Job Discussion Forums

[Big_H]

Greetings everyone,

As the title says, I'm debuting in a language center and I'll receive the foreign expert certificate in a day or two; however the resident permit won't be granted for another couple of weeks.

Do I need to wait for that permit before starting to give lessons or is the government only concerned about the expert cert.?

Frankly I'm not too concerned about starting a few days early, but it'll be handy information to know when the school should officially start deducting taxes from the wage (i.e. After the teacher gets his FEC or after he receives his residence permit).

[GreatApe]

Congratulations on the FEC Big_H!

I tend to err on the side of caution in this particular situation because I had a bad experience in my first job in the PRC in 2010 when I started working about 7 days before the RP was in my passport. Like you, I had the FEC, but did not yet have the RP.

I MISTAKENLY thought that as long as the FEC had been obtained and the RP paperwork had been turned in, I would be okay and I could work. WRONG!

Others will have had different experiences, I'm sure ... Having said that, the LOCATION (relative isolation and/or security of the school) could definitely play a role in how "secure" the teacher is, especially if he or she is working "illegally." I wouldn't work for a language center without being completely cleared with all the "i's" dotted and the "t's" crossed, especially if the center is (like many are) located in the city center or in a business area.

My personal advice is DON'T start early, EVER! Wait until all documents are in your possession and you're 100 % "legal." And for newbies, don't assume that just because the papers have been filled out and turned in, that that means you are "good to go." Because it doesn't.

Best of Luck.

--GA

[dblkhqc]

Foreign Expert Certificate must be ISSUED to begin employment. Resident Permit is simply a necessity to continue residing in China - it is tied to your employer and it requires a copy of the FEC to be issued, but it DOES NOT limit your ability to work. The caveat on that last part is that it must be obtained within 30 days of entry into China, otherwise you are here illegally and thus not allowed to work. This information is pretty clearly stated online.

[roadwalker]

[Big_H]

Alright, thanks for the feedback everyone. I feel that I should give more details like that I arrived here on a Z-visa and that my school is in the business district of a major city (Shanghai).

GA, can you give me more details as to who was giving you trouble on your first experience, and how did it end up?

[roadwalker]

I'm sure if it came down to reporting taxable earnings and withholding taxes based on post-FEC acquisition, the unis I worked for would just move the reported days of my teaching around to suit the paperwork. Perhaps there are hard rules about not working without a Residence Permit, but until GreatApe's comment, I had never heard of anyone else running into them. The FEC makes sense, since it's still theoretically possible to be denied the certificate. But as dblkhqc wrote, the RP, while tied to a sole employer if based on a z-visa entry, is concerned with staying (residing) in China, not working.

[hdeth]

It's normal to start work before getting a residence permit or even an FEC. Don't sweat it. If they're really sketchy and delaying things it's a problem but if they genuinely seem to be sorting things out then just chill. it takes about a week most places to get an FEC and a few weeks to finish off the residence permit process.

[GreatApe]

roadwalker wrote:

[Shanghai Noon]

I have worked at four jobs now in Shanghai while the FEC and/or residence permit was in the works. It's no problem. If the police come, you can show them that you are working on the application.