Job Discussion Forums

[lifesurfing]

Hello all,

Great board. Have begun reading about certification from Trinity, SIT, etc.

My wife and I are planning on a radical departure from our lives in North America to go and live in China. I'm 34, Caucasian Canadian, have a BA in Psych, who is currently working in banking as an investment advisor. My spouse is 30, Filipino Canadian, with no degree, working as a medical secretary. We both dont have any formal experience teaching, although my work has included working with interns.

My questions are about finding work teaching English in China, passport and credential requirements.

Would it be better to begin applying either directly or through recruiters here in order to secure the proper visa, or wait until we visit next spring and look for work on a tourist visa?

My wife doesn't have a degree. How would this affect her finding work as a teacher? Can she come in on a spousal visa, and would this allow her to work in any capacity?

Obviously we would like to get paid adequately, although that's not our motivation and we don't really want to stay in a big city, e.g. Shanghai, etc. Has anyone been to Lijiang?

Thanks for any help,

[johntpartee]

Pretty general, so I'll be general as well. All you need to teach in China is a Caucasian face and a pulse. Unfortunately. There are some geeks here who are making teachers look bad. My best information is that Henan province will begin (in 2011) requiring the Caucasian-face-with-a-pulse to be from an English speaking country.

Your spouse CANNOT work LEGALLY with anything but a Z visa.

[AdrianG4]

You should be fine, even though your wife doesn't have a degree, a two-in-one teacher package is always pretty attractive to the schools (providing only one apartment, filling two positions through communication with one teacher etc.)

Your Z visa allows you to bring your family --
I'm not sure if that's a spousal visa that your wife will get, but you can bring your family if you're offered a job with an invitation letter and all that. If you're trying to work for a language school, they will likely take her .. but maybe she should do a TESOL course so she has that certification.

[lifesurfing]

Thank you John and Adrian for your replies.

What is the best way to go about securing work in China? We will be there end of April 2010. Do I begin applying for work now, or do I wait until I arrive as a tourist, and apply face to face?

Thanks

[johntpartee]

This has been an ongoing debate. Since you're coming as a tourist anyway, you'll have a better chance of seeing what you're getting into. It certainly wouldn't hurt to send out a few feelers, but I (personally) wouldn't sign anything without seeing the facilities, meeting the administrators, etc.