Welcome to Ask Vance about China, a new feature on TeachAbroadChina.com. Site founder Robert Vance will do his best to answer any questions that you may have about China within 24 hours. This service is completely free and is intended to help educate people who are thinking about coming here.
All posts are moderated on this website so please wait patiently if your post does not show up right away.
Please do not use this service to ask us for a teaching job in China. TeachAbroadChina.com does not directly offer any teaching jobs here. Please head to our ESL Job Board to view the latest job postings in China.
If you feel that you need more information that what we can provide here, please consider joining the Teach Abroad China Alliance, a free support group for teachers in China.
Mr Vance,
I will be departing for China next month to teach in a public middle school. There will be five other foreign teachers there, all of whom hail from the UK. I am wondering how this dynamic will affect me as the only American. Do schools in China give preference to teachers based on nationality? Do Chinese students have an easier time understanding British English or American English? Thank you for taking the time to answer this.
Connor
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Robert Vance Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Interesting question, Connor. First, a disclaimer. I am an American as well so my view here may be a little tinted…:)
Schools in China do definitely give preference to teachers based on nationality but not usually when it comes to teachers who all hail from ‘Western’ countries. I am also the only American among a couple of Brits and we are all treated equally.
Unfortunately,people from ‘non-Western’ countries are often treated unfairly by schools in China…
In my experience, Chinese students do have an easier time understanding American accents.
I think that you will enjoy being the only American because you’ll stand out and students will really appreciate having the chance to be taught by you.
If you haven’t joined the Teach Abroad China Alliance yet, go on over to http://TeachAbroadChina.com/TACA/ and join today! I hope to hear more from you about your experience in China. Best of luck.
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I was offered a job at a new school opening in Nanjing. American eagle Institue. They say to come in on tourist then I will have to leave to get a working visa after I have been working is that ok? Also a new school scared me any advice? The pay seem to good to be true 12,000 and housing. Any advice would be great
Thanks
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Robert Vance Reply:
July 18th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
Hi Kathy. There is really very little information about this ‘American Eagle’ outfit on the internet which could be a bad sign or might just simply mean that it’s a new chain.
In general, my advice is to stay away from a school unless you can really get some solid information about it.
The seemingly high salary of 12,000 RMB is really not that high when you consider that you will be teaching 25 hours a week. That’s what I saw in a recent listing. There may be additional duties as well such as office duty.
Do the math. 12,000 / 25 hours x 4 weeks = 120 RMB/hour assuming you don’t have office hours as well. Housing on top of that does sound good but it would be good to know for sure what kind of housing you’ll be getting beforehand.
This is a pretty good salary but still…25 hours in the classroom per week…you will be exhausted…especially if you are working with kids.
The main red flags for me though is the visa issue. According to a listing that I recently saw for this outfit, they promise to provide your with a Z-visa.
If they are going to make good on that promise, they shouldn’t be telling you to come in on a tourist visa. That’s a big NO-NO unless you are already here in China and in between jobs.
By the way, would you consider yourself to be a native speaker of English? These training centers often play tricks like this on non-native speakers of English.
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Julie Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Hi,
We just happened to stumble upon this posting and decided to clarify.
This is Julie with Asian Consultants who has been doing recruiting for American Eagle in Taiwan for almost 5 years. American Eagle is actually a very reputable chain in Taiwan. We welcome you to research our company as well as Eagle to see what others have said
This fall is Eagle’s first time opening up in China, so it’s actually a pretty big deal.
The pay of 12000 is a base, and then there are bonuses. The housing is very nice, and if you go to our website, we actually have photos for you: http://www.asianconsultants.com/american-eagle-nanjing/
Teaching is 25 hours/week, with 15 additional office hours.
All this aside, I need to address the visa issue. Normally we would follow the Z Visa entry procedure, but as we were in a big rush to get everyone there by August, there was not sufficient amount of time to apply for the work visa before hand. Therefore, we have asked our teachers to enter on L Visa.
In fact, I even told Kathy that if a visa run was inevitable, the school would pay for the cost to Hongkong.
We also give insurances. The teachers who are already there and working are raving about the place. You can PM me if you wish to contact them.
So, my question is, dear Vance (and it has been with absolute gratitude that I read your insightful postings), is this really not good enough? What can we do?
Oh, and we don’t play any tricks either! Native speaker teachers only.
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Julie Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
Your advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks so much Vance.
Sincerely,
Julie with ACI
Robert Vance Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Hello Julie. I appreciate your response to this post. I am sure it will be helpful to others who are looking for more information about this company.
I was right about the extra office hours then, right? I think that you should disclose that in your listings. At least one listing that I saw recently failed to mention those extra hours which do add up.
There is nothing wrong with 40-hours-a-week but I know from personal experience that this can be quite exhausting and teachers should know what they are getting into.
I can appreciate your explanation about the visa issue but I would still highly advise against coming to China on an ‘L’ visa if your intention is to work here. No matter how legitimate your company is, this should be avoided as much as possible because it is illegal and teachers have been detained for working on tourist visas.
I am not so naive to think that there aren’t plenty of teachers in China who are working on ‘L’ visas but inviting somebody from the U.S. to work on an ‘L’ visa is risky, don’t you think?
Anyway, thanks for posting and hopefully we will get some more feedback from teachers about this outfit.
Julie Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Hi Vance,
Wow, prompt reply! Thanks so much!
We have always said that there are additional office hours, but for clarity’s sake I have changed the advert to say 15 office hours.
I agree that this can be a bit exhausting with so many little ones, but that’s part of the game (and the fun).
I also agree that Z Visa would have been the ideal way to come, and will advice this to the school to see what we can do about it.
Thanks again. I am so glad I have found this forum!
hi this is yogesh here i wanna know that whats the minimum age require for work in a hotel as a chef in china before 1 year i had worked in china in working visa and working permit as a chef and now again i apply for work visa so i found that my age is not enough to apply for work visa now
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Robert Vance Reply:
April 21st, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Hello Yogesh,
I am not an expert on Chinese law as it pertains to other professions but I can tell you that generally speaking, 18 is the minimum age for a full-time job. Chinese law does permit 16-year-olds to work but like other countries, this kind of employment is regulated by special rules.
Not to say that employers necessarily obey these rules. Just today we find out that some of the factories that Microsoft (among other tech companies) rely on heavily are in trouble for violating such rules.
If I may ask – how old are you?
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Can you please list some policy and law issues that are controversial in China? Maybe also giving a 2-4 sentence explanation on it? Thanks =D
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Robert Vance Reply:
December 6th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Very sorry for the delay. We have some technical difficulties as of late.
There are plenty of controversial policy and law issues in China but here are a few of the most well known.
1. One Child Policy
2. Religious gatherings (or large public gatherings) prohibited without the consent of the government
3. Websites deemed harmful to the interests of the State are blocked.
Those are just a few off the top of my head. I am hoping that some others can chime in and add a few more.
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Hi Hans,
It is possible for a foreigner to get a motorcycle license but generally speaking, you need to have a residence permit. In other words, you have to be working in China to qualify.
However, if you read my article on riding motorcycles in China, you know that I never had a license during the time that I used it. While I don’t necessarily recommend that, I do think that you would be ok, especially if you purchased the bike in Northern China, and then quickly made your way into Russia.
In case you didn’t see the article that I wrote, please access it here: http://www.teachabroadchina.com/riding-motorcycles-in-china/
If anyone else has information about riding motorcycles in China, please reply to this post.
As far as Russia is concerned, I can’t help you too much with that. I did cross into Russia by train this summer, but I don’t recall if motorcycles were permitted to make the crossing.
However, I know that this has been done so it is possible. Getting a visa to Russia, however, is a much costlier (and somewhat complicated) process so I would suggest that you get started on that as soon as possible.
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Hans Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Dear Mr. Vance,
I found your website trough the useful article you wrote. I was thinking about driving without license, but I was afraid there would be trouble at the border, as I would not be able to provide a license if they would ask me to…
Thanks for your help,
Hans
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Robert Vance Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Hi again Hans,
Knowing the system here, I don’t think you will have a hard time getting the motorcycle out of China provided that you have proof that you purchased it. Again, I would recommend that you buy the motorcycle as close to the border as possible and not linger too long in China.
I would be more concerned about getting the bike into Russia because the laws governing motor vehicles are sure to be stricter and better enforced there.
And just a word of warning about Eastern Siberia, a place which I have traveled through very recently. Plan your trip accordingly because you don’t want to get stuck out there in the middle of nowhere at night. Gas stations, hotels, and restaurants can be very scarce outside of the ‘big’ cities.
If you do have trouble, be very cautious when people offer to help. Siberia is still home to a ‘prison culture’ and you may be dealing with some rough characters.
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Hans Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Thanks for your efforts, Mr. vance, I really appreciate it. I was worried more about China than Russia but it should be the other way around.
greetings,
Hans
Mr. Vance,
I am a belgian working in Australia right now. I would like to go back to belgium with a motorbike bought in China, over land trough Russia. I read that it was impossible for foreigners to get a motorcycle licence in China. is that true? And if yes, what ways are there to get a licence anyhow?
Also: Is it possible to cross the border with Russia with a Chinese motorbike?
Thank you for taking the time answering this question.
yours sincerely,
Hans Dermauw
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Mr. Vance
I am looking to get my TESOL Certificate and I am going to do it with Oxford Seminars’. I do not have a BA only a college diploma. I understand that with only a diploma where I can go teach is restricted. I have been researching teaching in China and I hope to be there in March. Do you think this will be a problem?
Also Ive been told sometimes the chinese government will take your passport away from you when you go over there so that you are there to work only, and are unable to travel on your time off. Is this true, have you herd of sucj rumors? Also any tips you might have for someone looking to teach in China would be appreciated.
Thank you in advance
Ashley-Ann
[Reply]
Robert Vance Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Hello,
What kind of diploma do you have? Is it an associate’s degree? I worked in China my first year on just an associate’s degree (two years) and there was no problem.
I even know of teachers without BA’s who are working in Chinese universities. It all depends on how desperate they are for teachers.
I have never heard of the Chinese govt. taking a passport away from a foreign teacher. I have heard of recruiters doing this to pressure their clients to stay in a job so I would be careful about that.
My best advice to you is to take a look around this site and also join the Teach Abroad China Alliance – a free support group for teachers in China. http://TeachAbroadChina.com/TACA
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Yes it was very helpful, I really appreciate it.
Thank you
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Hello,
I am writing a paper for my english class and would appreciate any help that i can get for a couple of questions. What stereotypes do people in China have about Americans? Do they have a negative or positive expectations for American’s behavior? What attitude do people in this country have toward Americans? I am looking foward to hearing about any experiences.
Thank You
[Reply]
Robert Vance Reply:
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Hi Nancy,
Unfortunately, a thorough answer to your question would require a few pages so I am just going to give you a brief summary.
In general, Chinese people that I have encountered seem to have these common stereotypes about Americans:
1. Americans are rich.
2. Americans are very open when it comes to sex.
3. Americans like to drink a lot.
4. Americans speak their minds.
5. Americans know how to have a good time.
6. Americans are Christians
7. Americans have a big ego even though they try to hide it by pretending to be humble (just heard that one from a Chinese friend last week).
There might be a few more out there but that is what I can think of for now.
In general, Chinese people are very friendly towards Americans here. They are also very curious about our culture and are always eager to learn more about it.
Having traveled extensively in this country, I can tell you that I have always been very impressed and appreciative of the hospitality that has been shown to be by the Chinese people. Everywhere I go, people have been very willing to give me directions, invite me for dinner, translate for me, etc. You can read about some of that on this website.
Hope that helps. If anyone out there has something else to add, please reply to this comment.
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Hi
I 25 with a B.S. degreee but no current ESL certification. I lived in Hong Kong in 2005 and since then have wanted to return to China to teach ESL. (I wasn’t teaching ESL before.)I have a couple of questions for you.
I know from experience that there are differences between the laws, regulations, currency, and languages spoken in mainland China and Hong Kong. How do these affect teaching ESL? Are there any really important differences that I should be aware of? I prefer to return to Hong Kong but am open to working on the mainland if the right position comes along.
I am also wondering what you know about the CELTA certification and CELTA vs TEFL. I had planned on earning my CELTA since I would like to teach in different countries, and it seemed the easiest way to cover all my bases. Do you think that this is a waste of money? Also, the research I have done has pointed to most schools in HK requiring a B.S. degree and an ESL certificate, not one or the other as is the case in many other places. Is this correct?
My last question is about the octopus card. I’m not exactly sure how you obtain one. Do you know anything about them? I’m pretty sure that you have to have a work permit or be a citizen to acquire one, but I could be wrong.
Sorry this got so long.
Thanks for the help.
Nicole
[Reply]
Robert Vance Reply:
October 14th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Hello Nicole,
In general, Hong Kong requires a higher standard for teachers than in the Mainland. Right across the border in Guangdong, for example, there are plenty of teachers who are getting away with teaching just on a TESOL certficate. In Hong Kong, you almost always to need to have a bonafide 4 year Bachelor’s degree and while a TESOL certificate is not necessarily required, it is a very good idea to have one in Hong Kong.
Compared to getting a work visa in the Mainland, obtaining an employment visa in Hong Kong can be a bit of a headache as there is a lot of paperwork involved. Unless you are from New Zealand or Australia, of course, and then it may be a little easier.
Obtaining a work visa/residence permit in China is fairly simple and straightforward, especially if you are working with a legitimate institution.
The big advantage that the Mainland has on Hong Kong is the cost of living. Most schools in the Mainland will provide an apartment free-of-charge for their foreign teachers but this is not as common in Hong Kong. If you lived in Hong Kong before, I am sure that you know that the prices there for renting are astronomical. Everything else, of course, like food, entertainment, and travel, are also expensive.
In general, it seems that while the salary for teaching may be somewhat higher in Hong Kong, it is not nearly high enough to cover the increased cost of living.
The culture that you experience in Hong Kong will be quite different even from the culture that you experience in nearby Guangdong although at least the two places share a language.
If you want to truly experience Chinese culture then I would suggest living on the Mainland. If you want to teach while still being surrounded by the ‘West’ in terms of food, entertainment, and language, then Hong Kong is the place to be.
TESOL and CELTA are actually quite similar in terms of content. Both serve the same purpose – training people who want to teach English.
The differences between the two can be found when you compare the accrediting bodies (Trinity and Cambridge) and how the courses are moderated. For example, you won’t usually get a final grade with a TESOL course but CELTA uses a pass/fail system.
For the Mainland, I would recommend getting a TESOL certificate, as TESOL seems to be more well known here. If you already have a Bachelor’s degree, it is quite easy to get a job without a TESOL. If you want to get a TESOL, I would suggest completing a cheaper online course.
For Hong Kong, it may be worth it to spend some extra money on a TESOL or CELTA certificate and go through a quality course.
I was in Hong Kong very recently and you can get an Octopus card in many places, including transportation hubs (MTR, Express train, bus) and at most any 7 Eleven locations.
An Octupus Card requires a deposit of 50 Hong Kong dollars and you do not need to use any I.D. to obtain one.
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Hello Mr.Vance,
My name is April, and i am from Ohio. I am planning to video conference a college “yay America” club in china, and i am equipped with a translator. haha. Anyway, I need to give a presentation on somthing they might be interested in, so i am planning on doing my presentation on dating in america, i plan to disban all of the common stereotypes and misconseptions that any regular chinese “joe” may have about americans and their love lives, i could really use your help on what some of these misconceptions and falsehoods may be so that i may tell them. I also need information about dating in china. Whats the “norm” there? What age do they start dating? How do they view the prospect of dating? What is considered Appropriate or innapropriate? Whay do they think this way? at what age are most people having sexual relations there? Are high schools and colleges common ground for such things, or does that usually happen afterwards? I need good information, and i need the good stuff, and the bad stuff.
I’m trusting you to help me out here.
Thank you SO much!
– April R.
[Reply]
Robert Vance Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Hi April,
Thank you for your question. It’s a tough one to answer, mainly because no matter how I answer it, someone is sure to blast me for it. If you have seen the article that I wrote, Dating and Sex in China, you can see the wide variety of opinions on this topic.
Most Chinese people ‘learn’ about the American dating scene through American television. The sitcom Friends, for example, is still watched throughout China and often referred to (by my University students at least) when discussion issues related to sex and dating in China.
So if you want to know about some stereotypes, just watch a few episodes of Friends or any other American sitcom that focuses on relationships.
Until recent times, dating in high school was almost unheard of. Not to say that it never happened, but if it did happen, it was very much kept under wraps.
From what students have told me, dating in high school is still forbidden by teachers and parents. However, it does happen and when my college students look back on high school, they are often not afraid to tell me the truth about that.
If a relationship is discovered by the school, there are consequences, especially if the parents are involved.
So yes, dating does take place in high school but it is not accepted, like it is in American high schools. It is still a ‘hush, hush’ kind of thing.
It is well known that a quiet yet powerful sexual revolution has swept through the teenage generation in China over the last few years. I have seen reports that suggest that up to 70% of Chinese teenagers (before they reach the age of 20) are sexually active.
This is one topic though, that is still NEVER brought out into the open and if there is any discussion of it at all, it happens behind close doors.
As a teacher in some of China’s big universities, I can tell you that there is always an area nearby with cheap hotels where students can spend the night together. I have even heard these areas referred to as ‘Cities of Love’ where anything can happen. My feeling is that students use these places to experiment…
In traditional China, sex-before-marriage was a shameful act that could have you thrown out as an outcast. Today, for better or for worse, while the older generation still frowns upon such behavior, it is more common than ever.
This is in part due to the ever widening influence of Western Culture here as well as a move away from the conservative morality that once governed the people here. And of course, the older generation isn’t getting any younger, so there influence is weakening.
I have tried discussing some of these issues in class but I always get the sense that half of the class if holding back. Not to say that I ask for all the ‘virgins’ to raise their hands or anything but I do ask students what they think about dating and what their parents think about it.
In closing, I would suggest that young people in China are very willing to say what they think their parents would be happy to hear when it comes to these issues. However, what they do when their parents aren’t around? That’s a totally different thing…
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Mr. Vance
I am looking to get my TESOL/TEFL/TESL Certificate. I searched on the internet and I see that Oxford Seminars’their TESOL/TEFL Teacher Training Certification in Kansas City at Rockhurst University, in a class room, a 60 hour course.
I was wanting to know if this is an accredited certificate course to teach English in Nanning, Guangxi, China?
Are there better online courses to take?
Thank you in advance
Robert Schenk (Bob)
[Reply]
Robert Vance Reply:
September 10th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Hi Robert,
Frankly speaking, most schools in China could care less about where you got your TESOL certificate. It looks like Oxford Seminars, while it is very likely a reputable program, charges close to $1000 for the TESOL certificate. For teaching in China, you simply do not need to spend so much money on a TESOL certification. I have been teaching in China for some years now using a TESOL certificate that I obtained online. I had to spend a few weeks writing some papers and it only cost about $120 dollars. It wasn’t the highest quality course, but it gave me what I needed.
I can tell you that you will learn much more about teaching in China by just doing it then you ever will paying loads of money for a TESOL certificate.
Now, if you are planning on using that TESOL certificate to teach in other countries (especially in the West), then you may want to consider what Oxford Seminars offers.
By the way, do you have a degree from a University in the U.S.?
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I am a Nigerian, I have been in china for more than a year now(one year, three months). I am really tired of being an ilegal immigrant. I want to leave. but the reqiurement is too much on me. almost 10500RMB….(overstayed fine=5000RMB Air ticket=5000RMB and TC =500RMB). I know strongly I made a mistake by overstaying here. but I had to, because of the circumstances and situations I was faced with when I arrived in china last year. Now I dont know what to do. and I dont want to expirience being detain. not even that… I dont have such money. and if am cut. I will still have to pay it after being detained for so long. please…. can someone find a solution to my problem.or advice me on what to do… thanks so much
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Robert Vance Reply:
September 9th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Hi Oluchi,
Sorry to hear about all of this trouble. Please answer a few questions for me:
1. How long have you overstayed your visa?
2. What part of the country are you in now?
3. Have you contacted the Nigerian embassy and if so, what did they say?
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oluchi Reply:
September 10th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
1. I overstayed for 1 year and 3 months
2.they are not doing anything than asking me to make payment.
3. they nigerian emberssy told me to get 10500RMB ready to procees my leaving…..5500rmb for fines and TC and the remaining 5000RMB for my flight ticket..
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Robert Vance Reply:
September 11th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
This is a tough situation. No doubt about it. But many others have found themselves in similar situations.
Overstaying your visa in China is a serious offense which is probably why your embassy can’t do much about it.
The best way to deal with this is to face it head on.
How much money do you have altogether right now? Is there anyone in your country (friends and family) who can pitch in and give you a loan? The more time you stay, the worse off you are so you need to leave ASAP.
I have a very serious issue that I need you to help me with. I was hired to work as an english teacher in china through my school. The chinese education company was supposd to set me up with all of the proper visas etc. Unfortunately right now I am in China on a tourist visa and am starting work tomorrow. I know I need to get it changed, but do I to go to Hong Kong and pay to fix it, or is there a place in Shanghai (I am about 2 hours from shanghai) where I can get it done. How much would it cost?
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Robert Vance Reply:
August 31st, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Hello Carrie,
I will need to get a few more details from you about this situation but I will also try to help now as best as I can.
1.I assume that you have been in contact with this education company since you arrived in China, correct? What have they told you about why there has been a delay?
2. Is this education company still in the process of getting you the residence visa and foreign expert certificate?
3. Am I to assume that you were in your home country when you accepted this job and not in China?
Now, here are a couple of pointers that you need to think about:
1. This issue may not be as serious as you think. As long as the school is in the process of getting you a work visa, you should be okay to teach. This very situation happened to me last year. I taught for a month on a tourist visa while the paperwork went through.
2. You can’t give yourself a work visa in Hong Kong or Shanghai. Only your school can help you with that. If you don’t have a work visa that is your school’s fault and there isn’t much that you personally can do about it. The only thing that you can do in Hong Kong is to renew your tourist visa.
3. If your school is saying that they WILL NOT get you a residence permit but that they still want you to teach with them, you need to get out of there as soon as possible. It is one thing for a school to ask you to teach while they are getting you the proper credentials but quite another if they don’t ever plan to get you one.
Please communicate directly with the school and find out what is going on. And please feel free to let us know what is happening.
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Carrie Reply:
August 31st, 2009 at 9:59 pm
1) Yes I have been in contact with them. I have been here for about 2 weeks and the semeter starts tomorrow.
2) The company that I am working for does not see the importance of getting my visa changed, and are not cooperating with us (it is myself and one other girl). They keep telling us that a tourist visa is okay.
3) I was in my home country when I accepted the job. My school that helped me get the job told me that they would set me up with the correct visa, but when I arrived here, I found out that in fact, they did not, and therefore technically if I work here, I am working here illegally.
I told my boss that I need to make the transition from a tourist to a working or internship visa, but I don’t know how to go about doing that. I may not be able to get a working visa as I am still in college, and from what I have read, you need to be a certified teacher in order to get a working visa in China.
Should the English Teaching Establishment that I am working for pay me to get my visa changed because if they cant, I will have to leave, or is it customary that I should pay for it even though it was their mistake?
[Reply]
Robert Vance Reply:
August 31st, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Hi again Carrie,
#3 is the big problem here. Legally speaking, your school should have started this process long before you stepped foot in China. Legally, foreigners who are coming to teach in China should have a Z-visa before they step foot in China. This policy, however, is loosely enforeced and there are plenty of teachers who come here on a tourist visa, find a job, and then have the tourist visa changed over to a work visa.
The fact that your school did not begin this process before you came to China is very suspicious.
The only way that you can get your residence permit and foreign expert’s certificate (tantamount to a work visa) is if your school helps you. They need to do the bulk of the paperwork. It’s not something that you can go and do yourself.
As far as who pays for it, different schools have different policies about that. Fees seem to vary around China but usually you would be looking at anywhere between 400-800 Chinese Yuan.
If the only problem here is that the school does not want to pay for it, I would just pay for it myself.
You do not need to be a certified teacher to get a work permit in China. I am not a certified teacher. In fact, in many cases, you don’t even need to have a degree to teach but it is helpful.
If the school is telling you that they can’t or they won’t help you get the work visa, please do NOT stay. There are some teachers who get away with working on a tourist visa but if the police make a surprise visit, you will be the one in trouble, probably in more trouble than the school that encouraged you to break the law. You would be looking at a criminal record in China plus a large fine and possible deportation.
If you do end up going back to your home country, you should hold the school that set you up with this program responsible for this situation. They should have prepared you better and made sure that the school they were setting you up with China was doing things above board.
I take a personal interest in cases like this and I welcome you to contact me via http://www.teachabroadchina.com/contact-us/ where maybe I can help you more if you can give me even more specifics. I had a similar situation happen to me last year and I hate to see this happen to other teachers, especially those who are new here in China.
An esl teaching position is being held for me at a school in the Western part of China. They want me to come over on an L-visa.
Once I arrive I will have a medical check then an interview and a
visit with the PSB. After that I will have a work visa. I have
talked to another teacher at the school and they have told me they
went through the same process and have been teaching for five months without any problems.
I want to know what you think about all this idea. Is it ok to do it like this?
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Robert Vance Reply:
August 20th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Hi Vicky,
In theory, you are supposed to have a Z-visa in your passport before you step foot in China if you are planning on working here. As far as I know, this is the law.
In practice, there are plenty of teachers who come to China on a tourist visa and later get it converted to a work visa once they have found a job.
As with any legal issue in China, some areas are stricter than others. TeachAbroadChina.com has received reports from teachers who were unable to convert their L-visas.
If your schools is confident that they can get you one, then it’s probably ok. Many schools have good relationships with the local PSB and can pull it off. You should be fine.
One question I would ask your school however, is why they are choosing to do it this way. If they have already hired you, they should be more than willing to start the process now.
Perhaps they want to interview you first or see you teach a demo lesson?
Or maybe they don’t want to have the deal with the trouble of sending you the documents.
But it is a good question to ask.
Hope that helps.
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Hi everyone. Robert Vance here. I am waiting for the first question about China. I will do my best to respond in 24 hours. I look forward to hearing from you.
Please start a new comment thread.
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bill muenster Reply:
September 26th, 2009 at 2:34 am
I have visited China many times in the past 3 years and have fallen in love with the Chinese….My plans ,upon retiring here in the USA were to then go to China and teach english… However, today I have read that a foreigner cannot get a work permit over the age of 55…. At my time of retirement, I will be 60 years old. Is there any way that I can get around this age requirement in order to be able to come to China to teach. I have a Masters degree in Guidnace and Counseling and also 34 years teaching experience.
Thank you,
Bill
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Robert Vance Reply:
September 26th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Bill,
Thanks for the question.
Generally speaking, you are correct. At your age, it may be more difficult to find a teaching job in China.
However, it is not impossible. Just like any other policy relating to teaching in China, there are always exceptions.
I personally know a guy who is in his early 70’s who is teaching at a public university on a valid work visa.
I have also worked with plenty of foreign teachers at English training centers who are in their 60’s and have managed to get their work permits.
It really depends on what kind of connections that the school has with the local PSB and it also depends on how badly the school is in need of teachers.
With 34 years of teaching experience, I would bet that you could find somewhere to teach in China.
The best way to find out is to simply start sending emails to schools in China. If everyone seems ‘hesitant’ to give you a chance, you could also just come on an ‘L’ visa and look around.
I have two suggestions that should help you:
1. Check out our job board at http://www.teachabroadchina.com/travel-in-china-forum/esl-jobs-in-china/
2. Join our premier support group for teachers in China: http://www.TeachAbroadChina.com/TACA. It’s completely free and we should be able to give you some more help out there.
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bill Reply:
September 27th, 2009 at 5:59 am
One other question,
Since I hold a BS Degree in Education, and a Masters Degree in Giudance and Counseling with 34 years experience will an ESL endorsement or certification also be required?
Bill
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Robert Vance Reply:
September 27th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Not required or needed in your situation. With your education, I would look for a job at a university. You should be able to find something.
bill Reply:
September 28th, 2009 at 5:18 am
Thank you for the information!
I have several friends who live in Nanjing. Actually, I have worked with The Department of Science and Technology of Jiangsu Province to bring Chinese students to the USA to attend University! Presently I have 5 Chinese students who live with me here in the USA and attend a private University!
One of my problems has been that I cannot speak Chinese and always ,when I visit with the Department in Nanjing they have an interpreter for me, so it is not really easy conveying questions to them so easily!
In your opinion do you think it possible that the Department of Science and Technology could help me in securing a work visa in spite of my age?
Or would this be something that only a University of which may hire me would have to do?
Robert Vance Reply:
September 28th, 2009 at 7:46 am
For better or worse, life often seems to be dictated by connections in China. If you have worked with the Chinese government, and you still have some contacts there, I would guess that someone could help you out if push-comes-to-shove.
Before you do that though, I would try emailing a couple of schools just to find out if you can get make it happen yourself. When you write your cover letter, I would definitely mention that you worked with the Jiangsu government. This may help you, even if you don’t need to actually use the connections.
Right now is a good time to start looking around as school look begin looking ahead to the 2010 school year.
bill Reply:
September 28th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Thank you!
You have been very helpful.
Bill
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