Job Discussion Forums

anjinholuis · Joined: 30 Sep 2009 Posts: 37 Location: Shandong

Hello friends,

I read from the majority of post, information relating to acquiring the Z Visa and how most FT's are teaching on those.

WHAT ABOUT THE BUSINESS VISAS?

There's an agent that has asked me to travel on a Business Visa, all I know is that they are valid for 6 months and that I also need an invitation letter from the employer in order to request it at the Embassy.

ANYONE OUT THERE WORKING ON A, IS IT F VISA?

What's your opinion on this? MANY THANKS FOR THE REPLIES.

CHEERS.

LanGuTou · Joined: 23 Mar 2009 Posts: 621 Location: Shandong

Working on a F Visa (Business Visa) is no different from working on a L Visa (Tourist Visa). Working on either is illegal!

F Visas are for the purpose of foreign nationals coming to China in order to conduct business negotiation. They are visitor visas NOT work visas.

anjinholuis · Joined: 30 Sep 2009 Posts: 37 Location: Shandong

Had no idea about this or why the agent would suggest a Business F Visa for an FT. DODGY. Confused

Many thanks for the info. CHEERS.

LanGuTou · Joined: 23 Mar 2009 Posts: 621 Location: Shandong

That one is very easy to answer!

The recruiter wants you in China so he/she can make money for recruiting you. It often (almost always) makes no difference to the recruiter what conditions you are working under and the legality of doing so.

You will be placed at an establishment that is not in a position to employ foreign nationals legally. Thus, you put yourself in further peril.

Chris_Crossley · Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:18 pm Post subject: Avoid recruiters

I, personally, have always avoided recruiters.

Considering that there are so many establishments out there advertising ESOL teaching posts and having been out here in China for the past eight years myself, I would never need to use recruiters - and nor should anyone else, in my opinion.

If one is serious about getting any kind of teaching job, it is always best to do the metaphorical legwork oneself in terms of research, whether it is done online or by other non-online means, since one can presumably rely on oneself to see external information and decide for oneself instead of being spoonfed what could be questionable information, especially those jobs that appear to be just too good to be true like those that (used to) claim that, as an expat ESOL teacher, one allegedly "can make more than a local university professor"! What, even those who've been professors for more than 20 or so years? Come off it!

Treat all information with caution and try and communicate directly with those who are or else have been there and done that. Recruiters are essentially quasi-propaganda ministers: they'll tell you only what the local educational institutions want them to tell you and hope fervently that your relative inexperience will persuade you to take a job with them if only because you otherwise hardly know anything about what's involved and what life's really like as an expat ESOL teacher half a world away from your home.

If institutions are happy to give you contact email addresses and suchlike, make sure in your own mind that the people you communicate with are genuine expats. It is all very well believing that someone with jsmith in an email address must be an expat, but don't be easily deceived by English-looking names - you just never know who "J. Smith" really is!