What to do with life? Go.Live.
Serve.

Consider a Career in China

Join a network of Christian professionals making a difference in the workplace overseas.

The world is getting smaller. Whether at home or abroad, we live and work in an increasingly international environment. Today’s job market demands cross-cultural skills. Getting experience overseas can give you the edge!

Working overseas, promoting cultural exchange, and contributing to international development can also make a tangible difference in the lives of others who have yet to know God’s love.

In recent years, the world has witnessed China’s growing influence on the global economy. This ancient and populous land of 1.3 billion with its rich culture and complex society will no doubt continue to impact world affairs and all our lives as consumers, employees, and citizens of the global community for years to come.

To reach and transform lives, bridge-builders with language competencies, cross-cultural skills, a commitment to service, and a heart for people are needed to go, live, and serve in China.

Walking with You through the Ups and Downs

While going is strategic, going with the support of a network is equally important, if you think about the challenges of adjusting to a new job, a new home, and a new environment at the same time. With a support system in place before your journey, you won’t have to face uncertainties alone. You have the opportunity to learn from those who have gone before you and those who go after you can benefit from what you have learned.

 

We function like a hybrid between a Christian fellowship and a professional association, but we provide all the services of a traditional sending organization — placement, orientation, field support and ongoing training — with emphasis on peer support and learning.

 

Why Join Our Network

MISSIONAL COMMITMENT – We support bi-vocational professionals or tentmakers serving overseas to share God’s love and contribute to cultural exchange and international development. We work, witness, and serve with the same mission and professionalism at home or abroad.

PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT – Our associates work in various fields: education, business and finance, IT, health care, NGOs, etc. They share common core values such as integrity, professional excellence, and servant leadership. We provide support locally through peer encouragement and learning. We also offer assistance in professional and business networking.

 

PERSONAL ATTENTION – We do not take a cookie cutter approach but walk with you through careful planning for a career overseas. Employing a combination of support strategies, we provide care for our associates’ spiritual, personal, and professional needs.

 

UNDERSTANDING & EXPERIENCE – We understand and have extensive experience in working through barriers that can hinder your service overseas:

• Parental expectations
• Relationship issues
• Financial and family considerations
• Professional viability

Since 1991, we have been supporting associates from diverse backgrounds serving in Asia. We invite you to join us and contribute to this growing movement of dedicated professionals.

 

What We Offer

• Assistance with job placement
• Pre-departure orientation & cultural preparation
• Year-round field support: retreats, pastoral visits, peer support group
• Year-round home office support: prayer network, email communication, phone counseling, liaison with your home community, administrative support
• Career development guidance
• Professional networks & referrals

Who We Are

GLS mobilizes, equips, and sends committed students and professionals to serve in the cities of China. We serve as a bridge on your journey, connecting you to your destination culturally and professionally, providing personal and spiritual support. We exist to help you discover who you are and how you can use your resources strategically to make a difference in the workplace overseas. We are a network of professionals with a common purpose – to lead a fruitful life.

Of our current associates:

• Over 50% work in business and technology – from startups to Fortune 500 companies
• About 30% in education – from pre-school through university
• The rest are in health services and non-profit sectors – from international clinics to NGOs

Some are executives with public companies. Others are in private or family businesses. A few are doing language studies as part of their professional preparations. Over 90% are fully self-supporting.

 

All are committed to be in China. Some long-termers have been in China anywhere from 5-20 years. Others come for 2 years of exploration, open to stay as God confirms His calling in their lives.

 

Experience indicates that the first year is spent mostly on the adjustment process, so a minimum of two years is needed for a meaningful investment.

 

What Are the Costs
Annual association fees: $1,000 for singles and $1,800 for couples to cover the cost of placement, orientation, retreats and pastoral support

Other potential outgoing costs:

• International travel (airfare, visa, passport)
• Medical & psychological assessments
• Inoculations & health insurance

Annual association fees and outgoing costs can be covered by your salary or raised funds. Although most associates are self-supporting, fundraising is a concrete way to invite family and friends to partner with you. Mobilizing a group of financial and spiritual supporters can be a source of prayer coverage and encouragement to you through the ups and downs of living overseas. At the same time, you can be a blessing to them as they see how God uses you in answer to their prayers.

 

What People Say about Us

GLS has been an indispensable part of our transition into China as an expat family living and ministering among locals. Our landing was softened by having an instant community of likeminded believers to help us steer through things as mundane as getting a bank account to big decisions like in which local school to enroll our children. The prayer, support, encouragement, and accountability helped make our long term stay here viable and thriving. We now receive and counsel many who come. Our advice is always the same: make sure you are with an accountability organization like GLS! It’s critical not only for survival but also for long term success as professionals seeking to be salt & light in this very challenging but exciting marketplace.

~Couple with three children (executive in multi-national company & homemaker/author)

The associate care provided by GLS is by far the best for professionals serving abroad. God has blessed GLS with great vision, solid leadership, pastoral care personnel and an invaluable network in China. I first met the directors of GLS in my college days. During the past twelve years, they have proved not only to be great mentors but also wonderful friends. They have prayed for and with me during the hard times, but more importantly they celebrated God’s faithfulness in my life at all times. In many ways, they are the Christian parents I never had. I always thank God for their wisdom and love.

~Couple in 30s (marketing, multinational company and teacher)

I had lived and worked in China for 4 years before joining GLS, thriving in the culture and the workplace, but finding it difficult to be more than a Christian that happened to work in China than what I had come to China to be: a Christian called to serve in China’s marketplace as a tentmaker. GLS has helped me to live out my true calling.

The GLS pastoral staff has a unique understanding of the needs of professionals in the field. They have come alongside me at critical life junctures or just to check in, always encouraging & supportive, but challenging me to grow deeper in discipleship & stewardship. It has been comforting to know that there is counsel and support just an email or call away whether it is for a major career decision or a family medical emergency.

Perhaps what makes the network truly special is the bond among fellow associates throughout China who, although from different backgrounds, fields, and life stages, serve as an ongoing source for encouragement, perspective, expertise, contacts, and advice. I have had my fire for missions rekindled mentoring young associates just arriving in China, learned family-ministry-work balance and local ministry strategies co-working with families well-established in the field, and found kindred spirits in associates who share similar journeys. I have even re-discovered a long-lost passion for worship/music by joining fellow associates in a band at a local church. I have undoubtedly seen some of the greatest spiritual growth and fruits as an associate of the GLS network in China.

~Single in 20s (business professional)

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