Job Discussion Forums

[Frances10]

I have heard that Chinese provinces are changing policy and beginning to introduce a restriction on employing people aged 60+. Does anyone have any information on this, and anything specific to Shandong province. Many thanks!

[Volver]

I am 60 and in Tianjin. I had no trouble renewing my visa and was told I could get away with working here until I am 65. Coming into China might be a bigger problem, but I would still try. It really depends on how well-connected the employer is.

V

[asiannationmc]

as I understand it... age has been raised to 65 in some provinces.

[JoThomas]

I know some provinces will say 60 is the cut-off, but others will accept teacher's over 60. My friend is in Guiyang and he is over 60. He was told he could stay until his contract finishes and that is before he is 65. He was hired at 61. A lot of whether you will be hired depends on the school and the city/province you are located in. I also think that if they are desperate enough for teachers then they will hire you over 60, like in newer schools or those that are out in the middle of nowhere.

I forgot to add that my friend looked for a job in China for about six months at the age of 61 and was turned down very often because of his age. He ended up going to a connected school of the one he used to work at (sister school) that was very new and in a very small city.

[drrjon]

I am in Sichuan and was turned down for a visa. I turned 60 last September and I have been here for many years. I went to a visa agent and was told that there was no way to get a work visa for somebody over 60 and this law was to gradually be enforced all over China. There is now also a central database to store resumes so a person can not change the information on a resume to suit a certain job. I would be more that willing to move to another area if I knew I could apply for a work visa. Last year the work ager was changed from 60 to 65 but this year it was changed back to 60 so who knows what next year will bring.

[Kelownian]

Yes, my school administrator in Zibo (Shandong) has told me that the authorities won't allow them to renew my contract for next year, now that I have turned 60. Also, my friend in a neighboring city has been told his visa wont be renewed, and he owns his own school! But I am hearing about more leeway in other provinces or areas as I search for a position for September.

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

OP:

Don't be discouraged by what you have heard or have been told.

Forum members have given you a whole spectrum of possibilities: yes, no, maybe. These are all honest answers. This is the nature of China. Continue to apply for jobs.

This might make you feel a little better. I knew an FT who was hired year after year, despite the fact that he demonstrated minimal brain activity. He's still there.

And he's well over sixty years old now.

Continue to apply. If you have questions about a contract, post it here before you commit. You'll get a LOT of comments, most of which are helpful and come from many years of collective experience.

[Non Sequitur]

Continuity at the same school used to be the key to employment after 60. Not so much now if above posts are accurate.
But TIC as ever.

[ymmv]

[RiverMystic]

I am 51 now, so entering the geriatric category. But I have recently been told I am a "handsome boy" by at least two young women, and genuinely believe this to be true. So I retain hope.

The truth is, the policy might change radically in the next decade. Who knows?

[twowheel]

[ymmv]

[lionheartuk]

I can understand Chinese workers having to retire at 60 but why foreigners? It is not as if we are taking any jobs from the native Chinese.
I have been at the same school for 9 years and have to retire this year because of the stupid rule.

Why does this rule apply to foreigners anyway?

[ChrisHenry15]

Province specific. My buddy in Chongqing said a dude named Pedro is over 60 and still working.

Look to other provinces.

[twowheel]