PA Is Hiring

I am +really+ going out on a limb here, and I am not expecting too much, but what the hey, why not?

This week, PA will be launching two major updates (which have been top secret these past two months), and is now going to move on to our next major focus, which will be to concentrate on improving our Customer Support. As of last week, I've institute a pretty major change, and as such am now on the lookout for talent.

There are actually several positions I am looking for (IT, graphics, Marketing, etc), but for now, I will just take it one step at a time, and open the gates for CS Reps.

Note: This is not an online position. It will require you to uproot yourself, and make the life changing decision to live an international adventure of a lifestyle. Not for nooBs

We have two primary bases of operations where our CS takes place, thus resulting in two very different options:

1) Auxillary CS Agent in our Operations Headquarters in Shanghai.
Career Path Options: Aux agent -->

• Marketing Team
• Finance/Admin
• Business Core
• CorpSec

Introduction:
This is not for the light hearted. Shanghai is gorgeous, beautiful, lovely, in the Spring and Fall, and will make you Sing California Dreamin' in Winter & Summer.

It's is called the "Paris of the East", the "Pearl of the Orient", or the even the "Whore of the Orient". She has many names, many faces, but all revolving around a cosmopolitan metropolis (it is the largest by city proper population in the world (24 million souls) with an energy that is hard to find anywhere else in the world (or so I've been told). It is a "leisurely fast pace" where it is the "Showcase" of China's booming economy and power. Nightlife, nature, business, opportunity, glamor, dive bars, fine dining, with such diversity that there are plenty of places in the city to go where you can hear french, english, spanish, german, japanese, romanian, italian, spoken all in one place over glasses of wine and plates of imported cheese. Fast to make friends, where there are parties and free drinks every night of the week.

What's it like working at PA, Shanghai Office?
In a nutshell. Cool. It is the helm of the business focussed on global expansion. People in this office, have opportunity to grow in other areas and potentially transfer to marketing, finance, HR, business development, or operations. There is a ton to learn. Our office is located about 10 minutes from downtown, near a metro stop in an old industrial complex inside a renovated two story warehouse. It's nice, but we dream of moving into a place with a fireplace of course , or in one of those super tall skyscrapers. International staff, from all over the world, and as one recent new hire said "I'm surprised everyone is so nice, usually each company has at least one jerk". English is the lingua franca of business in the office.

Nuts & Bolts:
Compensation: (Chinese Minimum Wage: $4,300 USD per year)

• Salary: Between $12k USD - $17k USD/year depending on experience, background, a whole host of other things.
• Travel: We'll cover the cost of your flight, and provide temporary housing for up to 10 days. If you need help on a deposit for an apartment, we can help.
• Insurance: We'll purchase a premium health insurance so you feel nice and safe and can stay healthy while living abroad.

Description of life: This will afford you a comfortable lifestyle, as China has a much lower cost of living than most countries. And even though Shanghai is a Tier 1 city, you can expect to still be able to afford a healthy social life, a maid that cleans/does laundry, and does dishes once a week, and the ability to go out every night for dinner.

To give you a good idea about what the speed of life is like in this glamorous city, check out this "Then & Now" photo of Shanghai back in 1990 and in 2010:

​

As you can see, Shanghai is no joke Learning some basic chinese is helpful, and we'll teach you what you need to know, but generally speaking it is not difficult to get around. The public transportation system is A+ all in easily readable signs, and all expatriates in the city, no matter what country they are from, will speak english.

2) Primary Customer Operations Office. National Capital Region [Manila], Philippines.
Position: Customer Support Representative
Career Path options: CS -->

• Risk Management Officer
• CS Supervisor
• Operations

Introduction: They have a saying "It's more fun in the Philippines", and it is really hard to argue this. From the tropical beaches of Boracay


To the picturesque lake-volcanoes of Tagaytay

.
​

I've heard from local Filipinos, that the country spent 300 years in the convent, and 50 years in Holywood (in reference to the Spanish Colonial Rule, and the period of US governance). It is the most "westernized" nation in Asia with all the things that would make most North Americans feel at home (El Pollo Loco, Cinnabon, Shakeys, Wendy's, Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, you name it). It is a city of 12 million souls, and is developing at a leopard's pace, but with a lifestyle that is more relaxed. Year round warm weather, with the occasional TYPHOON.

What is it like working in our Manila Ops Office:
Fun and Stressful! Here, you'll be doing the bulk of our CS and manual operations work, helping to solve the customer inquiries for thousands of orders each week. You get to deal with gamers on a daily basis. The office holds staff of 20 - 25, all of which are extremely close knit. They are the "pa family", and you will immediately have friends. On a regular basis they go out together for drinks, parties, dinners, out to the beaches, etc. The office is buzzing, with agents talking to each other constantly to verify information in the backend, phone calls to users, and coordinating efforts between each other to help users, while of course discussing what the next weekend plans are.

We are located in one of Manila's central business districts of Ortigas which you can see here:

​

Nuts & Bolts:
Compensation: (Philippine Minimum Wage: $3,800 USD per year)

• Salary: Between $8k USD - $12k USD/year depending on experience, background, a whole host of other things.
• Travel: We'll cover the cost of your flight, and provide temporary housing for up to 10 days. If you need help on a deposit for an apartment, we can help.
• Insurance: We'll purchase a premium health insurance so you feel nice and safe and can stay healthy while living abroad.

What kind of life would this give you?
You could easily afford a 1 or 2 bedroom condo which comes with a gym and a pool. Many complexes even have outdoor pools since the weather is warm year round. There are many american amenities in the cities such as private gyms, clubs, and restaurants, so if you want to hang out at TGI Fridays for dinner and drinks, or go shopping at
The Fort


English is a first language in the Philippines, so it is easy to adjust to life, make new friends, and establish yourself in communities.

----
Which choice/office is right for you?
If you are a point in your life where you want to grow professionally and learn the ins and outs of a business, its operations, and have a diverse range of future opportunities, Shanghai is the place to be. The "American Dream" used to be that, in the states you had a ripe chance to make something of yourself. That "dream" has very much shifted to China, where the economy is posting double digit growth y/y, and is becoming a country that will quickly have the largest luxury consumer market in the world (to 440 million consumers, larger than the entire US population. link.

If you'd like to have a slower pace of life, enjoy warm weather year round, and have a real love and focus for customer service and making sure users have a positive experience, then our MNL base would be a better fit. It is still a bustling metropolis, but the Filipino way of life, is far more tropical and relaxed.

Must be 18 to apply. If interested, leave a short introduction to yourself here, and relevant candidates will be approached on PM. If you feel like you might have something more to offer, beyond what we have listed so far, you are welcome to connect with us.

Cheers,
Jake
Head of US/EU Marketplaces

 

15k a year to leave home, away from family and friends to work for a little under minimum wage.

This can cause depression and stress. Have you considered the money you may lose money doing this?

 

Hi Ghast,

Actually, the compensation is well above the minimum wage in the countries stated

• The minimum wage for China is about $4.3k USD per year
• The minimum wage for the Philippines is $3.8k USD per year

If you had read carefully, you'd have a pretty clear understanding about what sort of lifestyle you can live. We pay for flights and work permits so that people can have the opportunity to live an international lifestyle.

Fine dining, complete independence, a maid 3 times a week, health insurance, and the chance to live in one of two world metropolises. This is a middle class lifestyle, and a chance to get excellent international work experience. I'd say this is an excellent deal.

Couple this with the fact that both these countries fiat currencies are increasing in value.

I think what I will do is adjust the OP, so people can see what the US-equivalency would be.

Not really sure how we would lose money on this.

But I do agree with you, moving abroad can cause depression and stress. Some people are built to be adventurous and explorers, and therefore flourish living internationally. Some people however are better off staying at home. I know of some people who burned out within a few months because they didn't have the motivation to learn about the culture or the city they were living in. They were afraid to go outside, they didn't like trying new things and stuck to only eating McDonald's every day. Life sucked for them, and they should never have gotten on a plane in the first place.

Conversely, I know of people who have moved here and became huge success stories. It is in fact, not uncommon to hear of how people "make themselves" here. They tend to be people who like to grab life by the balls, and these are the types of people we would want on our team. We're not so desperate for staff that we would take someone who we know wouldn't be a good fit for us.

 

While in a situation like this you wouldn't have much in savings or a retirement fund; it would be a very fun and exciting lifestyle for those who wish to travel and see new places.

Some advice would be that you can easily earn some money on the side by teaching English.

 

Hi PT,

On the salaries given, both positions could easily save 50% of their salary on a monthly basis. But the likelihood of that happening is very small, because like you said... the lifestyle is just too fun and exciting.

My first year in China, I was on a similar package (but I had no health insurance, and they did not pay for my flight), and I'll be honest. I saved ZERO money. California is a great place (where I am from), but it is far more "tame" than Asia. There is a different kind of excitement, and I just couldn't control myself when it came to having nice food, heading out on the town with friends, or even traveling on the weekends. I regret none of it, and would do it again, and the experiences I had helped me to develop the relationships that I have now which have helped me in so many professional ways.

You bring up a good point as well regarding teaching english. Shanghai as a cosmopolitant city has China's largest concentration of Billionaire's, Millionaires, and upper class. And because of how competitive china is, even the middle class will pay A LOT to have their kids learn english... from a foreigner (the prestige factor).

If people want to make money on the side tutoring students one on one, the hourly rate is between $24/hr - $40/hr.

To put this in perspective, you could tutor for one hour monday - friday, and maybe 3 hours on a saturday, and that would bring in an extra $12k/yr.

 

Assuming a person is interested in a position in one of these two places, would you assist them in finding/acquiring an apartment near to where your offices are?

I'm not sure how the living situations are there, however I know that in the US, it can be difficult finding a close and safe living situation that will be within budget.

Moving somewhere where you dont know anyone or anything about the location would be the most difficult thing for me, which is why id never do this.

Last but not least, how soon are you looking for people to move and start working? weeks? months?

 

Wow. I would actually love to experience working abroad in China or the Phillipines. Would be no problem for me to "uproot" and leave my surroundings for a year or so. Too bad I have no relevant work experience except maybe dealing with goldbuyers. You're probably looking for Americans aswell or native English speakers.

The pay does seem sub-par though. Both the numbers listed are well below minimum wage for my country, $10.000 would translate to roughly 7300 euros while minimum wage is about 18.000 euros a year here. Guess you have to see it in perspective with living costs in those countries.

 

Min wage in china is $3192 for the year @ $2.30 hour

 

min wage is around $6k a year in Hungary lol

 

I thought your office was on Pico by Santa Monica?

I live nearby.

 

You're going to attract the exact same incompetence you currently have working for you all over again. I can get a customer support-type job in my own country, for over double the wage and with money left over for travelling. Sorry, but if you're going to make a change, make a change.

 

Although arguably the money would go twice as far there. If you're only working minimum wage here it'd probably be worth it for the experience alone. Still, I have to agree that offering $10-15k a year isn't going to attract a very capable crowd.

 

Sounds like an amazing opportunity, I think I would take this up if I wasn't currently at uni

To everyone complaining; yes the pay may seem low but if you convert the difference between the minimum wages and living costs it works out a good salary

 

12k USD is around 537k Philippine Peso

38,773 ₱ Monthly:

One bed apartment in Manila = 19,418₱
Elec/Heat/Water/Garbage = 4,393₱
6Mbps cable internet = 2,336₱
240 litres of gas is 12,626₱​

465,276₱ Annually with 71,724₱ left over (1,603$).

So ideally you'd have to move with someone you know and you both get a job. UNLESS I am severely miscalculating something.

 

you shouldnt complain about wages... In hungary minimum wage is under $500/month and there arent many workplaces. For someone who lives in hungary and cant find a job, this could be pretty useful

 

Interested to see pictures of the actual workplace

 

That would be indeed interesting.

 

MMorpg would quit his rswinkel to get your job!

 

Looks attractive with all those pictures and stuff. However if Roary's calculation are right you'll only attract short term traveling people which don't seek a long term job as you wish.

I know several travelers and they all want to enjoy, working part time. How many hrs a day / week are these salaries for?

Cheers!

 

What a coincidence we post at the same time

nah I wouldn't leave my own job here, planning to buy Shanghai in one year from now.

Cheers!