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Must I really bring my original degrees with me to China?
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mitchm



Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Posts: 25
PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 4:42 am    Post subject: Must I really bring my original degrees with me to China? Reply with quote
The HR lady at the school I'm working at in the Fall is insisting I bring my original degrees (B.A. and M.A.) with me in order to get my foreign residence permit. Is this really necessary? They are in frames hanging on the wall. I will if I have to, but it seems as if official transcripts would work just as well if not better (or even photocopies of the degrees in addition).
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7969



Joined: 26 Mar 2003
Posts: 5782
Location: Coastal Guangdong
PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 6:39 am    Post subject: Re: Must I really bring my original degrees with me to China Reply with quote
mitchm wrote:
The HR lady at the school I'm working at in the Fall is insisting I bring my original degrees (B.A. and M.A.) with me in order to get my foreign residence permit. Is this really necessary? They are in frames hanging on the wall. I will if I have to, but it seems as if official transcripts would work just as well if not better (or even photocopies of the degrees in addition).

Let me put it this way: if photocopies of degrees or other certs were all that were needed then anyone who got their degree on Khao San Rd in Bangkok could work in China. There's a reason places like Staples in Canada don't do copies of documents like degrees.
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dermo



Joined: 06 Nov 2009
Posts: 22
Location: China
PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 9:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
No it is not necessary. Most schools simply ask for a copy of your degree (unless it's an international school). And if you do need to bring your degree, there's certainly no need to bring your B.A. and M.A. Just the M.A. will do.
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igorG



Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: asia
PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 9:20 am    Post subject: Re: Must I really bring my original degrees with me to China Reply with quote
7969 wrote:
mitchm wrote:
The HR lady at the school I'm working at in the Fall is insisting I bring my original degrees (B.A. and M.A.) with me in order to get my foreign residence permit. Is this really necessary? They are in frames hanging on the wall. I will if I have to, but it seems as if official transcripts would work just as well if not better (or even photocopies of the degrees in addition).

Let me put it this way: if photocopies of degrees or other certs were all that were needed then anyone who got their degree on Khao San Rd in Bangkok could work in China. There's a reason places like Staples in Canada don't do copies of documents like degrees.
Oh, please! Your reasoning is as good as my 4 year old son's crying for a chocolate.

In fact, some local employers have begun this trend. However, British Council that runs IELTS has been doining it for a while. If you wish to be an examiner, you'll have to show your originals. And, yes, international schools are another one too. But i don't think that any PSB will ask you for originals to put a work permit in your passport. Don't quote me on the last statement as times change quickly in this country. It's not that they are cleaning up the "white trash", but it's like they don't want us around, or around for too long. I see the local system much more hostile than a decade back, honestly.
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Lobster



Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 2040
Location: Somewhere under the Sea
PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 9:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
You may request additional copies of your degrees, certificates and transcripts from the issuing university (for a fee). The degrees will often come in a protective folder suitable for travelling. In this way you can leave the others on the wall and still provide the "originals". I have been asked to provide originals of my degrees and certificates to receive my FEC on more than one occasion.

7969 is correct. The acceptance of photocopies without viewing the originals would lead to the proliferation of fake degrees offered to procure working documents, and certainly there must be systems in place to prevent this.

RED
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igorG



Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: asia
PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
So, if 7969 is right, then he shouldn't advocate emailing scanned copies of credentials/passports for job applications on another thread. Look! I am not picking yet another fight in between us. Just making an observation. And, i hope you understand my writing. Wink

As for the FEC, i have never seen one official or their office. Moreover, some of my former coworkers, others i have heard from, and i have not even been welcomed to the office. So, why passing it on to your local employer? This, original documents requesting, is yet another issue that's probably going to create more controversies in the country.
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GuestBob



Joined: 18 Jun 2011
Posts: 270
PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 4:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I don't think it's anything new, and I really can't see why such a thing could cause issues.

Every single employer I have had in the UK has requested and required sight of the original copy of my degree certificate and sight of my passport. It is their right and duty to do this under UK law to ensure that they are employing people legally, especially where someone comes from another country or is not an EU passport holder. Failure to do this can result in prosecution.

It is common sense that employers would ask for these and, to be honest, I would be suspicious if they didn't require sight of the originals. I don't care if the system is tightening up and excluding people who don't have *cough* original copies of their certificates. I am sure those people will not be missed.

Anything which further formalises and rationalises the process of getting an FEC in China is surely to be welcomed with open arms.
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The Great Wall of Whiner



Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Posts: 4946
Location: Blabbing
PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 5:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
igorG wrote:
So, if 7969 is right, then he shouldn't advocate emailing scanned copies of credentials/passports for job applications on another thread.


I also noticed this.

Look, a copy is fine in terms of law. Schools can ask for more, however. They can ask for more, up to them. They can also ask for less resumes, though.
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7969



Joined: 26 Mar 2003
Posts: 5782
Location: Coastal Guangdong
PostPosted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 11:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sending your documents to a school via email at the beginning of the job search and giving them the hard copies at some later point in time after you arrive are not mutually exclusive. Sometimes you need to do it one way, the other way, or both. In the case of our school, and many others, it'll be the latter.
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