Job Discussion Forums

[tofuman]

Sam,

Forgive me for exercising my paternal instincts. I'd like to know why you don't have a bachelor's degree and why you are determined to come to China, one way or another?

There are certainly legitimate reasons for not having a bachelor's degree. In many cases, the cost of one is also a waste of money. Really, what kind of decent paying job can you get with a degree in cultural anthropology, history, sociology, or health science? Certainly interesting areas of study, but apart from continuing graduate study, not very helpful in terms of building a career.

Part of the problem in your case is that without a bachelor's degree, it is going to be difficult for you to get a Z visa to come to China. Apparently a lot of people do it, but I wouldn't be surprised if the great majority of nightmare stories on this board originate from those who come here without a Z visa.

Now it is possible to get a Z visa, sometimes, without a bachelor's. But it is not easy and without connections, nearly impossible. The type of employers who will falsify your qualifications to get you here, will also swindle you once you are here.

Things change here on a regular basis. The trend is to make it more difficult for English teachers because of age, educational background, and so forth.

From where I sit, whether it's China or the U.S.A., a bachelor's degree is a very useful document to have. A degree in business, for instance, would open many doors in both countries.

Even though you may slip in, it's very possible that the loophole that allowed you in will be closed soon.

Good luck as you consider the future.

[samhouston]

Tofuman,
I appreciate your concern. I will try to explain things...

I never achieved degreed status because at the time I was going to school I was unfocused, and it being the mid Nineties, job prospects in the nascent IT field were easily had. Shorter answer: lazy and short-sighted. As it turned out, for the last ten years, not getting the degree never made much difference.

Now I am wrapping up a five year stint in California and am looking at the next segment. I have a friend that teaches in Zhuhai, and my parents have been attending a huge annual music industry convention in Shanghai for the past several years, turning each business trip into a month long vacation. Other people I know have visited as well, and everyone has only great things to say about China.

China is constantly in the news, mostly due to its unprecedented economic growth and progress (and related side effects), and is set to dramatically alter the existing world order in the coming decades. With all these goings on, who wouldn't want to go to China?

This all sounds so basic and obvious, but you asked...

I do not have a wrenching urge to teach English by any means, but it's certainly something that I can do well in these circumstances, and it allows me to witness and participate in the transformation of this ancient civilization as it finally comes into its own. What proof do I have that I would make a good teacher? None, really. I never had any proof that I would be good at anything I've done, and I have usually performed fairly well.

People have compared today's China to the post Civil-War boom in the American West: Free-wheeling, energetic, entrepreneurial, and "Wild West." Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but the point is that spirit and determination are encouraged as an ideal, and the Chinese know that tomorrow belongs to them. That's what the US was once like. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of something truly colossal in its eminence. I'm not looking for riches; I just want to be there.

And then they throw in the degree requirement.

[tw]

[tofuman]

Sam,

Very clear and honest explanation of your situation. History is being made here. In some ways it is exciting to be a part of it. As an English teacher, however, most of us play extremely small roles in the making of that history, perhaps no roll at all, especially in the eyes of many employers.

If you are in the position to have some fun here, I certainly don't want to discourage it. Whatever lessons you learn should be useful in one way or another.

Many Chinese went to America during the gold rush. Most had a difficult time but their nature allowed them to see the future and following generations are now well established and prosperous. They did a lot of good things for the U.S.A., California in particular. They completed the railroad and turned parts of northern California into the rich farmland that it is.

There was also a sub group of Chinese that made it into the USA, illegally. They were essentially sold into slavery and worked as prostitutes in San Francisco and other places. There was a Presbyterian lady in San Francisco that devoted herself to helping these women out of that life. She sometimes raided brothels with Chinese speaking helpers and literally rescued the women and girls from that life.

The problem here is that there is no rescuer. One's status as an illegal English teacher is not much different from that of an enslaved "hoe" during the gold rush days of the early days in CA. If you have read some of the recent threads, you will note that people are being ripped off and swindled at an alarming rate here.

Without legal status, you have no recourse to the foreign expert's bureau or the police. I came here legally with proper credentials and I had to resort to drastic measures to resolve problems .

Of course in your case, you could just walk away, if you have no legitimate contract.

Others might disagree. I, however, would be very careful in your situation.