Job Discussion Forums

Trollope16 · Joined: 26 Mar 2014 Posts: 6 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada

Hi everyone, so I have been doing my research for awhile here and have not found much on this.(If so you can just paste a link to the thread). I have a bachelors degree and my girlfriend does not but we are both currently doing an online TEFL course. I plan on getting a job before hand and having my girlfriend come with me and try to find a job once she is on the ground. My question is if it is plausible to get a job in Xiamen before hand with housing provided(prefered just easier) with her living with me? Also at the moment I am seeking a 6 month contract only. Any recommendations of employers would be great but I understand not many people will do that on here. Or do you think I would have better luck in the other destinations we have also looked into such as Yulin, Yangshuo, Guilin or Liuzhou in Guangxi or Guangzhou, Shenzhen or Dongguan in Guangdong? I know its a lengthy post but hoping to get some advice on this situation. Thanks!

zactherat · Joined: 24 Aug 2011 Posts: 295

My advice?

Don't do it!

Maybe 10 years ago you guys could have set yourselves up just on the merit of being foreign, but China is a very dynamic place and things have changed remarkably in the last decade. Most of what you read about TEFLing in the middle kingdom will be dated - even obsolete. Regulations have become tighter; foreign teachers are much more competitive.

At best, you land an entry level job which is just about enough to keep you afloat if you watch your money carefully. Meanwhile your partner is also tries to generate illegal income whilst pretending to be a tourist. Perhaps she can get a few hours per week here and there, but without skills and experience, employers will soon turn to better teachers (there are thousands already here, connected and capable).

This will put you right at the bottom of the pile, and China is not a good place to be desperate. Who knows, maybe you'll love China and the depravity that you will suffer will be worth it, but in my experience couples don't tend to last long out here - either they stay for only a year, or they break up after less.

Stay home, get qualified and come here on better terms. China will still be here waiting for you after your partner has her degree.

Alternatively, try developing countries like Cambodia or Myanmar, where you just buy your visa on the way in.

wangdaning · Joined: 22 Jan 2008 Posts: 3154

She will come for a 30 visa and find and document a job in that time. Not unheard of, but highly unlikely.

roadwalker · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 1750 Location: Ch

Putting the girlfriend aside, I don't think you have a very good chance of being offered a work visa, especially for a 6 month contract. Do you have any teaching experience after gaining your degree? Theoretically it would be possible for you to receive an invitation needed to apply for a work (z) visa. And theoretically your girlfriend could be given a dependent visa (dependent on yours) where she would not be allowed to work. Realistically, without stellar experience, it would be near impossible.

Your option (without experience and asking for a short contract) will be to come on a visitor visa and hope for the best. You could work illegally for all the protections that provides (none). There are waves of crackdowns where illegals are deported but there are illegals working today. Up to you.

I agree with the suggestion to wait until your girlfriend has her degree and then start looking.

choudoufu · Joined: 25 May 2010 Posts: 3325 Location: Mao-berry, PRC

limited info provided, but it seems:

......you're around 22, just graduated, no teaching experience,
little to no work experience of any kind after graduation.

.......girlfriend might be 20, degree not yet finished.

you both might find employment, possibly even at the same school,
but you'll be scraping the rust stains off the floor after the barrel has
already been emptied and sent off for recycling.

6-month contracts are rare. hard to justify going to the effort and
expense of a work visa for someone with no qualifications other than
white (i assume) and breathing.

unmarried, so no dependent visa. she's stuck with a tourist visa.
even if legal work found, likely need to return to home country for
the work visa.

**edit** also, the education and experience requirement isn't actually
a law. it's a recommendation. some provinces strictly follow the
guideline as law, others ignore it completely. give it a shot, but keep
your demands simple. look in the less fashionable locations....xinjiang
and inner mongolia, or rural non-even-on-the-tier-list cities.

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

I'd try for both of you to come on Z visas as teachers.
Try and get even voluntary English language work at a refugee centre to bolster your creds.
You may not be offered great gigs but vocationals in 2nd tier cities could be interested.
You've still got time for Sept start.

Simon in Suzhou · Joined: 09 Aug 2011 Posts: 404 Location: GZ

Trollope16 · Joined: 26 Mar 2014 Posts: 6 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada

Thanks for the quick reply. I knew this wouldn't be easy but seeming to be near impossible. As for education I do have two bachelors degrees one in Kinesiology(probably not relevant) and one for Education. I also have teaching experience here with substitute teaching for the past year so I wouldn't consider myself just a "white foreigner that can breathe" but fair enough I understand it will not be easy. She is currently working as a teachers aid so not in school but hoping to return to school in the future. I am 25 years old and she is 22 wish we could stay longer then 6 months but we have a few weddings to attend (not ours haha). I think I may still apply for some of the year contracts and talk to them and see what I can work out with them. I was a bit skeptical about the companies that offer the 6 month contracts that they may be a bit sketchy but I may just have to deal with that this time and take what I can get. I understand I should wait but I'll try apply for a few jobs and if nothing comes up then I will wait. Any recommendations on somewhere that I could possibly find a job that is maybe off the beaten path or where they are less strict on these "laws" Thanks again.

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

Year or more 10m is the norm.
Try Yantai in Shandong. It's 3rd tier but still a sizeable city with tertiary schools and better air than many places.

Bud Powell · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Posts: 1736

" ... **edit** also, the education and experience requirement isn't actually
a law. it's a recommendation. some provinces strictly follow the
guideline as law, others ignore it completely..."

I didn't know this. This may explain the presence of some of the #@!*s I met in China when I first began teaching ESL.

choudoufu · Joined: 25 May 2010 Posts: 3325 Location: Mao-berry, PRC

roadwalker · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 1750 Location: Ch

JamesD · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 1:38 am Post subject:

Shanghai Noon · Joined: 18 Aug 2013 Posts: 589 Location: Shanghai, China

Trollope16 · Joined: 26 Mar 2014 Posts: 6 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada

Hey so I have a few job leads in Xiamen now what would be an average wage to expect (we will say with living accommodations included) for my situation again first time teaching ESL in China but do have two bachelors degrees one in Education and have experience teaching here in Canada. I know it will depend on school and hours but wondering what a ball park wage would be for that city I have seen a few different threads but none on Xiamen that I could find. Thanks for your information again!