Job Discussion Forums

Ciara · Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 3:39 am Post subject: Need Advice

Shanxi vs Guangzhou.

The one in Guangzhou, I am actually hired from a Hong Kong Consultancy...on F Visa, and only for 3 months TRIAL. We get to decide whether or not we like each other.

In Shanxi, it's guaranteed for 6 months, and choice of renewal.

But then again, it's Shanxi.....what am I going to do with all the free time? (18hrs)

But Guangzhou wants 40 hr/wk....but that's like back home....and their standards are VERY high....(keeps being reiterated in the phone interview).

If I don't get rehired in Guangzhou, then I'm screwed since the school term is starting....what are the chances of finding another school?

Advice anyone?

I just want to be able to enjoy China while I'm here. So...hole in the ground in China with lots of time to travel, or a big city with very little time to travel?

lagerlout2006 · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 985

Based on this info I would go to Shanxi...In GZ I would be suspicious..An F visa is not for teaching..So they want to employ you illegally and call it a "trial period." (By the way if you only lasted 3 months you could find something else-don't worry.) Also the 40 hours part. In Korea I had a 40-hour job from 12-8 for 5 days. It started out OK but gradually the manager found more and more little things for me to do---call the students at home-make a file on each one etc. etc. A lot of the extra work was silliness but since I was there and being paid...So I would avoid this 40 a week illegal thing in GZ.

Chris_Crossley

lagerlout2006 wrote:

anthyp · Joined: 16 Apr 2004 Posts: 1320 Location: Chicago, IL USA

I vote Shanxi, too (why isn't this a poll?!).

As lagerlout points out, you can't work legally here on an L Visa. Your school may not be authorized to issue Z Visas, who knows? Either way, it sounds like a shady deal.

And 40 hours a week - yikes! You'd probably go insane after a few months of that kind of grind. I mean moreso than the usual amount of insanity we all experience after working awhile in the PRC.

Ahem, as for small town life in China, well, it can be pretty rough sometimes. The low hours are great, yeah, but can quickly become a curse when you run out of movies to watch (and by the way, I hope you enjoy watching movies). The - er, quaint - manners of the locals take some getting used to.

Still, if you only want to be able to enjoy China, you should be able to do that pretty much anywhere. The key is periodically escaping from your little corner of Hell. Just get away to the bigger cities every now and then, try to learn some of the language, and make as many friends as possible - the people in these places will want to get to know you, so that last bit will be easy.

If you can survive small town China, surely you can survive anywhere here. And I think living in a small city can be very interesting, because there will be no hope of ever forgetting where you are - China!

Whatever you decide, welcome to the PRC!

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Name the illegal Hong Kong recruiter so we all know!

40 hours a week? I thought only EF asked their TEFLers to put in so much time!

Would they house you? Transport you? Traffic here is a headache! Count on a daily commute of 2 hours - half of which on board a packed bus, half waiting in the hot and humid dust-laden air of a bus stop!

Louis · Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Posts: 275 Location: Beautiful Taiyuan

Always the defender of Shanxi, I have to step in. 40 hours is BS. Working without papers is BS. Shanxi will give you the complete, dirty Chinese culture lesson, and it's worth learning. And, if you get sick of it, it's fairly central, so Beijing/Xi'an (depending on whether you are in the north or south) are easily doable as a weekend trip.

Ciara · Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 8:45 pm Post subject:

Let me clearify. It's not a school per se. It is a business based in HK.

www.cheironacademia.com.

Room is paid for. They want me to come in on an F visa, then change it to a Z visa if the situation works out.

Shanxi seems kinda shady, especially the school. I've got a whole P.I crew investigating for me...LOL.

Yangquan really is a hole in the ground though...BUT I LOVE MOVIES!

Laughing

go_ABs · Joined: 08 Aug 2004 Posts: 507

What is an F visa anyway?

Ciara · Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:30 am Post subject:

Maybe it's called an L Visa?

They're issued for temp/consultants/students for study abroad....less than 6 months stay I think.

Chris_Crossley · Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:31 am Post subject: F visa

It's a business visa. It basically allows you to come to China ON BUSINESS for your company, BUT you are NOT allowed to work IN China on this visa. OK?

go_ABs · Joined: 08 Aug 2004 Posts: 507

OK - I understand... maybe...

So an L visa and an F visa is the same thing?

And if you are in China on business, then isn't that working? You must mean that you can't work for Chinese on an F visa?

cujobytes · Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 6:26 am Post subject: Visa

An F visa is a Business visa, first one 3 month single entry, after that you can get a 6 month multi entry.
L is a visitor visa.
F is not a work visa but you are permitted to do 'training' (I.E. english training, wink wink)

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Ciara · Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 4:15 pm Post subject:

He said that I would be working for a HK Company, doing consulting/training in China. This will fall under "F" Visa. Then if it works out, then they will apply for a "Z" Visa for me.

I will not get paid in China per se, but equivalent by HK standards? Or something like that.

The school in Shanxi is taking awhile to get me my letter of invitation....it's the one I'm leaning towards.