Job Discussion Forums

tenny · Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Posts: 4

I visited Tibet on two occasions last year, once for a holiday and then to do some volunteer teaching work, both times on tourist visas. While I was there I got offered a paid teaching job at a school in Lhasa. I returned to the UK and conversed with the teacher who was organising the paper work, across email. The teacher told me that because the school was new and poor, it could not afford the insurance needed to be able to obtain the documents to send to me; therefore I cannot obtain a work visa in the UK. He said that if I still came over to teach there, if anyone should enquire, he would say I was only working part time as a teaching consultant.

I have read that it is easy to obtain an F (business visa) in Hong Kong, for temporary work. If so, where would I have to go to buy one in Hong Kong and would I need any documents, e.g. a letter form the school?

I am currently thinking of flying to Hong Kong to obtain an F visa and going back to Lhasa to work for 6 months at the school.
I would be living in a hotel while I was there, so wouldn�t be applying for residency to the PSB, but would it be sensible to register with them anyway, stating I am doing some temporary consultancy work at the school (even though I will be teaching four days a week) or just work at the school and let the school deal with any questions?

Also could there be any differences in obtaining a Tibetan Entry permit (that I would buy in Chengdu before I flew to Lhasa) with an F visa?

Thanks for any feedback.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

This is the first time I hear from someone actually being considered for employment in Tibet!
Until the end of last century no Tibetan school was permitted to employ FTs; since the Chinese have been immigrating in droves into Tibet from China obviously the rules are being distended and relaxed.

But your questions beg answers no one can probably give you: an 'F' visa for Tibet?

Working illegally in CHinese-occupied territory?

We have no first-hand experience.

I would want to be hired absolutely legally - what if you fall foul of some rules and the PSB are on your heels? A speedy expulsion might be the answer, and you might not even be allowed to take your loot with you.

Also you will have to consider health insurance; how are you going to secure that?

How about housing?

Will they pay you airfare?

How can you trust employers that knowingly break national (albeit foreign) laws?

Louras · Joined: 24 Nov 2004 Posts: 288

rog, let's get some more info before we fly off the handle, shall we? It might be a good idea to scare this person before he/she comes to these parts. What the hell do you mean by occupied territory? This is not Gaza. Iraq is occupied territory. Tibet is as selfruling as most countries will never be. Suck on, my uninformed friend!

Mysterious Mark · Joined: 15 Dec 2004 Posts: 121

tenny · Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Posts: 4

I am prepared to fund my own travel expenses, visa and insurance. As long as I can get the small salary they offer me, that will just cover my monthly living expenses and I can see if the teaching job will work out long term at all. I have made friends with both Tibetan and Chinese people when I was there last time and they will help me negotiate with one of the hotels, a set price for staying with them long term.
From the information I got from the teacher, the main issue they have is with funding. He said he applied for an invitation letter and it was taking a while to arrive. Then found out that if they did receive one, the school would have to pay a lot of money for insurance which they couldn�t afford and the school was also waiting for an aptitude test. Instead he said they would not make any contracts up and if any one from the education department came to the school and enquired, he would say I was working part time as a consultant.
It seems the expense of having a foreign teacher in poor Tibet schools, is also a big issue.
I am going to go back, even if it ends up being for a short time as an extra long holiday I have to fund myself, but hopefully I can get the work and preferably without working illegally.
As I�ve heard that it�s easier to change an F visa into a Z visa, than an ordinary tourist L visa, my thoughts were to obtain an F visa in Hong Kong, go to Tibet, work at the school and find out from the local PSB if they have any objections. If there are problems with me working on an F visa, then with the schools help, try getting it converted to a Z visa (the school may be more willing to help at this once I am there and they see me as a good teacher they want to keep) or I will make it a short holiday stay instead. Which ever way I am going to give it a try.

My question is, how easy is it to get an F visa in Hong Kong? Where would I buy one from? Do you have to state an address of work or a company on the visa and if so, how thoroughly is it checked out before they issue the visa?
Thanks for your feedback

Mytime · Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 173

Mysterious Mark · Joined: 15 Dec 2004 Posts: 121

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

This is my last reply (I hope):

Tenny,

it seems you have some pertinent knowledge of the implications (how to upgrade a business visa to a work visa or rather: a residence permit!, where to buy a visa (i.e. in Hong Kong), but I wonder why you trust your putatitve employer so much when they are obviously bumbling!

If they have never hired an FT then why should you take upon yourself the vast risk of being the first one???

If they have the licence (a certificate bearing a number!) to hire FTs then they would not need to send you to Hong Kong!

And they would not have to resort to subterfuges such as housing you in hotels!

They must have the permit from the Education Bureau and the Labour Bureau to employ FTs!

NOt having this permit putsw you at risk.

NOw as for your silly question about WHERE to BUY a visa: go to HK and contact almost any travel agent there! They do it with a mark-up of 100 to 200 percent!

But whether you can pass through Immigration or one of those road checkpoints with an 'F' visa valid for several months is not clear!

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

tenny · Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Posts: 4

Thanks for the feedback and support.

I am going to back to Tibet and the motivation is the amazing people I met when I was there, both Chinese and Tibetan, that I made friends with. I�m going to enjoy and learn from the experience however it turns out. I�m not a �what if� kind of person and I am researching the situation as much as possible before I go out there, hence asking questions that one person may see as silly and obvious, but to another person who has no previous experience, it�s just part of the ground work before putting a plan into action, hence the use of a great forum like this one.

I have found feedback on the internet from people who bought the F visa in Hong Kong without having to supply letters from an institution and with no problems. I also found some information on the china-embassy.org which has confused me. It states that the duration of stay for the F visa is only 30 days and it�s the validity of the visa that makes it a six month visa.

I assumed that a six month visa meant I could stay in China without having to come out again for six months and with no trips to the PSB for visa extensions. If I want to stay for 6 months in China on the F visa, do I therefore have to reapply for an extension every month? Please could someone clarify as I�m confused by the information or have I interpreted it wrongly? There is much conflicting information on the web that causes confusion probably by misinterpretation.

Could someone please clarify.
Thanks

Louras · Joined: 24 Nov 2004 Posts: 288

[quote="Roger"]

If they have the licence (a certificate bearing a number!) to hire FTs then they would not need to send you to Hong Kong!

I had to go to HK, many had to go to HK to get a "work visa". You are not thinking before you post.

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

as a UK citizen - according to the UK chinese embassy web side - I can stay in china for 6 months (no mention of 30 days) - but on the US embassy webside it states that you can only make a 30 day stay - another US website which has a visa service says 30-90 days, and just to make the situation more confusing you can actually get 1 year F visas in HK!!!!

Do americans have problems staying longer than 30 days in China on an F visa - I would also be interested in finding out the answer to that one!

by the way - I knew a french guy who was in China for a year and a half on an F visa - he was able to extend it in china from its original 6 month duration - after a year the PSB told him that he should get a medical check but they would let it pass - but after that last extension they said it was best he went out of the country so he could start on a new F. Kind of indicates how lax the rules seem to be here - but then again another PSB office could behave in a very different manner!!!