Job Discussion Forums

killian · Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 4:42 am Post subject: just turning up in china

hi ya'll. this internet job search is just plain silly: send my photo, resume etc. have them send me the physical form to be completed here by a doctor...it is all just so lame. we are expected to take everything on faith and they have everything on their side. can i just turn up in china, poke around a bit and land a job with minimal hassle. such is the way it works in taiwan quite well. is such still possible in the PRC?

amandabarrick · Joined: 30 Dec 2004 Posts: 391

There are countless threads on this question. Read them!
After all is said and done, it is better to get a job and a contract, hence the Z visa, before entering China. It is illegal to seek employment on a toursit visa in China. Changing the L visa to a Z visa may present some problems, or a visa run to Hong Kong, etc...
AB

Yu · Joined: 06 Mar 2003 Posts: 1219 Location: Shanghai

Applied many jobs via Internet. Requesting a resume seems reasonable to me. As for a photo, I decided I did not really want to work for a place that required one... though I sent many out. I was never asked to do a physical form.

Before just showing up make sure you have enough cash reserves to support yourself for 2 months or until you can find a job. People who just show up without a job are always running out of money and panicking... read a few of their posts and see if you really think that this is the best option.

If you can't deal with the frsutration of finding a job in China... then what do you expect to happen once you get here.

GregSka · Joined: 11 Apr 2004 Posts: 30 Location: Zhuhai, China

I did it, and it was the best choice I made since deciding to come here. There's way too many people who get duped into bad jobs through the internet. As long as you are prepared and ready to put up with a week of interviews, planning, and stress, you should be rewarded for it.

killian · Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 4:59 am Post subject:

i've been there before. it seems better to actually see the organization i'm signing up with instead of "buying sight unseen." i remember all too well spending $100 US for a physical exam stateside and then having to do it again in china because the US one wasn't good enough.

killian · Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 5:01 am Post subject: to: GregSka

so, you just picked where you wanted to work and went for it? how very...capitalistic of you.

killian · Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 5:05 am Post subject:

amandabarrick, aren't you a recruiter? does having folks just turn up make things more difficult for such a job? seems just turning up would cut the recruiter of the picture. as i am fluent in chinese i don't need to be picked up at the airport- which seem to be the extent of most "recruiters" services.
cheers!

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

This thread is a joke, right?

Tell me, is the OP just stupid or is he too lazy to read the countless other threads discussing this very issue? Either way, let me spell it out for you once again, and I'll use plain language so you understand.

It is illegal to enter the People's Republic of China on anything but a Z (Employment Visa) with the intention of seeking or securing employment. This has nothing to do with what you feel about this, I'm sorry to say the immigration officials in this country don't care that you think it's inconvenient. It is the law and there are reasons for it. Same as why you can't go anywhere else in this world on any kind of Visa you find convenient and "just show up," looking for work.

Countless people do it, I know. But if you are coming here to work, you must have a Z Visa, according to the law -- and somebody to sponsor it. If you are coming here as a tourist than an L will do just fine. Is that clear enough for you?

And I will tell you the same thing I tell everyone too lazy to obey Chinese immigration law -- don't whine about it later if the organization you end up with doesn't feel inclined to do the same.

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

Whoops, sorry to sound so caustic.

But this question has been raised countless times. And there is really only one way to go about it. You must have the Z Visa if you are coming here to work. Why do it any other way? None of those ways would be legal, and however many people tell you it'll be OK, that doesn't change the fact that you are still taking an unnecessary risk.

Yes, it sucks that you have to commit to a school before coming here. Such is life. China simply does not allow anyone to come here and look for work; your employer must prove that there is a reason for granting you the work Visa, that you are a qualified individual, and no Chinese person can do your job as well or better.

The Chinese do not want unqualified backpackers roaming the country, selling their services to whatever organization is shady enough to take them on. If you are a qualified, realistic, individual, I think you can understand this.