S.  Working in China not only can offer you employment, but it’s also a great asset when you return to your home country, or when trying to get into business schools.

A former London banker reports that it is easier to reach top-level positions in China, plus he earns more money and works fewer hours.  However, this isn’t the case for everybody.  Applicants must also realize that there are also many Chinese competing for jobs that also have degrees from western universities, work experience, and many will work for less money.

While leaving the U.S. to find a job may not work for you, it is a great option.  You will not only have a steady income, but also great experience which can help you when you’re applying for a job back in the U.S. Or you may fall in love with China and become an expatriate.   
 

So, the ‘recession-proof’ label has become sickeningly overused. A year ago, Yahoo HotJobs! published an article featuring outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. They named Education, Energy, Healthcare, International Business, Environmental Sector, and Security as recession-proof careers. So how recession-proof were these careers?

Check out the list below and see which ones are actually doing as well as predicted:

1. Education With dozens of states in dire financial straits, education budgets are getting slashed and burned faster than the rainforest. As if public schoolteachers weren’t already getting ripped off on their salaries…

2. Energy The folks in this industry must have freaked last summer when people started seriously limiting their gas usage. Lucky for them, the price of gas plummeted and got everyone back to the good ol’ American tradition of burning petroleum like there’s no tomorrow. Keep in mind, however, that with a recession gnawing away at pocketbooks, Americans will cut back significantly on gasoline usage this year- guaranteed.

3. Health Care  While doctors and hospitals have seen a drop in non-urgent health care, this industry is holding relatively strong. People still need emergency care, and life-threatening injuries and diseases have not taken a holiday.

4. International Business What a lot of people didn’t realize last year is how quickly a financial crisis in the U.S. would spread to the rest of the world in a serious way. They thought that American businesses would simply migrate to more plentiful hunting grounds overseas. Well, a year later, everybody is pulling back, from Beijing to New Delhi to New York to Paris. This year, the grass is not greener on the other side… on any side, for that matter.

5. Environmental Sector In the grand scheme of things, in the history of business and commerce, let’s face it: the green movement is just a fad. When corporations are trying to figure out how to just stay alive for the next three years, the last thing on their minds is going to be buying chairs made of recycled bamboo shoots just because their existing furniture is non-biodegradable. The only hope for this industry is to create green solutions that also dramatically help cut costs. With any given corporation, it’s Company first, Earth second.

6. Security They said, "No matter what happens to the economy, the public has to be protected." Police careers are stable, they said. I say, NOT ANYMORE, for the same reason education is no longer safe. Our states are bankrupt and are looking for every way they can to trim down costs. As long as our state governments are neck-deep in debt, don’t count on them paying for one police officer after another. They are already having to say, "We just can’t afford any more."

So, look at the results: 2 out of 6 of their so-called "recession-proof" jobs actually were. One of those is at risk. That’s a 33 percent batting average at best. Not good odds. Funny thing? I haven’t been able to find any "recession-proof" job lists for 2009.