Singapore is known for its multicultural citizens that come from varying backgrounds. This uniqueness makes Singapore citizens speak in different languages, depending on where they currently reside. However, most of them are used to speaking in English or have a fundamental understanding of the language. This revelation makes people forget the importance of learning Chinese for communication at first glance. Although English remains the most widely spoken language in the country, Mandarin also plays a significant role, with approximately 35% of the population being fluent in the language. This data shows that learning Mandarin can be worth it to communicate, both for conversational purposes and business purposes. 

In terms of language acquisition, mastering Chinese as an expat living in Singapore can greatly benefit you with the following advantages. 

Cultural Understanding 

Although Singapore is well known for its multicultural society, Chinese culture remains one of the most common practices absorbed by local citizens. This absorption is mainly due to its familiarity, where a lot of local Singaporeans have inherited Chinese cultures through family influences. Learning Mandarin can help minimize the cultural gaps you experience as an expat in Singapore, proving your respect toward the country. 

Opening Job Opportunities 

As previously mentioned, Singapore has a lot of job opportunities available for both locals and expat in Singapore. Although these vacancies are mainly targeting English speakers, there are some occasions where people with a strong business Mandarin background are preferred. Therefore, studying business Mandarin as an expat living in Singapore can be an added value for achieving job opportunities. 

Improving Career Advancement

Aside from opening job opportunities, learning business Mandarin can also help you further your career advancement in companies. This point especially applies if you’re working in a multinational company that often finds themselves making partnerships with others. One of the major players for this partnership is Chinese business partners who often have a better grasp of business Mandarin rather than English. 

Increased Credibility 

Another distinct benefit that you can acquire after mastering business Mandarin as an expat living in Singapore is leaving a sense of credibility. This works particularly well if you’re actively engaging with Chinese business partners. The ability to speak with their native language will help them feel more comfortable and at ease, ensuring a smoother communication and negotiation between one another. 

With the abundance of career opportunities offered by Singapore, it is important to know which specific industries would prefer having workers with a strong business Mandarin foundation. Understanding this matter as an expat living in Singapore can help you prioritize your objectives and skills to improve in the future. Here’s a few industries in Singapore that would benefit from having workers with strong business Mandarin skills.

Education

Singapore displays serious consideration in terms of their education system. This seriousness also includes selecting the best educator to help support children’s cognitive and skill developments. In terms of curriculum, schools around Singapore will usually include a subject focusing on learning Chinese. This curriculum is planned by the ministry of education to help language acquisition.Therefore, it is to no one’s surprise that a lot of education centres will also prefer having educators with strong Mandarin backgrounds to help advancing future generations. 

Hospitality

People working in the hospitality industry will often encounter tourists from across the world. Although English remains as the strongest and most used language when it comes to communication with guests, there are occasions where tourists can’t understand this globally used language. In this kind of situation, the skills of mastering several languages can be a huge help toward the industry. Therefore, the ability to communicate in business Mandarin can help you achieve and sustain longer in this industry.

Learn more on how to speak business Mandarin for the hospitality industry by visiting this article. 

Finance

Working in a financial industry will usually include extensive research and active communication to present your ideas to others. With how much communication and research that you need to conduct to successfully sustain in this sector, investing your time in business Mandarin can help lay a stronger foundation for your career advancement. This can be achieved because those who are involved in financial industries can often find themselves interacting with partners from other countries, including those who mainly speak in Mandarin.

Learn more on how to speak business Mandarin as an expat working in the financial industry by visiting this article. 

Legal

People working in legal industries, such as corporate lawyers, will constantly deal with documents to review and negotiate with other parties. Understanding written text and conveying it to the others become utterly important as a small mistake can cause distinguish alteration to the companies they have associated themselves with. While a lot of documents are available in English, learning business Mandarin as an expat working in the legal industry can help secure a stronger impact toward the overall industries.

Learn more on how to speak business Mandarin as an expat working in the legal industry by visiting this article.  

Learning business Mandarin to improve your skills as workers can ideally be achieved through different learning methods. Learning basic Mandarin independently as an expat in Singapore is possible, but enrolling in Chinese courses can help you improve your skills to business-level fluency. Given how many options are available for business Chinese classes in Singapore, it is important to be able to sort out which course can be the most suitable for you. Ideally, you want a Mandarin class designed for professionals, working adults where you can learn phrases and etiquettes tailored closely to your industry. Here’s several practical tips to help you find the best Chinese courses for learning business Mandarin.

Know Your Objectives

The first step that you need to consider while looking for the best Chinese classes for foreigners in Singapore  is to know your main objectives in mastering the language. These objectives can come from different aspects such as the skill you will be prioritizing throughout your learning journey. Other than deciding on which skills to prioritize, it is also important to know which industry you are focusing on, as each industry will have its own terminology and concepts to master.

Understand the Curriculum

After you have found your objective in learning Business Mandarin, the next step that you can take is to look through different classes around you. These classes may be conducted in-person or online, depending on availability and time schedules. Before deciding which course to take, you can go through the curriculum offered by each class. It is important to learn how much of the lessons that you can customize to meet your needs and how the materials will be taught to you. 

Apply for Trial Classes

Knowing how the class will be delivered can help you a lot in making decisions in looking for the best Chinese course to achieve your goal in learning business Mandarin. Although not all places have this option, you can try finding trial classes to give a good grasp on how a class can help you achieve your objective. 

Seek for Testimony

If trial class alone is not enough for you to make a solid decision, another alternative that you can go for is by searching for past testimonials. When it comes to learning, you can refer to others’ experience to assess the suitability of your desired business Mandarin courses. 

READ MORE: How to Learn Business Mandarin Effectively as a Busy Professional