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buddy bradley
Joined: 14 Jul 2004 Posts: 89 Location: The Beyond
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 8:32 am Post subject: Landing In China Jobless |
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Well, looks like I'll be flying to China in about two weeks' time as opposed to the end of February thanks to the incompetency and inefficiency of my boss here in Korea.
I heard that it is a lot better to get a letter of invitation before flying to China, and that some provinces require a visa run to Hong Kong whereas other provinces don't. Seems like I will soon be finding all this out the hard way I guess.
The next step is location, there are a lot of flights to Beijing, Nanjing, Qingdao - all the large cities on the east pretty much.
Any recommendations for a good province (one with decent cities with a lot of jobs)? Tough call I know, but I am thinking about going to Shanghai, checking out the scene there, and it is also close to Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
Another concern is funds, as I'm pretty sure I'm going to get screwed on the deposit on my apartment as I'm leaving early and without much notice. Funds will be a little scarce I fear so any recommendations for places to stay in the afore-mentioned provinces and Shanghai would be greatly appreciated as first-hand accounts are always good for me.
Thanks, and toodles! |
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therock

Joined: 31 Jul 2005 Posts: 1266 Location: China
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:18 am Post subject: |
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Now is probably the worst time to come to China to look for a job with an immediate start. However now is also the best time to look for a job for a February start. If you come now you can have a look around and line up a job for next semester which begins late February. If you are really lucky you could find a job now and move into the accommodation immediately then start work next semester. However you would need to negotiate with the school on this. I would say most schools wouldn't allow this, your chances will increase if you are willing to work in a more remote province. |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:13 am Post subject: |
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Before asking for recommendations, why not list some of your teaching qualifications? Experience, education, etc. |
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buddy bradley
Joined: 14 Jul 2004 Posts: 89 Location: The Beyond
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:24 am Post subject: |
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kev7161 wrote: |
Before asking for recommendations, why not list some of your teaching qualifications? Experience, education, etc. |
Sure. I have a BA in psychology (not that useful, I know), and about six years' worth of experience teaching EFL in Asia; slightly over two years spent in Taiwan, six months in Vietnam, and three years in South Korea.
I am thinking about doing a TEFL certificate sometime in the future, as I had no idea I would be doing this job for so long when I first started out.
China is important to me because I enjoyed learning Mandarin during my tenure in Taiwan and would like to take that up again as I've forgotten so much; I can't say the same about Korean and Vietnamese though, just couldn't pique enough interest in those languages. |
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danswayne
Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 237
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:04 pm Post subject: |
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Couple of things open down here in Changsha if you don't mind spicy food. |
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Loop
Joined: 07 Sep 2005 Posts: 178 Location: NE China
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:08 pm Post subject: |
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Might be a longshot but you never know: why don't you try PM'ing Simon M of this forum? Looks like he's leaving his school at the end of Dec. (his wife's visa came through so he's going back home):
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=58095
Apparently he's in Shanxi Province.
Just trying to help out a fellow "Hate" comics fan (as your screen name suggests)! I loved "Hate" but was partial to "Steven" comics. I'll have to learn how to say, "Eat some paste!" in Mandarin... |
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timtastic
Joined: 05 Oct 2007 Posts: 14 Location: Beijing
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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therock wrote: |
Now is probably the worst time to come to China to look for a job with an immediate start. However now is also the best time to look for a job for a February start. If you come now you can have a look around and line up a job for next semester which begins late February. If you are really lucky you could find a job now and move into the accommodation immediately then start work next semester. However you would need to negotiate with the school on this. I would say most schools wouldn't allow this, your chances will increase if you are willing to work in a more remote province. |
With regards to this, are most jobs (especially in large cities) going to start in late February?
And if I get hired by some school that does start in late Feb, would I be able to get my visa all squared away right away after getting hired (say I got hired in mid January), or would I have to wait until a week or two before I start to get legally settled in?
I ask this because I'm going to get the L visa tomorrow in Prague (hopefully) as well as buy my outgoing ticket, and I want to know if I need to ask for more 'tourism time'. |
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therock

Joined: 31 Jul 2005 Posts: 1266 Location: China
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 5:07 pm Post subject: |
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Jobs at public institutions will begin late February, jobs at private language schools hire all year round. If you are planning on getting a tourist visa then you better get a 3 month one. Once you have landed the dream job depending on the school and province you will then need to make a trip to Hong Kong and apply for a Z visa. |
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kungfucowboy83
Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Posts: 479
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 12:17 am Post subject: |
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Quote: |
Once you have landed the dream job depending on the school and province you will then need to make a trip to Hong Kong and apply for a Z visa. |
as with everything in china this depends on your employer's guanxi. but it's a good idea to plan on having to take the trip. |
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arioch36
Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 2:41 pm Post subject: |
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Cities with decent jobs... well, surprisingly, the most desirable cities are the ones that also have the most foreign teachers and mclaowai all looking for jobs. Not sure why. Easiest to find better jobs in cities no one wants.
As someone said in another post, Qingdao, especially Qingdao university, has obscenely low wages.
I have found tefl certs to be worthles, other then perhaps giving some confidence to would be teachers. If you have a current teaching cert good for your home country, this opens some opportunities. Which of course sucks for Americans, because we don't have such certifications |
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timtastic
Joined: 05 Oct 2007 Posts: 14 Location: Beijing
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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Where would I go if I need to extend my Chinese visa or get a Hong Kong visa? I'm getting one for 6 weeks as it is right now, starting next week. |
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danswayne
Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 237
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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arioch36 wrote: |
Which of course sucks for Americans, because we don't have such certifications |
Either the above quote is sarcasm or Florida really isn't part of the good old USA, as I sometimes joke with friends. I am certified in 3 different areas of teaching in Florida and my certifications are good for 5 years and pretty easy to keep even if I never teach another day in my life. |
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danswayne
Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 237
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 4:07 pm Post subject: |
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I now know 3 different schools in Hunan who need at least one teacher now. |
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therock

Joined: 31 Jul 2005 Posts: 1266 Location: China
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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timtastic wrote: |
Where would I go if I need to extend my Chinese visa or get a Hong Kong visa? I'm getting one for 6 weeks as it is right now, starting next week. |
I thought tourist visas only come with a duration of one month, 3 months or 6 months.
Chances are you probably will not need a visa for HK. Where are you from? USA, UK, Canada, Australia passport holders do not require a visa for HK.
The PSB will extend your tourist visa in China. |
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arioch36
Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589
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Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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Danswayne
Either the above quote is sarcasm or Florida really isn't part of the good old USA |
Neither, but shows the truth of a thread a while ago that in the U.S. it is all about what state you are in. You would have to apply to have your cert accepted in most states I know of (thinking Cali, NY and Ohio), and here in NY there are a lot of strings attached, things that need constant renewal, etc. For the public school system, of course. I could apply for a job and ask for a waiver, but I am no longer good to teach in New York.
If I was I NY cert teacher, would that be accepted in Florida? |
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