The great pretenders: Foreigners in Asia get paid for faking it

Asia has long been a destination for foreigners looking to score an easy buck. But grinding up the corporate ladder is painful and helping Korean kids with their ABCs isn't everyone's dream gig. Some expats have found more 'imaginative' ways of turning a buck.

For years, foreigners in Japan have acted as fake priests to perform Western-style wedding ceremonies. Qualifications? Be presentable, have a grasp of the local language -- and look foreign. Fake priests earn about 10,000 yen per ceremony.

“It doesn’t really matter if I’m not a real priest, people don’t care, as long as I look the part and read my lines correctly,” one make-believe minister told the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Want to preside over a ceremony? One veteran offers a how-to ebook.

In China, foreigners are sometimes paid to don a suit and tie and act like company bigwigs to impress representatives from other Chinese companies. On occasion, agencies post ads for fake Warren Buffets on online job boards.

A young Canadian businessman in Shanghai admits to obtaining the services of a “distinguished-looking U.S. gentleman” he found at a bar to act as CEO of the company he worked for in order to help negotiate a US$1.8 million contract. The sit-in CEO was flown first-class to Harbin, put up in a five-star hotel with an unlimited bar tab and given cash. All to attend one meeting, shake hands and exchange pleasantries.

Did it work?

“It sure did,” confirms the Canadian.

No TEFL? No problem! The simple fact English is a first language is more often times than not, enough to get one's foot in the English teaching door in China. English isn't your first language? Just be very blonde and very blue eyed.

The boardroom isn’t the only stage for aspiring performers. Earlier this summer, Chinese state-owned CCTV was looking for a 45-55-year-old Caucasian male to act as a “shrewd business man” for a program based in Malaysia during the Qing Dynasty.

Meanwhile, “hunk type” male club dancers were needed for performances outside Beijing. In Bangkok, a TV company was looking for poll dancers for a “large movie production.” And martial artists of all ages and sizes were needed to star in an online series.

No experience necessary.