Job Discussion Forums

[CWanders]

I'll be studying in China in the fall. I'd like to spend the summer teaching in Shanghai (near where I will be studying) or Beijing (where I've studied previously). I'll be paying for a flight to China anyway, so I'm not concerned with earning back to cost of my flight over the summer, but I wouldn't mind saving a little beyond basic living expenses. I have about a year of teaching experience in Taiwan.

- Where's the best place to look for summer teaching positions? (Everything I find online seems to be either for one year contracts or for pay-to-volunteer schemes.)

-Is it better to job hunt in person? When should I arrive in order to look for summer camp positions?

-Like Taiwan, will it be virtually impossible to have a legal work visa for a short-term summer-only position?

Thanks!

[lostinasia]

On what type of visa will you enter China with? If you are coming on an X visa (student visa) then you are legally prohibited from employment or receiving payment for services. That is not to say that many people blatantly violate the law.

[CWanders]

I'd like to enter the country at least a couple months before September, so I doubt I'd be eligible for a student visa that far in advance. I'd probably enter on a tourist visa and convert that to a student visa.

I know it's probably unlikely that an employer would bother to sponsor me for so short a period of employment, but I thought I'd check. After a year in Taiwan, I've gotten (mostly) accustomed to the fact that people (employers, officials) are often unwilling to put in the effort do do things strictly legally.

[lostinasia]

You will still be prohibited from employment during a term on a visitor visa. However, we have all seen summer camp programs advertised as being allowed to work on a visitor visa. Not that I believe it's legal, but clearly it is done fairly routinely. Contact some of the job offer employers and see what you can find. Or, don't worry about the technicality of the law as many seem to do. Either way, good luck.