Job Discussion Forums

ESL104 · Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Posts: 108

Been weighing this one up in my head and still not sure of the best path forward.

'Common wisdom' on the internet seems to suggest getting an employer, having them do the Z visa, and not setting off for China until you have it is the 'best' way forward.

But I've also read people commonly have problems with their schools, and changing your visa so you can work at another employer if you have to do a runner is a pain.

If you arrived on a tourist visa, you could at least check the place out before signing a contract. Might make it easier to get some jobs which require immediate starts too if you're already physically in China. And if two weeks in, your boss is a nightmare or you have some horrific split schedule etc, you can easily part ways.

I've already got savings in the bank so if I arrived in China I could 'afford' to spend time looking round for a decent job, I wouldn't be arriving with 2000 yuan to my name and need to take the first thing out there. I wouldn't get airfare reinbursement I'm assuming, but I'm currently in Thailand anyway and so the plane ticket is cheap (like, 800 RMB).

Thoughts?

roadwalker · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 1750 Location: Ch

If you are already living in Asia, you may as well pay a visit to China and check out places you think you might want to live (or at least could live with). On the other hand, unless you have some kind of resident status in Thailand or elsewhere, you'll most likely need to return to your home country to get legal working status in China, by getting a work (z) visa at your home country's consulate. Hong Kong z-visa runs are still being reported but it's not as common as before and may be on the way out. Another thing to consider is that visas and visa renewals are expensive, especially if you're from the US. ($140 a pop).

There are nightmare jobs, but a little investigation should land you with a decent school, especially if you have decent qualifications and experience. Ask to speak or email with a current or former teacher, use this site's search function, wikipedia, and any other research you can think of.

Legal working status is tied to one employer, so you really need to try and find a place you can deal with the first time, and just hope you aren't very unlucky. But by offering you sponsorship to a working visa, a school is putting some skin in the game. They will want you to succeed with them. If you work with less, the school could get fined but you can't blame the school to get out of your own fine and possible deportation. If the school asks you to arrive on a tourist visa and doesn't like you or their situation changed and now they don't want to hire you, be sure to pick up a nice parting gift and hey, thanks for playing... Good luck.

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=91394&highlight=checklist

Get a Z and then due the due diligence items suggested by multiple posters in this thread.
Best

Voyeur · Joined: 03 Jul 2012 Posts: 431

There are advantages to coming in person first. However, you need to do your due diligence on the province and city you want to work in. Some areas will let you go to Hong Kong to get your Z Visa, but others are adamant that you return to your home country. This can be expensive.

ESL104 · Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Posts: 108

Alright - in the interests of maybe saving me a trip and getting some information from people who might know best - what is Shenzhen like to live in?

It's not that I've got an offer there but I do have a Chinese friend who lives there and he says we can house share. Says it'll be about 1800 RMB each for a decent place in the city, or maybe about 1000 RMB each for a not-so-great place. But he raves about the place and reckons I should go there rather than Bejing/Shanghai.

Specifically -

1)Is it possible (i.e. likely) to get training centre/privates work in the evenings and weekends after the day job is over? Looking on echinacities it sorta feels like most training centre work is in Bejing or Shanghai - plus of course Bejing has that 'thebejinger.com' site so you could easily find private students - Shenzhen has nothing like that that I'm aware of though it's possible I'm just missing it. Looks like a 'big' city so logically you'd have thought there was decent extra work avaliable but internet searches don't really show that to be the case.

2) On that note - I'm wondering if I'm taking the right approach with job searching. I've been firing off applications online and normally end up dealing with recruitment agents. In Thailand it's pretty common when looking for a job to physically go to the places and ask them if they have any vacancies avaliable. Does that approach work in China or just virtually everyone use the internet when looking for part time or full time teachers?

Sorry for the sidetrack but I don't want to clutter up the forum by making yet another thread.

kungfuman · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 9:57 am Post subject:

There are some benefits to working on a tourist or business visa.

A friend works at a kids training center for 3 weeks now. Hates it. Can't blame him.

He has a tourist visa good for 90 days.

Asked me about quitting and going to a better paying job.
.
Told him he has no legal obligation to the current employer as they have not sponsored him for a real working visa.

Sweet he says.

He's gonna quit soon

ESL104 · Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Posts: 108

mysterytrain · Joined: 23 Mar 2014 Posts: 366