Job Discussion Forums

[Mdsb87China]

Hi everyone,

I am currently coming to the end of 2.5 years teaching in Korea. Wanting a change, my girlfriend and I are looking into teaching in China.

However I saw something alarming on a recruiter website. It said that teachers arrive on the Z visa and then receive a TEMPORARY residency permit which allows them to work and stay in China for a year but that they are NOT allowed to leave and return in that time. (Must get a new visa etc etc).

I have looked into it and it seems that teachers usually get a foreign resident permit which allows you to come and go as you please (like the ARC in Korea).

Holidays outside the country are quite important to me and I want to know what I'm getting myself into.

To add to the confusion, the recruiter told me that they have recently met up with some people half way through their contracts and they were all discussing where they are going to travel (outside China) for their holidays. Makes me think their website had a mistake.

So what is the real situation for someone wanting a one year public school contract?

Thanks a million for your help.

[johntpartee]

Never heard of a resident permit that won't let you come and go as you please. I'm assuming they don't know what they're talking about or they've had problems with other teachers doing runners and want you to think you can't leave.

[GuestBob]

You can come and go as you please on an RP.

Ten years ago, you needed extra paperwork but not now.

[Mdsb87China]

Thanks for the quick reply. This is from this site but is about Beijing, which isn't where I'm looking at:

"Those applicants who work in Beijing for less than 1 year should apply for temporary residence permit, without presenting "Health Certificate"."

Maybe it was if the contract period was close to year but not a full year or something??


http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/Elementals/InBeijing/LivingInBJ/ResidencePermit/t1017429.htm

[vikeologist]

2 different things.

To come into China you need a visa (e.g. Z visa). This will be single entry.

Within a month you change that to a residency permit, where you can enter / exit as many times as you like.

[kungfuman]

My guess is either the information is incorrect, obsolete, or the wording is confusing ( I didn't read it or follow the link).

But one of the BEST things the Chinese government ever did was eliminate the fixed entries working visa with the Resident Permit. RP allows you to come and go until it expires.

[roadwalker]

Yeah, hopefully this isn't one of the changes that are being considered. I read the link and tried to follow it to China.org.cn where it said it got the info, but found a dead end. So hopefully a screw up. Residence Permit, at this time anyway, lets you in and out of the country without limits. Don't go to Hong Kong or anywhere off the mainland until you have it secured into your passport though (i.e., after you have entered on the z-visa).

[Mdsb87China]

That's comforting news. Thanks so much. The recruiter in question has updated their website since then and it doesn't have that information up anymore. I know it is a young company so it may have gotten its facts wrong in the beginning. I just wanted to be absolutely certain that I will be able to come and go as I please if I can get a job there.

[Ariadne]

New company? Could be problems. Not all schools can legally hire FTs. Make sure you arrive on a Z visa and that it is converted to the RP within 30 days. Even if your RP is for only 5 or 7 or 9 months you can still go in and out of China as often as you wish.


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[Mdsb87China]

Thanks for the info everyone. The recruiter has since updated the website and it has the correct information up there now. I'm happy the recruiter is legit too so it looks all good!