Job Discussion Forums

[Laxmatt]

I recently got everything set and contracts signed, medical forms filled out, physical done and my paperwork sent to the FEB. I thought everything was good and then received this:

"Hello Matt, I am sorry to tell you that the Foreign Expert Bureau has returned your application materials. They said you have no full time experience as an English teacher.

I hope we may have chance to work together in the future."

I graduated in Dec '10 and have 3 years English tutoring experience. Do I really need full time English teaching experience and why would the school not tell me this BEFORE I went through all those hoops? Can I not teach in China now?

Have a degree in English and TEFL cert..

[roadwalker]

Matt, you could try applying to schools in different provinces. Assuming this wasn't a convenient brush off because the school found someone they like better than you suddenly, you will likely get the same response in the same province (although it might be interesting to try again and find out). Everything varies in China. Perhaps you could bolster your proof of tutoring experience (private students or through an employer or organization?) with documentation and letters of recommendation/thanks. Officially, you may not be qualified and your status as a very recent graduate hurts, but lots of people are teaching in China with lesser credentials. Try some more schools, and consider teaching an age group you might not be that interested in, such as small children. Whatever you do, don't come without enough money or credit for an escape if the school can't get you legal residence and work status.

The interior provinces and the western provinces should be more forgiving than the Eastern and Southeastern provinces for credentials, but even that isn't true all of the time. Good luck.

[steve b]

Possibly just the school or the locality. No reason you cannot get a job teaching elsewhere in China.

[xjgirl]

hi dude,
it's very important u tell us the location of the school, which province or municipality!

[xjgirl]

you can still teach here, it's just that some FEB's are more anal than others

next time, since it doesn't actually say when u graduated on your degree
you should change your resume to having graduated 2 years ago, and make up a fake letter of recommendation showing 2 years full-time work experience

[Sinko]

As Roadwalker alluded, you got "done over" by another person who managed to get in front of you. The reason they sent you that reply was just a bulllshit reason to pass you over. That's not a crime. You are okay. You will get another job somewhere else. Stick with it, as you have good qualifications and good view to working here. Be patient.

[Laxmatt]

[Non Sequitur]

Mmm I've done part time at Neusoft in a different location and never felt they were that serious about English and certainly not to the extent that they ever wanted a fulltimer. It may have been budget and you may be the victim of that now.
Even when you think you have something in the bag you should always have 2 or 3 live applications going elsewhere.
Your skills seem eminently suitable for a college job. It may not pay like Neusoft but the state sector is always a good starting place. However, the uni/vocational colleges seem to have gone quiet over the last couple of weeks so pickings may not be that good for a Sept start.

[lwccn]

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Hi,

Please take no notice of posters who openly admit to being banned multiple times and openly admit to not caring for helping others or even using this site; they get banned for a reason.

I on the other hand will be happy to not insult you, flame you, blame or attack you.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[Laxmatt]

Thank you very much for the constructive replies and help. I've already had return emails from several schools, which is better and faster than last time I started searching. Must be hiring season!

[xjgirl]

it's hard to really tell if the FEB actually did return his documents and say he
had no work experience

things are getting so strict, that is what i think actually happened

[steve b]

Who submitted the forms to the FEB? An agent, the school? If so then surely they should be familiar with any local requirements and the application should have been killed off at birth.......

[Laxmatt]