Job Discussion Forums

[neverheardofem]

Hi,

Once all documents are submitted to the employer and provided everything is in order, how long would it normally take to receive the invitation letter? I am hoping to get to China for next semester and have just sent them everything they need. I am returning to a previous employer who I know is reliable.

Thanks!

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

It depends upon several factors. If you start in the spring, and you have submitted everything by now, you may have to wait for as long as two weeks (or longer) before school starts before you receive your letter of invitation. This is because your application must be written up by your direct employer, then sent to the Ministry of Education (or whichever governing body handles such things), then it must be sent back to the school, who must then send it to you. From there, you must send it to the Chinese consulate in your local jurisdiction. (In the U.S., the turnaround at the consulate can be a short as a week from when you send your docs via a courier that specializes in such things).

If you have been accepted by a school, don't become too frustrated by the pace of the processing. If you will teach for a public university/school, you'll have to contend with the month of February during which China celebrates its spring festival and when the Foreign Affairs office is (for all practical purposes) closed, though in my province, it isn't supposed to be.

My experience with public universities is that paperwork gets to you about two weeks before classes resume. There are several reasons for this (besides the ones cited above).

1. The school doesn't want you to arrive before it is ready to accept you. The school may be closed.

2. The government doesn't want you to arrive before the school can account for you and process you for your residence permit. A lot of newbies want to arrive a month early and tour China before school starts. No can do. You are a LONG way from Kansas, and things are different in the far east.

Generally, your letter of invitation will arrive about two weeks before the school wants you there. That'll give you a week to ten days to process your visa application and then buy a plane ticket. I've had even shorter itineraries.

That's my experience with public universities. Others may tell you a slightly different story, and depending upon your employer and his location, the answer may differ considerably.

One thing: Chinese employers are becoming more savvy regarding booking trips as well as plane fares, but you may want to remind them that short-notice bookings cost more.

No matter what, if you do your part to arrive promptly, you won't have any problems with your employer upon your arrival. Few employers have traveled intercontinentally, much less flown on a plane, so nobody will give you any trouble.

PS I don't recommend that you book your plane until you know exactly when you are wanted at school. Try to arrive (at least) two days before classes start to allow you a modicum of adaptation to the time difference. If you find yourself unable to get a desired time of arrival, sometimes booking directly through the carrier will result in competitive rates and better connection times, especially if you give a brief explanation of your situation.

One more thing:attach a seat cushion to your carry-on. Intercontinental flight can be a crippling experience.

[inezeli91]

I'm in a similar situation, except this will be my first time in China. I'm getting quite anxious about waiting for my invitation letter (for a public university position), and the idea of waiting until a few weeks until classes start to get my letter and plane ticket is unsettling to me, Miss Plan Ahead.

To help, what can I do in the mean time to prepare (I'm currently in the U.S.)? I sent all my documents to my employer at the beginning of this month and they've started processing it.

I know this should probably be a separate post and is a really "newbie," question, but how do I access my bank account/money when I'm in China? Are there ATMs that can convert currency? Obviously I'll need to open a bank account in China, but I'm concerned about the transition--bringing over emergency/start-up money with me. Will I just have to take out a significant portion of cash to have with me for when I arrive?

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

[Non Sequitur]

Good advice - as usual from OBPWAT?
The medical form is about all you can make progress on.
Chinese have very little understanding of international distances, logistics and time zones and the concept of last minute air bookings costing more than advance purchases is a foreign concept.
If they are refunding your two-way airfare - no skin of you nose, but if you are getting an allowance, it can mean more personal investment by you.

[hz88]

I agree with what Bud and NS has said.

If you have submitted the documents requested and they have advised you they have been accepted then it is just a case of waiting. The medical check is probably the biggest hassle you should be getting out of the way first if you haven't already done so.

We try not to have new hires in February but in the summer, even if we have obtained the invitation letter, our school administration will not send the letter to the applicant until around two weeks before we can accommodate their arrival for a combination of the reasons Bud stated. The clock starts ticking once you arrive in China and depending on where you will be it can take at least three weeks to transfer your z visa into a resident permit so if you have been touring around and arrive at your school on day 28 it would cause a major headache.

You will have to contend with Chinese New Year and to all intents and purposes everything official is closed for at least a week so if they have not started an application by this time next month, it won't be happening until after the holiday ends.

Regarding ATM's. I am assuming you mean withdrawing RMB using your debit/credit card from overseas. Most ATM's accept foreign cards subject to their and your home banks fees. Make sure you tell your bank you will be using it in China otherwise you might find your card is swallowed or cancelled as they think it is suspicious. The latter happened to me and when I called my bank they informed me it had been cancelled because of security concerns and a new card was already in the post...

I am not aware of any ATMs that can change foreign currency. Hong Kong has them but I haven't seen any in the mainland. If you are talking about changing USD to RMB you can do this in most big branches of the main banks, in some places it is straightforward, in others less so, you will need your passport though.

Regarding sending money out of China once you have started working, there have been several posts on this recently, it can be problematic, the easiest way is follow Buds advice for bank to bank transfers.

[inezeli91]

Thanks for all the feedback.

I'm confused about one point--I completed a medical check (with all of the required Xrays, bloodwork, etc.), which I already sent to my employer. Is there a separate medical exam that I need to complete for the visa application here in the U.S.? I really hope not because that sh*t wasn't cheap. Or do I just attach a copy of the one I've already completed to my visa application?

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

The original should be sent to the Chinese consulate when you apply for your z visa.

[eihpos]

I'm waiting on an invitation letter. The school applied about 8 days ago and they will let me know when the documents are ready. I'm due to leave the 2nd week of Feb. I'm getting a bit anxious considering also the time it takes to send them to me via courier (3 days) and actually apply for the visa (2 days express). Am I likely to make it?

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

[eihpos]

I was told that employer actually submitted the application to the foreign expert bureau 2 weeks ago but no news et. I wouldn't be concerned if not for the tight timeframe and the holidays coming up. If there were a problem would they have notified us by now?