Job Discussion Forums

[lf_aristotle69]

Hi Thrillseekers,

I think we've all heard various stories about various 5 year limits on things here in China... 5 year plans, 5 year's residence equals the mythical D-visa, etc. (BTW, I forget if it was D or some other letter... you know what I mean...)

I don't think I've seen the one I'm about to introduce. I don't know if it is out-of-date, or new, or if it exists but is not enforced, other...

http://www.chinajob.com/service/faq.php?news_id=96&faq_keyword=

[Surfdude18]

As with a lot of things in China, the law 'exists' but is only enforced if a school wishes to - i.e. essentially to get rid of a teacher who they had had enough of, or who was demanding higher pay, etc.

Quite a few foreigners have bought houses here - imagine the kicker if you spent all that dosh and then got told that you had to leave for 2 years!

In practice I'm 99% certain that you could leave the country and then come straight back in and find a job at a different school.

[arioch36]

I have been told by the SAFEA office that the regulation exists. You don't ned to leave the country, only stop teaching ... if you have been teaching on the books, ie legally, for five years, they have the right to tell you you can't teach the 6th year. Reasoning being your english might deteriorate.

Previous topic same subject, I said I knew one person who was told to leave ... real reason, he was living in sin with a Chinese girl in a small backward province. Probably someone was jealous.
As far as I know, province still don't trade info, this can easily be beat by teaching in a different province. PS, I've been here 7

[arcueil_1]

I think that once you buy property, you're pretty much set (never has anyone even remotely hinted at me having to take off)... but like arioch36 said, if you've been working "by the books" for five straight years, they do have the right to ask you to depart for some time *prior to teaching again* (but not if you are simply going to hang around without working [legally speaking]).

The part that I find really bizarre though is what arioch36 said afterwards -- that the reason is to ensure that a teacher's English does not deteriorate. I suppose that that could make some sense if one has lived for what seems like forever in a place where there is no one to talk fluent English with (and not traveled anywhere), but hardly elsewhere. Although it might seem a bit jaded, I think that the real reason is simply because they don't like "low income"/"low investment" laowai hanging around for too long... a bit of chauvinism, if you will. That said, I've never met any long-timers that have been asked to depart because they've been teaching too many years.

[beck's]

I see a backlash happening against foreigners in the near or middle future. I think the Olympic/human rights/Taiwan controversies will result in very strong feelings of patriotism among the young (under 30) Chinese. I see evidence of a rise in this now. This growing patriotism will manifest itself in xenophobia. If this happens, I think we will see regulations like the five year limit more strictly enforced.

[GeminiTiger]

I see the opposite. The Olympics will force China into a more global perspective, like it or not, and more and more people will become interested in the global scene, especially the under 30 crowd. This will increase the Chinese peoples interest in English and global issues and ignorant now or not I think in the future progress will be made.

[Shan-Shan]

[beck's]

I appreciate your point Gemini Tiger and I hope you are right. I see a rise in patriotism among my students. One kid told me that many kids are writing "I love China" on all emails and MSN messages. They feel that the western media is negative towards China at the same time that China is finding its place in the sun. One student hinted at a planned boycott of KFC and Carrefore. How long before foreigners are personna non grata?

This olympics is reminicent of the 1936 games in Berlin. The National Socialists were trying to showcase their economic achievements in the middle of the Great Depression. Shortly after the games they passed the Nuremburg Laws which severely limited the freedoms of all Germans, most notably those of the Jews. I see parallels.

The youth of China are solidly in favour of their government. They are the most patriotic people I have ever met. Their doesn't seem to be any anti-Establishment feeling among them.

The rising value of the Yuan coupled with health and safety issues surrounding Chinese products will mean that those products will not be so cheap or desirable in the west. China will continue to develop its own internal market, which is immense. China doesn't need western markets. Africa and the Middle East will provide the oil. If America withdraws from Iraq the Chinese will fill the vacuum in a Shanghai second.

[arioch36]

They also grow suspicious if you stay for too many years. Knew this old retired geezer. He was studying Chinese and traveling around. He was enrolled in a school and a student's visa. After the 2nd or 3rd year, the school basically asked him if he was a spy, because he was still studying Chinese, and travelled a lot.

[arcueil_1]

That's messed up, arioch36. To ask some guy if he's a spy because of the reasons you explained is the ultimate in ignorance. One would think that the people that asked that poor fellow if he was a spy would at least consider that spies are trained prior to doing their assignment -- they learn the "target" language before they begin their work, not to mention that they also have to learn just about everything else about that country. How could those people think that a spy is going to learn their craft as he/she goes along? So dumb...

[Laoshi1950]

I have been working in China for the past seven years, at different universities in four different provinces. This week, I was formally invited by my Beijing university to renew my Teaching Contract for the next academic year. A Canadian colleague at this university has also been teaching in China for seven years; he too has been invited to renew his Contract for next year.

[11:59]

[beck's]

Sorry for the mistake. It should read, There doesn't seem to be.

[Lorean]

[Leon Purvis]

Oh man, don't go boogers over a small tipo, tippo, tai po, MISTAKE... whatever.