[Kurokun] My Dutch friend negotiated his salary in China. He almost got himself fired before he started.
Hey all — Kurokun.My friend Thomas from Amsterdam got a job offer in Shanghai. Good company. Good role. They offered ¥35,000/month.
Thomas did what any Dutch person would do: he counter-offered.
The negotiation:
Thomas: "I was hoping for ¥40,000."
HR: "Let us discuss."
Two days later, HR calls back: "We can do ¥36,000."
Thomas, thinking this is a normal back-and-forth, says: "Could we meet in the middle at ¥38,000?"
Silence.
HR: "We will call you back."
Three days pass. No call.
Thomas emails them. No response.
He calls me in a panic.
"Did I offend them? In the Netherlands, this is normal. You always negotiate."
What happened:
I called the HR manager (I knew someone at the company). She explained:
"We made our best offer at ¥36,000. When he asked for more, we thought he wasn't serious about the job. We started interviewing other candidates."
Thomas had accidentally signaled that he wasn't committed. In Chinese business culture, excessive negotiation can be read as disrespect or lack of genuine interest.
The fix:
I coached Thomas to send a humble, direct message:
"Thank you for the generous offer of ¥36,000. I accept. I am very excited to join the team."
They called him back within hours. Offer reinstated.
Kurokun's note:
Salary negotiation in China is different. Some companies expect a little back-and-forth. Others make their best offer upfront and get offended if you push too hard.
My advice:
• If it's a multinational company, mild negotiation is usually fine.
• If it's a local Chinese company, their first offer is often final.
• If you DO counter, do it once, politely, with a specific reason ("I have another offer at X, but I prefer your company").
• Never negotiate more than twice. That's seen as greedy.
Thomas is now happily working in Shanghai at ¥36,000/month. He says it's the most expensive ¥2,000 he never earned.
Any other cultural negotiation surprises?
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