Job Discussion Forums

simon_capetown · Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 13

Hi

I'm wondering what the legalities are for teachers from South Africa working in China?

Is it possible to obtain a Z visa?

I have a degree, PGCE and Celta and have been offered quite a few jobs. However, I see South Africans are no longer considered native English speakers. Would this be an issue and would the type of institution where one is employed at make a difference (language school vs international school for example) ?

I would appreciate any current information.

Thank you.

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

hanlier · Joined: 10 Mar 2013 Posts: 13

Hi Simon,

As a South African, you certainly can obtain a z visa, if you have a job offer on the table. Just make sure that you get all your ducks in a row and all the paper work for the visa. You can google it. Out of curiosity, is it China that decided that South Africans are not seen as Native speakers or where did you get this information from? I know there are people in SA that I certainly would not hire for the death of me because of their accents and usage, but the fact of the matter is, English is South Africa's official business language despite the fact that there are 10 or 11 other official languages. If you want to make yourself more acceptable, look into doing an IELTS exam or even TOEIC or any other test that can prove your language ability. I am from SA, and did the IELTS last year, as I want to emigrate to NZ and that is a requirement of the government.If there is an official decree somewhere that has been made, that says we are not native speakers, I want to see it. If it is just people - don't lend your ears out to people.Nad institutions that just want to hire people with North American accents, aren't that good either, because they are ignorant of the fact that people from different countries, speak with different accents. Good luck- hope you find a good job soon!

simon_capetown · Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 13

Thank you both for the information.

Hanlier, I was browsing the threads on the forum and it was an issue which had been brought up.

One contributor mentioned the fact that South Africans were no longer seen as native speakers. However, as you say, I have not seen any official decree. It was just a concern I had. Thank you for the advice and
I will definitely take a TOEIC or IELTS exam as I'm sure it will be beneficial.

drrjon · Joined: 09 Oct 2010 Posts: 35 Location: Chongqing

We were unable to obtain an invitation letter for a very well qualified educator from SA. This was in Chongqing and Chengdu.

theoriginalprankster · Joined: 19 Mar 2012 Posts: 895

Been in China 10 years - never had an issue getting tourist, business, Z visas or Residence Permits and FECs.

There's just not too many South Africans here, that's all..