The gap between ideal and reality: life aspects of returnees born in the 1980s

"The Gap between Ideal and Reality: Aspects of Life for Returnees born in the 1980s" was reported on August 28.

Photo courtesy of CFP

The tide of returnees can be roughly divided into two streams. One is the overseas students who went abroad in the 1980s, and the other is the new wave of returnees. student of the century. The former are mostly born in the 1960s, while the latter are mostly born in the 1980s.

In the late 1990s, there was a craze for studying abroad. At that time, returnees were still a term that people looked up to. But 10 years later, the reality has suddenly changed - data from the Ministry of Education shows that in 2010, the number of returning overseas students in my country reached approximately 500,000. As a group of returnees, the supply has gone from being in short supply to being in oversupply. The value of the "returnees" brand has dropped rapidly, and the "happy time" of returnees has become a thing of the past.

When the halo fades from their heads, where will the love of the post-80s returnees go? In reality, what confusions do they face? We intercepted four samples, hoping to provide some reference for future returnees.

Life in China seems to be “unaccustomed to the local environment”

At the end of last year, 28-year-old Zhao Yuanzheng (the characters in the article are all pseudonyms) returned to China.

Before returning to China, Zhao Yuanzheng had a pretty good job in Melbourne, Australia. He is a software engineer in a software company, with an annual income equivalent to RMB 500,000.

In Melbourne, Zhao Yuanzheng lives a calm life: he goes to work at 9:30 in the morning, gets off work at 5 in the afternoon, and spends most of the evening at home surfing the Internet. I have two days off a week, one day for cleaning the house and going to the supermarket, and the other day for watching movies and fishing with friends.

Zhao Yuanzheng has adapted to life in Melbourne. He said that this may be related to his personality. He likes to be quiet, and the living environment in Melbourne suits his state of mind. It's just that sometimes, Zhao Yuanzheng misses home and his parents. Sometimes, listening to the chatter on the other end of the Internet about how challenging the work in China is and how rich the nightlife is, Zhao Yuanzheng's heart will be tickled.

I returned home because my parents repeatedly urged me to do so. Zhao Yuanzheng is the only son in his family. His parents hope that he can return to China, get married and have children. This is also an important reason why a considerable number of returnees born in the 1980s finally choose to return to China.

Of course, Zhao Yuanzheng also has his own thoughts: "Life in Melbourne is peaceful, but subconsciously, I always hope that my life will change a little, and that when I return to China, I will have a sense of identity and belonging. It’s a down-to-earth feeling.”

During a holiday before returning to China, Zhao Yuanzheng returned to Ningbo and contacted a bank. But during the second round of interviews, he still chose to give up. The reason for giving up was that "the work concepts are too different."

At the end of last year, he returned to China and successfully got the opportunity to work in a Fortune 500 company in Shanghai.

In fact, for a person who has lived abroad for 9 years, life in China is real and slightly unfamiliar. Zhao Yuanzheng said that after he finally settled in Shanghai and lived for a while, he realized that everything in China was very different from what it was nine years ago. This difference includes both material and conceptual differences. Zhao Yuanzheng had to lament that during the nine years he had lived leisurely abroad, his motherland was developing at a speed he had never expected.

Although the unit where Zhao Yuanzheng works is a foreign-funded enterprise, in his eyes, it still has distinctive Chinese characteristics. For example, when working overtime, “I have to work until 7pm almost every day.”

The intensity and pressure of work here make him feel out of breath, “In Melbourne, there is tea time every afternoon. Before getting off work, you can go to the table tennis room and play table tennis. Now, even if you answer a personal phone call during working hours, you have to urge the other party to speak quickly.

"This makes him often miss Melbourne, that city with blue skies and slow life...

Sometimes, Zhao Yuanzheng will sigh: The cost of living in China is too high. He told reporters that he had forgotten it An account: "In Shanghai, a cup of Starbucks coffee costs 20 to 30 yuan, and I earn 60 to 70 yuan an hour. This means that I can only buy 3 cups of coffee for an hour of work; while in Melbourne, a cup of coffee costs 3 Australian dollars. , I can earn 30 Australian dollars an hour, which means I can buy 10 cups of coffee for one hour of work. "Not to mention the housing prices," a slightly better location in Shanghai costs 40,000 to 50,000 yuan per square meter, and a house of more than 100 square meters costs 5 to 6 million yuan. In Melbourne, you can even buy a villa. "

Once, an old returnee from the company patted Zhao Yuanzheng on the shoulder at the dinner table and said, "If you want to find a decent wife in Shanghai, you must be someone who owns a house and a car... "

It's not like Zhao Yuanzheng has never asked himself: If he does not rely on his parents and works hard alone, with an annual salary of 250,000 yuan before tax, then "how many years will it take to own his own house?" ”

“In fact, just think back to the reality you will face: finding a wife - having children - raising a family. You will feel that as a post-80s generation who has been abroad, you can hardly keep up. How do you work hard so that you can support your wife, children, and family with ease? " Zhao Yuanzheng said helplessly.

In fact, Zhao Yuanzheng has no clear plan for the future. "Maybe he will go back to Melbourne, maybe he will stay, slowly adapt, and accept everything in the country. He was silent for a while and said, "Who knows!" ”

Living a life “within the system”

In 2009, there was a financial crisis. When Wang Yiheng flew to the other side of the ocean, he had somewhat of this idea: Since it is hard to find jobs in China, , it’s better to take a break and go abroad to recharge.

At the University of Warwick in the UK, Wang Yiheng majored in industrial relations and human resources management. I am very proud, “This school ranks fourth in the UK, and the business school I studied in ranks among the top 20 in Europe. "

Wang Yiheng also considered the reason why he studied this major, "At that time, human resources in China were very popular. "He even envisioned a future for himself: returning to China after graduation and finding a job in a foreign-funded enterprise in Beijing or Shanghai.

There were 9 Chinese students in Wang Yiheng's class. Later, he got to know each other better. I found that everyone has the same idea: after completing a master's degree in the UK, there will be more and better job opportunities.

But things are not as good as everyone imagined. There was almost only one way left in front of everyone: to return to China. “The competition for finding a job in the UK was very fierce. Even for British locals, the unemployment rate was quite high, let alone leaving a place for us foreigners. " Wang Yiheng told reporters.

In October 2010, Wang Yiheng returned to Ningbo after graduation, entered a university, and lived a life "within the system."

In fact, Wang Yiheng Before going abroad, he had not thought about joining the "system", but when he came back and was in the "system", he realized that his job was the envy of many people in China. More and more young people have pinned their hopes in life on getting into a "public unit". This is something that Wang Yiheng, who had been focusing on his studies before, did not know.

Now, Wang Yiheng is on the Youth League Committee of the university. He works here and teaches several elective courses at the same time. He is increasingly satisfied with his current situation: although his income is not high, he has stability, high benefits, security, and a sense of security. “These are all very valuable right now. Factors." Sometimes, watching his former British classmates constantly jump from one foreign company to another, he would feel a little lucky and become more determined in his original choice.

When asked how the experience of studying in the UK has helped his current work, Wang Yiheng thought for a moment and said that when teaching elective courses, he also deliberately drew on British teaching methods. Because of this, His classes are very popular among students. “More than 200 students are taking my classes.” Apart from this, he seems to be unable to find any other advantages.

But this year, Wang Yiheng’s university recruited several more “returnees”, which gave him hope. “In fact, we can look further. When a university becomes more and more international, When the time comes, I think returnees will become more and more useful."

His worldview and views on love have changed a lot

Zhang Kai has always avoided talking about the topic of marriage after returning to China. , in the eyes of his father, he was an unfilial son who made his old father cry. His family sent him abroad so that he could have a good life in the future. But I didn't expect that the naughty and cute child would become taciturn after staying abroad for more than ten years. The biggest problem is that Zhang Kai, who is already 30 years old, has always refused to get married.

Zhang Kai went to New Zealand right after graduating from junior high school. It was 1999, and the study abroad craze had just begun in China. Zhang Kai, who comes from a good family, is one of the earlier batch of international students sent abroad by his parents. Although he had relatives there, Zhang Kai had a very painful life facing a completely unfamiliar environment and language, as well as food that was difficult to swallow. "The first one or two years were a complete torment. My English was not good and I couldn't even order food. There were new classmates in the school who were completely unfamiliar with me. I couldn't develop relationships at all because of the language barrier." Zhang Kai said that although New Zealand at that time There are many Chinese people, but there are very few international students of his age. Therefore, after coming out for several years, I have not been able to make a close friend.

Three years ago, Zhang Kai returned to Ningbo after graduating with a master's degree. The issue of work did not worry Zhang Kai much. After coming back, he immediately worked as a junior supervisor in a well-known foreign company. Zhang Kai said that the reason why the company's supervisor asked him to be a junior supervisor was that he had developed a foreign mindset through his years of studying abroad. However, after staying abroad for a long time, the world outlook, values ??and views on love have all changed. Although this has brought Zhang Kai a good job, it is also a double-edged sword, which has kept Zhang Kai single until now.

Zhang Kai told reporters that he had been in love abroad, and the other party was a Chinese New Zealand girl, and the two got along very happily. But as time went by, problems arose. After all, Zhang Kai grew up in China, and the two people still had many differences in values. Amidst the quarrel, the two broke up.

But after returning to China, Zhang Kai felt that there were differences in values ??between girls in China and him. "Girls in China are very delicate. It is best for their boyfriends to solve any problems they encounter. They always hope that boys will be strong so that they can rely on them in the future. But I like the independence and competence of foreign girls." Zhang Kai said.

After coming back, he also tried to find a girlfriend, but there was never a suitable one. His parents were also very anxious and frequently asked relatives, friends and matchmaking agencies to find a girl for Zhang Kai who would meet his requirements. In the past few years, Zhang Kai had kissed each other no less than 20 times, but every time the woman asked him about his workplace, annual income, whether he had a house, etc., Zhang Kai immediately became serious. We went on more than 20 blind dates, and almost every time they ended up with Zhang Kai turning around and walking away.

Not long ago, Zhang Kai was forced to go to a dating agency by his parents. When faced with the "impassioned" introduction from the matchmaker at the dating agency, the 1.8-meter-high young man said nothing and just said: He looked at the matchmaker with his head tilted, and then firmly stated that he had no thoughts of falling in love and getting married yet, "I'm just here for my family."

When asked about his future plans, Zhang Kai said calmly: "Let it go." This young man who claims to be not Chinese-minded still believes in fate. He said that many people abroad in their 40s and 50s If you don't get married, it's because you haven't found your true love. At present, he also hopes that he can find his true love in China, but in his opinion, this is not that easy.

Zhang Kai now laughs at himself as a Chinese in the eyes of foreigners. Foreigners in the eyes of Chinese people have foreigners' vigorous and rigid way of doing things, but they also have their stubborn and demanding perfection. "I think if I live in China longer and absorb more of the country's values ????and views on love, maybe I will find the right girl and start a family."

"Returnees" almost became "Waiting by sea"

Many people never thought that Sun Fan would go abroad. In the eyes of his family and classmates, Sun Fan has always been a good student with excellent academic performance. After graduating from high school, he was admitted to Huazhong University of Science and Technology (Weibo). He has been a top student in the school for four years in college. Not only did he receive scholarships every year, several units rushed to get him.

In May 2006, two months before graduation, Sun Fan flew to Australia persistently. In his eyes, he doesn't like the companies that are rushing to get him. The ideal starting point in his mind is at least the top 500 domestic companies, or even the top 500 companies in the world. The purpose of going abroad is to further his studies in gold plating. Sun Fan believes that with his own abilities and a diploma from a foreign graduate student, he will be able to find his ideal employer.

In order to help her son realize his ideal, Sun Fan's mother spent all her savings and mortgaged her house. When Sun Fan was in the sixth grade of elementary school, his parents divorced, and he had been living with his mother since he was a child. Growing up in a single-parent environment for many years also made Sun Fan's self-esteem and competitiveness much stronger than other peers. This may be one of the reasons why Sun Fan insisted on going abroad at all costs.

Sun Fan entered one of the top ten well-known schools in Australia and studied business administration, which was completely unrelated to the chemical engineering major he studied in college. During their two years in Australia, other international students lived a very leisurely life. They could spend a lot of time surfing the Internet every day, and even had short holidays to travel. Sun Fan was extremely busy. While studying hard, he used his spare time to find a part-time job as a tour guide, which basically solved the problem of living expenses.

"My family is not as good as other international students. I can only complete my studies in Australia through my own efforts." Sun Fan said, unlike other international students, he is still struggling to stay abroad or return to China. Tangled. From the day he embarked on his journey abroad, Sun Fan had one goal, which was to learn more and see more abroad, join a big-name company when he came back, and then stand out.

Studying abroad in Australia was just as Sun Fan planned. He learned many management concepts that were never available in domestic universities. However, the situation after returning to China was not as smooth as he imagined.

In January 2009, Sun Fan graduated and returned to Ningbo. January happened to be a busy time for various job fairs and talent exchange meetings. Sun Fan originally thought that he could get into the ideal company with his diploma, but he applied to six or seven companies in a row, but failed to get any results.

Sun Fan said that in the companies he applied for, there were so many applicants with his academic qualifications and "returnee" background that several recruiting units didn't even take a look at his resume. Let him go back and wait for news.

"How valuable are the 'returnees' now? Is everything I learned abroad worthless in the eyes of the recruiting unit?" Continuous application setbacks made him somewhat depressed, and he began to doubt Was my original belief too idealistic?

Unable to find an ideal job for a while, Sun Fan stayed at home for more than a month. During this period, he claimed that it was the lowest point in his life. The confidence and sense of superiority he had in school were gone. Nothing left. Sun Fan said that at that time, he had actually lowered a lot of his requirements. As long as the salary was good and the room for development was large, it didn't matter if he was not a Fortune 500 company. But despite this, Sun Fan still failed to find a satisfactory job.

After staying at home for two months, Sun Fan finally joined a foreign company as an assistant to the general manager, with an annual salary of 120,000 yuan. This job was recommended by someone through his mother. He said that he originally wanted to not rely on his family when he came back, but he didn't expect that he would still have to rely on his mother to find a job in the end.

Last year, Sun Fan resigned from his original company and set up his own company to start his own business, starting from scratch. Many people around him have forgotten Sun Fan’s background as a returnee from overseas. In the eyes of others, he is no different from an ordinary college student starting a business after graduation. However, Sun Fan believes that the experience of studying abroad is a valuable asset in his life. Without this experience, he would not have been able to quickly integrate into the work of a foreign company in just two years and accumulate so many resources to support his own business. Corporate entrepreneurship.

"Studying abroad has enriched my life experience. Although I have a harder time than others, I believe that with this experience, my future path will be smoother." Sun Fan said.