Job Discussion Forums

[montagdarko]

I am reading your posts here guys and i am VERY confused.So my question is:Do i stand a chance for a Z visa as a non holder of a passport of UK.USA.AUSTRALIA etc(I am Greek).Last year i was accepted by 3 schoold with a work visa.Did they lie to me?How will i know if this Z VISA is legal etc?And that the school is legit?If not do i risk prison or what?PLEASE HELP!
All this is pretty frustrating!
Thanks in advance
Maria

[Non Sequitur]

If the offer can be converted into a Z at your local Chinese Embassy then it seems legit.
Of course do all the other due diligence described in various posts.
A horrible legit job is still horrible
NS

[jimpellow]

Well, the approved nationality requirement came out of the 2013-2014 visa overhaul. I don't THINK it was one of the requirements that was implemented widely at first. Hence it would appear that the schools last year were being truthful. However, as of January 2015, this requirement seems to have become enforced throughout Eastern China. No idea on Western China. They usually require more time to catch up. I would suppose that in poorer and remote locations which are desperate for teachers it is possible that they may not implement this requirement. So hard to give a firm answer.

Obviously, I would make sure you arrive on the z-visa or not come at all and risk fines, deportation, a ban, Chinese water torture, etc. Plus, if you apply for the z-via from your home country, as mentioned above, and are denied for such a requirement, them you will not have wasted so much time and expense.

PS. You could probably contact the PRC Embassy in Athens to see if they process z-visas for teachers and see what kind of feedback you get. If they say yes, it still is ultimately the jurisdiction within which the school is located that will decide if a non native speaking applicant is acceptable. But at least you will know that there is hope that you can get one.

[doogsville]

You'll know it's legitimate if they send you the paperwork you need to go to your nearest Chinese embassy or consulate and obtain a Z visa. It's really simple. If they suggest you leave your home country and arrive in China with anything other than a Z visa, then don't do it. All you have to do is provide the school with the documents (copies) they ask for, and if it's possible, they will get the necessary paperwork to send to you that will get you a Z visa in Greece, assuming you're in Greece at the moment.

There may be places where the local PSB is willing to allow non native speakers, there are certainly places where they don't. My previous employer employed non native speakers as managers for visa purposes, and they all had F visas. Had the local PSB cracked down however they would all have been deported etc. Be careful.

[Non Sequitur]

It's bad to risk anything other than the Z route whatever nationality. Don't feel you are being picked on OP.
I've taught alongside brilliant teachers from non-approved source countries and absolute charlatans who were from the approved group.

[hdeth]

As I said in another related thread, One of my new co-workers (who just started about 2 weeks ago) is from a small Eastern European country. I work in Beijing and the guy who does the residence permits for my school does everything by the books (much to my annoyance sometimes). YMMV but worth a shot. In Qingdao there was a french guy, an Italian girl, and an Argentinian girl who taught at the same university as me. I think the Argentinian girl taught at least some Spanish but pretty sure the other two taught English. No idea how long they had been there though.

[wangdaning]

If they can issue the paperwork it is most likely legal (not going out on a limb for employers I don't know). I have worked with people from all over. The point is they need to show you can do a better job, so location and situation come into play here. Also, the language you studied in has some ramifications. I have worked with some real stinkers and some awesome and motivational people, I learned that nationality/ethnicity/sex, they all have nothing to do with it. If the employer is a legit place and you are good I see no reason for this to be an issue.

If a school sends you an invitation letter and all of the things are correct I see no reason to worry (well no reason to worry any more than other people going abroad).

[Non Sequitur]

Exactly.
The school won't send the invitation unless they are sure they can wrangle the residence permit once you are on site.
The foreign language Unis should be good hunting grounds for people who are bilingual English/Spanish/French/Italian/German.
Two for the price of one so to speak.

[Lack]

I've known plenty of non-native English speaking foreigners working in China, even in first tier cities. As long as they go through the process with you and get you the Z visa, it's all good as far as the legality is concerned. On their end, whether or not they are *supposed* to be able to get you the proper visa or not is determined much more by guanxi than by laws.

[jimpellow]

[Non Sequitur]