Job Discussion Forums

[hi54u]

There's an international school in the greater Shanghai region that wants me to teach on a business visa. The official reason is that the school is still awaiting its license from the government to hire foreign experts. I've been told that there is no definitive timeline about when this will happen. I have met other teachers at the school and none of them seem to have a problem with this. Many of them are seasoned teachers (ie "real" teachers) so I get the impression the school would sponsor Z visas if they could. I am very wary about this though, and I know I should probably walk away. But then again, many people in SH are working on "business" visas and most people seem to not give it much thought. Thoughts?!

[vikeologist]

The problem is that local governments are under pressure to become stricter about this, and enforce the law. The teachers who are there may well have a problem with it once they get heavily fined / put in prison / deported. The fact that they're applying for a license (if they're telling the truth) only means that they may be on the Police's radar.

If there was only a 1% chance that taking this job was going to cost you several thousand dollars, jail time and being kicked out of China for 5 years, would you take it? I don't think you would be put in prison, (unless you can't afford the fine), but I do think there's a very good chance that you'd be caught. Why wouldn't the Police collect all that money (the schools get fined as well) and look good to their superiors. Unless the school are paying huge amounts of money to someone to turn a blind eye, sooner or later someone's going to spot all these ducks lined up in a row.

Things have changed.

[likwid_777]

I did this a few years ago. I got booted out of China. Why do it, when there are so many other schools where you can get the correct visa? Do you need that in the back of your mind? And do you need or want to get booted out of China when the PSB raids? What about if your employer doesn't like you, and refuses to pay you. Who are you going to call, Ghostbusters? You have no power.

I speak from experience, I believed my employer when they said they would organise the proper visa after arriving in China. They didn't. I was naive and stupid. Be naive and stupid too, if you like, and have fun with that.

[naturegirl321]

How long were you banned for?

[fat_chris]

hi54u,

Just curious--how'd that position at EF work out for ya? Did they get a Z-visa for you?

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?p=1124725&highlight=#1124725

Warm regards,
fat_chris

[fat_chris]

[Big Worm]

Id imagine a real international school wouldn't have problems getting visas for foreign teachers.

[fat_chris]

[likwid_777]

[fat_chris]

[Dan123]

[vikeologist]

Not every 'international school' is a real one. I think most people know this, but worth bearing in mind. The label means absolutely nothing.

[Bud Powell]

I have been told by a City FAO as well as a school owner that a school must be in operation in its city of licensure for a minimum of thirteen months before it can even apply for a permit to hire foreign teachers. I almost got sucked into working for a private school, but I held out for a written statement from the administrators saying that it could hire foreigners. (I was leaving an undesirable situation in the same city and wanted out pronto). It was a good thing that I held out because after two months, I got word back that the company wasn't authorized to hire foreigners.

It turned out that its group of FTs were all illegal!

[hi54u]

[davelister]