Job Discussion Forums

mitchm · Joined: 17 Jan 2011 Posts: 25

The HR lady at the school I'm working at in the Fall is insisting I bring my original degrees (B.A. and M.A.) with me in order to get my foreign residence permit. Is this really necessary? They are in frames hanging on the wall. I will if I have to, but it seems as if official transcripts would work just as well if not better (or even photocopies of the degrees in addition).

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

dermo · Joined: 06 Nov 2009 Posts: 22 Location: China

No it is not necessary. Most schools simply ask for a copy of your degree (unless it's an international school). And if you do need to bring your degree, there's certainly no need to bring your B.A. and M.A. Just the M.A. will do.

igorG · Joined: 10 Aug 2010 Posts: 1473 Location: asia

Lobster · Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 9:40 am Post subject:

You may request additional copies of your degrees, certificates and transcripts from the issuing university (for a fee). The degrees will often come in a protective folder suitable for travelling. In this way you can leave the others on the wall and still provide the "originals". I have been asked to provide originals of my degrees and certificates to receive my FEC on more than one occasion.

7969 is correct. The acceptance of photocopies without viewing the originals would lead to the proliferation of fake degrees offered to procure working documents, and certainly there must be systems in place to prevent this.

RED

igorG · Joined: 10 Aug 2010 Posts: 1473 Location: asia

So, if 7969 is right, then he shouldn't advocate emailing scanned copies of credentials/passports for job applications on another thread. Look! I am not picking yet another fight in between us. Just making an observation. And, i hope you understand my writing. Wink

As for the FEC, i have never seen one official or their office. Moreover, some of my former coworkers, others i have heard from, and i have not even been welcomed to the office. So, why passing it on to your local employer? This, original documents requesting, is yet another issue that's probably going to create more controversies in the country.

GuestBob · Joined: 18 Jun 2011 Posts: 270

I don't think it's anything new, and I really can't see why such a thing could cause issues.

Every single employer I have had in the UK has requested and required sight of the original copy of my degree certificate and sight of my passport. It is their right and duty to do this under UK law to ensure that they are employing people legally, especially where someone comes from another country or is not an EU passport holder. Failure to do this can result in prosecution.

It is common sense that employers would ask for these and, to be honest, I would be suspicious if they didn't require sight of the originals. I don't care if the system is tightening up and excluding people who don't have *cough* original copies of their certificates. I am sure those people will not be missed.

Anything which further formalises and rationalises the process of getting an FEC in China is surely to be welcomed with open arms.

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

Sending your documents to a school via email at the beginning of the job search and giving them the hard copies at some later point in time after you arrive are not mutually exclusive. Sometimes you need to do it one way, the other way, or both. In the case of our school, and many others, it'll be the latter.

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

So basically there is no consistency here from place to place, because I have only ever used copies.

Personally I would never risk losing my original copies; almost had them stolen once ten years ago in Korea. I don't plan on going through that again.

GeminiTiger · Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 2:42 pm Post subject:

for five years in 3 provinces i did not need it.
in a 4th province and at this new school it required.

igorG · Joined: 10 Aug 2010 Posts: 1473 Location: asia

GuestBob · Joined: 18 Jun 2011 Posts: 270

Miles Smiles · Joined: 07 Jun 2010 Posts: 1294 Location: Heebee Jeebee

If one has ever seen a phony degree that bears the name of a real school and compared it to the real thing from the very same school, one would see a BIG difference.

The biggest problem comes not from forged degrees but degrees from non-existent colleges and universities that have been printed on very good offset printers. The difficulty with these documents is that nobody wants to take the time to see if the school really exists. Even then, those degrees are printed off-shore and are printed on 8 1/2" x 5" paper to save on shipping expenses. One look at those degrees in-person would smoke those out fast.

At one time, the Washington, D.C.. Chinese consulate' website asked the applicant for a Z visa to go through all sorts of gyrations to authenticate his degrees.

I am the only person I know who actually went through the whole authentication process from local authorities to state authorities (my State Attorney General's office), the Department of State, then to someone at the Chinese Consulate who, in turn, put his chop on a letter. It was a time-consuming process that would certainly foil all but the wiliest. I wouldn't have gone through the hassle had I known that the information on the consulate's page was either old or erroneous.

An in-person view of a degree would smoke out the fakes, for sure. That a school wants to see an original wouldn't surprise me, especially if it has gotten burned by one of those VERY RARE bearers of fake degrees.

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong