Job Discussion Forums

[rafterman23]

Hello other teachers! I have been in the nitty gritty of interviewing with schools. As a lot of you probably know, the time-frame is getting very tight for public schools now, but of course the demand is high as well.

I recently interviewed with Sea Dragon Education in Shenzhen and I have a few questions based on all the previous research I've done. They are a recruitment agency kind of thing, they claim to work very closely with the government to place foreign teachers in public schools. I recently graduated University and even more recently got my CELTA certificate. However, since I have no teaching experience, the 2 year experience requirement has been blocking a lot of opportunities for me. Fortunately, the people at Sea Dragon say that as long as I take their state approved "TEFL in China" course, 70 hours of which is online and can be done here in America (where I am), and the other 50 hours of which is in person in Shenzhen, that I can get the Z visa without teaching experience and come in legally.

HOWEVER, this is where it gets tricky. The in-person portion of the TEFL in China course happens in Shenzhen starting mid August (17th I believe, something like that.) So I would almost certainly not be able to receive my Z visa before that date, so they suggested I get a tourist visa soon so that I can go to Shenzhen in mid-August. I would then finish the TEFL course there by the 24th or so, get the certificate, take that certificate and all the necessary documents over to HK, switch it over to a Z visa, and come back in the country on the Z visa to begin working.

Now, like a trained dog, on the very mention of a "tourist visa" 1000 red flags popped up. I asked them repeatedly "would I have the Z visa in my hands before I started teaching." They always said yes, and that they work closely with the state / education bureau, so it would be fine. I prompted them again to make triple sure, and they said "I would never be teaching or making money on the tourist visa, it is just to get me to Shenzhen in time for the in-person TEFL in China portion", then I could go right next door to HK, switch it over to Z (before I teach a single word of English!) and everything was good.

To me, this sounds fine, its just a goofy workaround because the timing is so close for the public-school semester beginning. But I am, again, completely inexperienced. What do you guys think about it? (And also, have you heard of Sea Dragon before? I have googled and baidu'd it, there are no immediate red flags about the place, and their website even has essays from people who were previously in the program and they seem to be very satisfied.) Finally, did any of you have your very first teaching experience in China in public school? Is it better to have first time experience in public school, private school, or language / training centers? Let me know, thank you!

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

I know a young FT who went through something similar, though he took a course in Nanjing. He got his Z visa before he arrived.

Thousands of FTs may say that they were able to change a tourist visa to a Z visa, but I wouldn't want to be the one to be told "NO".

Keep looking and applying. Maybe start working on TEFL certs in your home country, THEN apply for a job.

China can wait.