Job Discussion Forums

rayhigh · Joined: 24 Jul 2009 Posts: 14

Hey all,

Well, I've got a bad feeling about this, but wanted to ask the advice of this forum's members.

I've been offered a job teaching SAT prep for DK Education. Great salary. Now, the huge red flag:

They want me to come over on a tourist visa and not a Z. Every other place I've negotiated with and had offers from, whether universities or private training schools, have all stated they would go the Z visa route. Once there, DK has you go through a bizarre series of steps that take one to Beijing and Hong Kong to get a Z visa. This seems utterly inexplicable to me. Why would they go through all this time and expense instead of just sending me a damn invitation letter and having me get a Z visa at the consulate in San Francisco?

Does this stink as much as I think it does, or is there some explanation I'm overlooking?

Thanks, any input would be gratefully received.

JamesD · Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:06 am Post subject:

Did you ask for a reason they were going this route?

Possibility 1: They're not allowed to hire foreigners so they're processing you through a "partner"; a sure red flag that can get you deported. Ask for a direct answer to the reason for going to BJ.
Plus, can you actually come from the mainland and get a Z visa in HK these days? Based on recent experiences of some teachers this may not happen.

Possibility 2: Time. If it's a September start they may not have time to process paperwork. If that's the case tell them, "OK. But I can't step into a classroom until the Z visa is in my hands."

Overall, sounds fishy. If it was me I'd go with my gut and give it a pass.

Just checked their website. It looks slick until you notice things like missing graphics, cock-eyed layout, and the writing seems to play on your ego.

"Teachers also play a strategic role in program marketing campaigns.." A roundabout way of saying you may be required to hand out leaflets at school gates.

rayhigh · Joined: 24 Jul 2009 Posts: 14

Yes, they claim they "use a visa processing service" for all their visas. Both the ABC teacher who interviewed me and the HR person say they have no idea why the owners do it this way. My guess lines up with your more educated analysis - that they were doing it to circumvent some Chinese government rule due to ineligibility.

I know it isn't possibility 2, because they told me flat out that all 50 teachers they have brought over have gone this route. Baffling, unless it's the only way they can do it, since they pay for the teacher to go to both Beijing and HK. Supposedly this worked all 50 times, including 2 just recently. But, this is all what they say, so who really knows?

Yep, my gut screams to to do it. Kind of a bummer, 17,500 RMB/month was pretty sweet, but less so if I find myself in jail and/or deported.

Thanks for the input, I won't be doing this one.

JamesD · Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 5:02 am Post subject:

Also possible that they will register teachers in BJ as employees of the home office then 'station' them in other cities. Not technically illegal but can put you on shaky ground if the local boys in blue want to nitpick.
Did they specify which city you will be in and can they confirm that you will be registered in that city as an employee of DK?

rayhigh · Joined: 24 Jul 2009 Posts: 14

They list their address in the contract as Beijing, but contract specifies I will work in Guangzhou.

Not sure about being registered in the city as an employee.

JoeKing · Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 519

jimpellow · Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 913

Some good advice given by others.

What baffles me is that if the visa is issued through Beijing so you need to get a local criminal check done which they didn't seem to mention. Also Beijing requires that one return to one's home country so HK seems very fishy.

For a while at least HK was refusing to convert any other type of visa to a z so this seems also fishy though HK may have changed this. (Personally I wonder why they would because this is a huge red flag for the PRC that the teacher was already in China teaching illegally, but who knows with them).

If it is through Guangzhou, also not being able to do it through HK is also what I have heard. Guangzhou seemingly used to also have a thing against us Yanks from time to time too (think they may have had one or two officials who hated us and if the paperwork ended up going to their desks). Don't know if that still applies. I believe Guangzhou also requires an FBI clearance for Americans which adds 3-4 months onto the visa process, and that is if you were still in the US.

Even if you got the correct visa through Beijing and worked in Guangzhou, I think working outside of one's allowed jurisdiction is a much bigger no-no than it used to be.

JoeKing · Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 519

jimpellow · Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 913

vikeologist · Joined: 07 Sep 2009 Posts: 600

Some of you are making good points, but I wouldn't want the main point to be overlooked.

The employer are asking the OP to do something illegal.

As an illegal worker, the OP will have no power against abuses by the school.

There is no compelling reason to work in China illegally.

I'm over-simplifying things a bit, but not very much.

An employer asking someone to come on a tourist (or non-Z visa) and then go to Hong Kong to change it is, though legally sketchy, not a total red flag. But this situation is, because of the whole Beijing thing.

Working on a non-valid visa carries a huge fine and possible jail time.

The points you're raining about visas are all valid, but not really in this situation.

James d said