Job Discussion Forums

[Denim-Maniac]

[chinadad]

[tideout]

[tideout]

[Denim-Maniac]

Yeah it does work both ways too. It wasnt very long ago that a lot of advice about coming on a tourist visa to 'have a look and make sure the employer was OK' before committing to the job. Of course there are risks to both. Im a real creature of habit and find a lot of comfort in returning to an employer I already trust. Im a little wary of going elsewhere and finding the grass wasnt greener. Thats as someone with experience and qualifications, and in theory, less likely to get it wrong.

If you arent experienced, have no related qualifications then its a real risk to come in on a tourist visa and do a demo lesson / have a probation period.

[Lancy Bloom]

I am writing this from outside of China and would never post this otherwise. You should never write your intentions of working on a tourist visa on this site. If you work ilegally in China keep it to yourself. This also means doing private teaching; you should be paid after every class or day. Don't let your pay back up whether doing legal or ilegal work.
This is the advantage of working without proper credentials. They can't trap you by holding back your pay. This is common with employers this time of year. "If we pay you, you may not come back." Many workers decide to change companies and take the whole village to a new factory for hight wages. So the old boss holds wages to make sure they return. EFL schools all over the world do this now. The teacher has too much to lose by going home.
This lie being propogated here about working in China, that says one must come to China with money, must stop. We are professionals and not casino customers.

[rogerwilco]

[Javelin of Radiance]

[sistercream]

[Lancy Bloom]

You should not pay to teach English! Too many people are being taken advantage of. Business people get expenses paid. You say you need to set up an apartment. Why do you need to do this? Most jobs say they offer furnished apartments. People are coming to China working and not being paid. The idea that you need money to teach has nothing to do with being a professional English teacher. it is just justifying corruption by recruiters and schools.
This is like 100 flowers and one hundred snakes. I put this out and all the snake recruiters jump all over me.
So you set up your own place and then if things go bad you still have a place to live. THis is how people make money teaching English. You can have 5 jobs and if you lose one you still have an income coming in. Don't be a slave in China!

[Javelin of Radiance]

[tideout]

I recently taught in China and I heard similar stories about Thailand so I feel like I need to say something and will try to do it w/o sounding like someone's parent.

Whenever I heard about someone who was working in an unfair work situation be it with a school or a recruiter I would ask why are you continuing to work under x set of conditions?

Slowly but almost inevitably the answer came around to someone was desperate 6 months, a year etc.. ago.

One of the most important pieces of information that should go out to potential ESL teachers is that you should not go overseas on a wing and a prayer. Seriously, go with enough cash to weather a couple of storms and some room on your credit card for emergencies. The environment for being taken advantage of in SE Asia as well as China is huge. The recruiters and schools who are unethical can practically smell you coming off the train ramp. You will be taken advantage of if you do not have the power to genuinely throw a "I don't need this job" in the face of someone who's trying to take advantage of you.

At the risk of appearing over dramatic, some of the stories I've heard border on a form of trafficking though the nature of the exploitation and level is different. I wouldn't be at all shocked if people have been taken advantage of beyond not being paid etc.. I hope this will continue to be brought up in the ESL community especially in emerging country's like China where different avenues of starting there and labor law & practices that I'm guess are all but unknown to the ESL community.

[KopiKopi]

No, you should never work on a tourist visa.

Maybe the OP is talking about the Residence Permit, and not the Z-Visa?

You must obtain a Residence Permit here. Do you think this may be the confusion?

But, if ANYONE tells you that you can even work a single minute with a tourist visa, run away, fast!

[Lancy Bloom]

I have run into over 500 teachers who have taught in China and the only ones who worked legaly with the Z visa from their own country are people contributing on this forum. All Chinese employers want you over here to look at you and test you out.
English teachers are the bottom of the bottom when it comes to salaried people in China. The pollice really don't care about teachers. Like a friend once told me " The school has most of it's classes on the weekend and the Security Bureau is closed on Saturday and Sundays. No one is going to come to your school and bust you.
I am saying that the idea of having money incase of something goes wrongis a bad attitude. You are setting yourself up to being ripped. You must let your employer know that you paid to come here and you must be paid.

[choudoufu]