Job Discussion Forums

[goodbyeus]

I was recently offered a job in China at a private school. The owner explained to me that I had to get a 30 day visa while still in the U.S. prior to coming to China from a Chinese consulate here at home. He went on to say that once I arrived in China that the school would change the 30 day visa into a longer visa (year long). Is this standard practice in China when coming over from another country in obtaining a work visa?
Thanks

[flyingscotsman]

YES, you get a Z visa at home and they are supposed to change it to a resident permit once you get here.

In theory, anyways.

What actually happens is anyone's guess.

[choudoufu]

sounds like the school wants OP to get a 30-day tourist
visa while in the us, then will maybe......

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

choudoufu, you are 100% correct. Some people are really in the dark on the issue of visas, and many schools and/or recruiters rely on this fact to snag you into their 'catch a foreigner' fishing game.

Look, if the school is legally allowed to hire foreigners, you must by law acquire your working visa from your home country, and you must be sponsored by a school that is legally allowed to hire foreigners.

However, if the school is unable to follow the law because they are not licensed to have foreigners, they will ask you to come on a tourist visa and then they will use their connections (or pay a bribe) to get you a new visa and keep the police away from the school.

However.... there are growing number of schools which are in fact legally allowed to hire foreigners but they want you to come on your own steam and visa and dime. Basically for them, it is a low-risk/no-risk job interview, and potentially a free foreign face in their school for a month.

They have you teach for about a month, then if they do not like you or find someone else better, they simply throw you out to the wolves and are under no obligation to pay you.

This has been happening with more frequency, so be forwarned.




Long-time teacher in China,


GWoW

[shuanglu pijiu]

actually, nothing about what he said indicates they are expecting him to get a tourist visa. a work visa is technically only good for 30 days... then, as previously said, the school gets it changed to a Residence Permit through the local authorities. there is no work visa that exists that is beyond 30 days. this is because they all have to be changed within the 30 days to the Residence Permit.

OP, so far on the information you provided, nothing about what the school said to you is fishy. it is all 100% standard practice. anyone who tells you a work visa can be anything more than 30 days is misinformed. most people tend to confuse a Residence Permit with a work visa. though you need one to get the other, they are two SEPARATE entities.

you get the 30 day work visa in your own country, come here, and then they change it to the RP. that's it.

and not to get defensive before anyone even says anything but with 10 years experience working and living in China and another 5 years experience exclusively processing Chinese visas through consulates throughout the world, i have some idea what i'm talking about.

always good to be cautious... but keep the caution measured, otherwise it slips into full-blown paranoia

[wangdaning]

Yes, please read the title of the thread. It mentions a 30 day work visa. It sounds like the school is completely legit. To the OP, read the sticky on visas, it will help you understand the process.

The process the school described to you is the correct process.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

I should have read a little more carefully and now I am compelled to qualifiy my statement: If you are getting a work visa, then you should be all right.

But everything else I said about the potential dangers of a new teacher coming to China without a proper visa... I stand by fully.

[choudoufu]

i did read carefully, and stand by what i done said.

the OP is new, and is apparently unfamiliar with visa
processing. the title said work visa, but nothing in the
post indicated that a work visa was being applied for.

i assume he assumed the school manager would
provide a work visa. getting a tourist visa, then
making runs to hong kong for business visas seems
to be a common practice.

otherwise why would the manager say to come over
on one type of visa, then switch you to another
type visa? no mention of a residence permit. no
mention of required documents. no mention of
health examination.

[daCabbie]

Ya, the fact that nothing was mentioned about all the supporting documents (medical, etc.) made me think a tourist visa also.

I think this is a case where everyone is correct with the advice they have given:

Z visa are thirty days and given in home country

The OP does need to be warned of L/Tourist visa headaches

Yes, some schools will use this time to test drive a teacher or many teachers

Yes, the OP is a wide-eyed newbie, eager to say good bye to the USA.

Yes, bacon is a gift from the gods.

[wangdaning]

Therefore, point the OP to the sticky. No need to nonsensically assume that the employer is some how cheating the OP.

OP, check the sticky as well as consulate websites.

[goodbyeus]

Alright, thank you all. You are right of course, I am a noobie and apologize if I started an unnecessary conversation. From what I understand from the owner, he told me that I needed to go to a local Chinese consulate to get a 30 day "work" visa and that when I got to China, the school would provide me with a year long visa. He might have meant residency permit but spared me the lingo because he knew I wouldnt understand what he was talking about anyway. He did mention that I had to take the paperwork that he was sending me to the Chinese consulate here in the U.S. which sounds pretty legit to me because he said that he had to sign it first.

I suppose I was just confused when I posted because the add for the school says that they will pay for the visa for me to be in China for a year but at the time I didnt realize that I would have to front the money for the 30 day visa. It does make sense that they would make the teacher pay for 30 days I suppose to make sure that it works out and it costs them less in case the teacher decides to bail within the first month.

Nothing was mentioned about a medical screening though, or is this done to obtain the year long visa/residency permit once I get to China?

[LanGuTou]