Yep, I've worked in China and the only way to get to live abroad on a fat expat stipend is to have your existing US or European employer rotate you there. If you try to get a job through local channels you'll be getting a crappy local salary. Do not try to work overseas right out of school-- you are far better off getting solid industry experience and then trying to make the jump. Working abroad is a career-killer too, most of these operations are corporate backwaters.
I'm a LHF (local hired foreigner) in China, and my pay is decent enough. The lack of a package isn't bad if you don't have kids. I also work for a big American corp (but not as an expat), so my prospects are pretty good when I decide to go back. Not exactly a career killer, even if not working at home headquarters always has a disadvantage associated with it.
Yeah but you obviously have a doctorate and commensurate experience to get hired. With respect to local hiring, I'm sure making less than what you'd earn in Seattle or San Jose is ok, but it isn't the high life that the OP was talking about.
The high life is a myth, but I'm not starving. The fact that I can take a taxi to work everyday and not own a car has some savings also.
It would be really hard to get hired out of college into a tech job overseas. But with 3-4 years experience in San Jose, you could transfer to Beijing fairly easily, though as a LHF, not an expat. To get an expat package, you need to be a big shot.
