Job Discussion Forums

[Karyuu]

Hi,

Sorry if there is an existing topic about this, if yes please link me!

So I'm planning to coming to China to teach this spring. I'm currently graduating from university and I will get my degree issued in early March. I do not hold any other degree amt.

My initial incentives about teaching in China were learning Cantonese and/or going to some rural area to teach poor kids in a sort of volunteer / semi-volunteer setting.

There are three schools that are interested in me.

One is a university in Guangdong province, which I'd love to go to; however they say that since it'll be end of April or start of May until they got the Z visa for met to come due to my degree not having been issued yet, they'd rather want me to come for the fall semester.

One is a school in a city at the very border of Guangdong province that is not a Cantonese speaking region. They seem very friendly and enthusiastic to have me, however I'm not that interested in the place. The visa problem would probably the same, so that I'd have to wait for two months until I could start there. This wouldn't be a problem for them (if I come for one year) apparently but it would be for me, since I have no job and nothing to do here.

The third one is a school in a small town / village in Yunnan. This is a volunteer position that is being organized by a tiny association in my home country. I've been following their activities over the years and it seems like what they do is meaningful and the organizers are friendly and take good care of their people.
The problem with them is that of course they can't provide a Z visa. They said they'd get me tourist visas in Burma or F visas if possible, which has always worked out for them in the 5 years or so that they've done that. They provide accommodation and a small amount of money to pay for food and necessities.

So what I want to ask is, if I spend half a year at the third place first on a) a tourist visa or b) an F visa, would that compromise my chances of getting a Z visa later in China? Would authorities assume that I had been working illegally and not agree to giving me a Z visa? Would I have to leave China and go 1) to Hongkong or 2) to my home country in Europe to apply for that Z visa, if I want to teach in Guangdong from fall on?
Also, what would be your decision if you were in my place? (Would it be an option to ask the university to issue me a student visa at first?)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you!
Karyuu

[Opiate]

ok...advice.....

Wait. Come over in the Fall. Most (certainly not all by any means) jobs being offered now are because of other teachers leaving. The 'typical' contract is 12 months starting in September or so. Those jobs should be what you are looking for since the hiring for them starts roughly....now. If you find a job starting in September, your paperwork will be pretty much a non-issue. Do it once, do it right.

To directly answer your questions at the end of your post....
Not all schools have the clout to change an F to a Z without you at least leaving the country, sometimes you'd need to return to your home country. This varies greatly so do not think it is the same way everywhere. You really never know who can do what or who knows who or what province will permit what until you try and the guy next to you may have different results 15 seconds later. Can you follow that? This is China.

Note: I would not touch the internship under any circumstances. Usually internship is just a way to sidestep the visa legalities and pay you next to nothing. Some internships are legit, many are not. Tourist visa in Burma....

[Karyuu]

Dear Opiate,

Thank you very much for your reply, I greatly appreciate it =D

I have read on several occasions that coming in the fall would be a better idea. The problem is, I have already announced my plan to go to china to my employer, for whom I used to work part time translating manga, and as a result they have chosen not to renew my contract. So I'd rather go to China now than trying to find some random, low paying job here for half a year.

What do you mean by internship?
That school in Yunnan pays next to nothing, which the organizers have already told me, but the organizers of the project are German (my home country) and seem very friendly and trustworthy. I'm sure I could request to talk to people who've taught there before in the past 4-5 years, I've seen blogs and pictures of them and it looks like they've all had a good time.
As I've told them about my concerns about being on a tourist visa, they're proposing now to put me on a student visa. That should be okay, I suppose? (I've read all the warning that if you are not on a legal working visa your contract is not worth anything and stuff, and I'm dismissing a lot of other job offers for this very reason, but I think in this case it should be okay? I mean the idea is to volunteer to help poor students, and the pay is so low that they can't find anyone else quickly if they scare me away by poor treatment I suppose. Or is there anything I'm overlooking here?)

[JamesD]

My two cents (from a much older generation).

I'd take the 'volunteer' job for a few reasons.

1. It gets you here sooner.
2. You trust the group organizing it.
3. Living in a small village is more interesting; you'll appreciate the experience more than living in a city that boasts of having a McDonald's and Pizza Hut as a selling point.
4. The students will be more responsive than the spoiled brats of the nouveau riche.
5. You're young and volunteering will speak volumes on your resume.
6. You can learn much more about future employers if you're in country.
7. Last but not least, you can help help people that need it more. Who knows? You might decide it's something you want to continue.

Volunteering on an "F" or even an "L" visa with a small stipend is not the same as working. Since they've done this before it's not something I'd worry about.

[Opiate]

[Voldermort]

[quote="Opiate"]

[Opiate]

[quote="Voldermort"]

[waterloo_jamie_m]

A Z visa requires that you be 25 years old, and beyond having a degree, that you have two (2) years of teaching experience. In addition, it is illegal to teach and receive a payment (salary) of any kind on an F visa.

[Karyuu]

thanks for all the replies^^
I am indeed over 25 (I'm getting a combined bachelor/master which is a German thing that's almost completely abolished now). I do have several years of teaching experience, however that was mostly tutoring private students so I don't know if it counts. I have spent a year in China as a foreign student and used to teach part time at middle schools right after I graduated from high school though. So yeah I do have like 3-4 years of teaching experience but no real way to prove it XD
And I'm female btw (not that it is much of an issue but since someone adressed me as "he") ^^

[Voldermort]

[quote="Opiate"]

[Denim-Maniac]

Karyuu - Are you a German national? Im not 100% sure, but you mention Germany being your home country etc ... getting a legit Z visa / work permit might be quite hard if you arent from an English speaking country or hold a passport from an English speaking country.

I dont think having previously held F visas would work against you when you eventually apply for a Z visa / RP. I have 3 or 4 F visa stickers in my passport and they werent queried on my latest application.

[Karyuu]

Denim-Maniac:
Yeah I'm German ... which is a huge handicap in the "language teaching" world ><; (I really envy you native English speakers ><
I've had the two places mentioned above (the uni and some government sponsored language center who'd farm me out to high schools) offer me legit working permits, though, for some reasons, although they weren't the best places imaginable.
I'll also try to find a job as a German teacher in fall, maybe I'll be able to find a nice position if I'm lucky^^

Thanks for the info about the F visas^^

Voldermort: Well I never mentioned I was female either, and my sn sounds kinda male I guess^^

[doogsville]

Do what your heart tells you is the right choice. Don't take the advice of anyone on here who hasn't had exactly the same experience as you, and enjoy the hell out of whatever choice you make, regardless of where it takes you.

A lot of people here have big opinions, but very few of them are worth listening too. Any sensible person can sort out the wheat from the chaff. I hope you have the time of your life.

[Opiate]