Job Discussion Forums

[DCHun]

Hi Everyone,

So I chose a job offer for a uni in Liaoning and everything seemed to be going smoothly. I sent in all of the docs in early June and they promised to send the work invitation by that next week. A month later, they're still saying "next week" and the plane tickets are getting more expensive as each day goes on. They say that right now its stuck at the gov't bureau that reviews these types of things and its out of their control. But damn, a month?

My plan was to go to Taiwan in early August to see my friends before going to China when the contract starts in late August. But its looking like it will be crazy expensive.

I'm getting tired of this bullshit and I haven't even gotten into the country yet. My question is, how long does it usually take for the work invitation to get approved by the government? Also, would it be reasonable for me to ask for the plane ticket reimbursement in thirds (i.e. 1st paycheck, after 1st semester and at the end of the contract)?

Thanks in advance for any input.

[johntpartee]

[dean_a_jones]

A month seems a bit excessive, although processing time for certain things does seem to be increasing as of late. Hopefully the school is being honest with you and not stringing you along while look at other potential candidates or something. In any case, I would keep at least one eye on other options in case this does fall through. Every year we tend to hear from people who had their hopes pinned to one place and were let down at that last minute (and of course teachers do the same to schools). Hopefully it is not this, and it is just a bit of backlog due to recent visa changes and it being a busier period in terms of applying for these things.

From what I understand, it usually takes about a week or two to get it sorted for most people. As I say it is hard to tell why it is taking so long--might be processing times, might be they just handed it in much later than they said they did, and are just lying rather than admitting this. If they have handed it in they will be pressing for it soon, I suppose, and admin people at schools are usually going on summer holiday shortly.

[DCHun]

Well, its possible that they are just stringing me along while they look at other candidates but based on my conversations with the uni staff it doesn't really seem that way. So in willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for a little while longer. (Or I could be a terrible judge of character) Either way, I'm prepared for both possibilities. I still have my current job here and I can wait it out till another opportunity is available.
Wonder if I could go do JET instead...

[Non Sequitur]

Don't give them the benefit of the doubt.
It's late, but get into conversations with other schools immediately.
Just making the attempt will get you out of the powerless mentality you're experiencing right now.
As a matter of strategy, you should keep applying until you actually have your visa. This especially applies to newbies.

[Banner41]

As much as some schools are let down by teachers, teachers are let down by schools. I would do just as suggested above and keep a lot of irons in the fire until I had something in my hand. So many variables and things that could go wrong with getting paperwork to you. Sometimes you may not find out about a problem until it's almost too late. They usually take the path of least resistance. If they can get paperwork done faster for one candidate over another they will just do that. They are not usually known to fight for the one they really want.

[daikaiju]

I've been told something similar. Everything seems legit, though I guess I'll keep an eye out for other positions just in case!

[GeminiTiger]

[nomad-ish]

it took my employer about 5 or 6 weeks to get my invitation letter and work permit approved by the government and shipped express to me. my last chinese work permit took about the same amount of time. your employer should've realized that earlier and not quoted you a week. are you the first foreign employee they've had??

as for applying for other jobs in china at the same time, i'm not sure if you can. hopefully someone else can answer this, but would the chinese government deny a second application for a work permit if they know that there is a current application in progress?

[Bud Powell]

Your best bet in estimating the time of arrival is to find out when classes begin and then count backwards from there. Though the FAO SHOULD be in his/her office every work day, this isn't always the case.

The FAO should begin showing signs of life 4-6 weeks before the beginning of the first classes, though you have no way of knowing if anyone is in the Foreign Affairs Office unless your recruiter can tell you or can put you in direct contact with the school's FAO (good luck on that one). I've (generally) received my letter of invitation about 3-4 weeks before classes start. Then, it's another four or five days processing at the Chinese consulate before I get my passport and visa.

If your chosen school accepts you for employment two months before classes begin, don't expect anyone to send you a letter of invitation immediately.

If I remember correctly, my last visa indicated an expiration within "000" days, but was effective for admitting me into China only about thirty days after it was issued to me. Similarly, all FTs were herded to the PSB or the local city FAO for processing within thirty days of our arrival.

Things may have changed since my last gig in China, but I still wouldn't expect that letter of invitation (or whatever the Ministry of Education issues now) to arrive sooner than five weeks before the beginning of classes. How long it takes for your local Chinese consulate to process your visa depends upon where your consulate resides, how you go about getting it there (via courier or by yourself), and the consulate's ability/willingness to process the papers quickly. Last time, I learned that next day processing wasn't available, so I had to wait 4-5 days.

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