Job Discussion Forums

[talkgabchat]

What should the letter of recommendation/reference from my last employer say? Is it supposed to be a: "She worked here for x amount of months and did well, I recommend her" or is there supposed to be a lot of detail? This is a letter from a US employer. I have never worked abroad. This is to help the school send me my letter of acceptance in order to obtain a Z visa.

Does a criminal background check off of the internet suffice? Can anyone recommend an online company? My local police station requires that I pay $44 for a state criminal background check, but apparently I can get one online for $25.

Any suggestions are appreciated, thank you in advance.

[johntpartee]

I've never had a prospective (Chinese) employer ask for a background check. Where are you going?

[Miles Smiles]

If you are even required to supply a letter of recommendation anymore (I haven't seen one required for any PUBLIC school job), it should be effusive and tell the reader how diligent you are, how you work well with all kinds of people, that you are knowledgeable of the English language (if that's what you will be teaching) and how professionally you act. The more the better.

The background check is required only in Mongolia--- I believe. (YMMV) I don't know what the school will accept. An online background check would seem to be of little use to anyone who has serious concerns. Your local/state police is really of no use. The FBI, it seems, would be the only acceptable source of a background check. Ask your prospective employer what they're looking for.

The FBI WILL produce a background check. Call your local FBI office and ask. You'll get someone who will talk to you with an "oh, this again" attitude, then give you a phone number to call in Virginia. When you call that number (if it's still in existence) you'll get a recording telling you that that phone is manned only at 2:30pm on Thursday afternoons until 4:00 pm. This is no BS. I actually tried to get a criminal background check from the FBI once.

[astrayalien]

I needed to supply a letter of recommendation before my school could give me an official invitation letter - which was needed before I could apply for a Z visa.

I sent letters from past employers proving that I worked there, this was not accepted. In the end, the professor who supervised my masters thesis write a nice letter on the university letterhead, that did the trick.

I did not need a police check. I was applying from Australia.

[knight4ever]

A background check is not required to work in China. It is the school that you are applying to requesting the background check. I'm from the USA and I went to my local police department and got a background check on official paper for $2. It was about a 10 minute process but I'm sure that's not the norm.

[therock]

[Miles Smiles]