Ask Headmaster Ken

Hello Gentlemen,

I naively came here as an experienced Spanish teacher from the States and learned Spanish by being abroad so I thought "Well, why not China?" I heard jobs were easy to find and, despite having a master's degree in education, I chose not to work for an international school (I wanted to acclimate to teaching English, get comfortable with the culture, travel, and then after a year look for work at an international school). I am the only foreigner at a new (don't ever work for a new school run by Chinese!) IELTS training center amongst 15-20 Chinese staff. What started out as a unique opportunity has become nothing more than unique problems (I could elaborate but I will concentrate on my visa).

I came on a tourist visa. My contract is one-year long and began towards the end of November 2010. As my tourist visa was about to expire in January 2011 they renewed my visa.

However, it is an F-visa with a stamp from another province that expires VERY SOON. Two days ago, I took my second 8 hour round trip bus ride to another province to get a one month extension (the 1st trip was a week earlier under the guise that it would take 1 day but there were problems and I came back empty handed). This second trip was also suppose to take one day but there were problems (even though I lied to the officials that I was here for other reasons than teaching-as instructed by the director of the school moments before we entered the admin building) and I unexpectedly had to stay a night in this province and now as a result I am pretty sure I have strep throat.

Anyways, my passport and visa are in the possession of immigration officials in a province where I do not live and sometime next week it will be sent to me by a "middle man" and I will be "somewhat legal" (not to work) for another month until they ship me off to Hong Kong for a proper one year work visa. My questions/concerns are:

If they give me a one-year work visa (that's a big if) that would mean they want me to work until August/September 2012.....not what I signed up for. I really want to stick to the original contract. I have done nothing but work 5 days a week (with split days off) so other than the city I am in I haven't had the opportunity to see China. As soon as I get this one month extension I want to quit and get an F-visa on my own. I know I will have to renew it every 3 months but I would much rather buy time to travel and look for another job (outside of China- Thailand or Philippines)....or another possible scenario....

What if they do get me a proper work visa? What would happen if I decide to quit at the end of my original contract (end of November 2011)? Would the work visa (due to expire Aug/Sept 2012) end as soon as I quit? Would I be "locked in" with this company if they get me a one year visa? -I think I've had enough I don't want to stay with this company 8 months longer than the original contract just because they don't know how to follow the law.

I am really fed up with their selfishness (sending me on 4 hour bus trips on my day off, telling me to lie to immigration right before I enter the building, doctoring papers so that I have an address in another province, expecting me to teach class the same day I take a 4 hour bus ride and stand in line 2 hours in an immigration office, etc, etc). After 2 strep throat-like infections, a bout of dysentery, and countless breathing problems (in 8 months) I really think I want to quit then spend 6 weeks seeing China then wash my hands of this place.

I can tough it out until my contract but I also have friends that will be in Beijing next month and I would not mind telling my school my point of view and a goodbye so that I can see some sights and meet my friends because it has been quite lonely here. This is definitely not how I like to end things but the way I see it is you reap what you sew.....I guess that can be said for the decision I made too.

If you or Dr. Greg could give me advice or suggestions I would truly appreciate it!

I thought my experiences living in 3 Spanish speaking countries and teaching a foreign language in the USA would make the challenges of China easy to overcome. I assumed the difficulties I faced in life (surviving cancer after it killed an immediate family member 10 years earlier and the suicide of another immediate family member (couldn't cope with watching a loved one struggle and succumb to cancer) as well as bouts with addiction would prepare me for this place but I was really wrong.

For all you school teachers that are maybe fed up with teaching in the USA and you think you want to give teaching abroad a try-DO NOT CHOOSE CHINA unless it is at an international school, even then I would advise you to look for work at international schools in other countries.

If I understand correctly:

1. You are working on incorrect documents.

2. You just went to renew your visa for another term of working on incorrect documents.

3. Your school attempting to get you a proper visa/FRP.

Your employer does not, (and as a new school cannot) have the sole power to hire you legally and appears to be floundering about trying to find an entity that can provide you a fully legal visa.

Unless you have some reason to believe your employer will suddenly become SAFEA licensed, then there is no assurance you will ever be provided with a proper work visa. However, if they somehow do produce a proper visa, your work contract specifies your end of work date, not your visa. The visa (FRP) just specifies how long you can live and work in China.

Your school appears to be struggling to understand and conform to the appropriate visa regulations. This isn't surprising for a new school. A good number of foreign teachers do work on improper documents, although I'd never recommend that practice.

I doubt you will be able to get an F-visa on your own. An F-visa requires an invitation letter from an appropriate Chinese entity.

In the event you obtain a legal FRP/visa: Unless your school cancels your FRP upon your departure, you should have ample time remaining on your visa after your contract is finished to travel about China.

Best wishes.

55bulldog wrote:For all you school teachers that are maybe fed up with teaching in the USA and you think you want to give teaching abroad a try-DO NOT CHOOSE CHINA unless it is at an international school, even then I would advise you to look for work at international schools in other countries. (emphases added)

Hallelujah and amen.

Thanks again gentlemen,

Headmaster Ken you are indeed right. On paper I am an investor for a firm in Hangzhou that helps Chinese students study abroad. Next month, when I go to HK I will be a teacher but it is not at my own school! It is for a school that is owned by someone in my director's "guanxi" network. But, at the end of the day, I am told I will have my foreign expert's certificate. The whole thing is so absurd.

As mentioned before, I had to unexpectedly stay the night. My director offered to take me to dinner after we checked into a hotel. On our walk to dinner, I calmly explained to him that I was very upset about the lack of communication and that I did not feel it was right to have to lie to immigration officials (especially as we entered the building and to be told that I should not wear my baseball hat backwards because that's not the way an investor would look) and with a smile backed with disbelief and amusement I asked him to explain to me what was going on. He said, "Ok, no problem I tell you". We walked for 15-20 seconds, I stared at him blankly and he said nothing! I burst out in laughter and said, "Well, what's going on!" He replied, "I explain when we get to dinner".

We get to dinner and he juggles between two cell phones texting and conversing while ignoring my question and the fact that I had not eaten since 9:30 am and it was now nearly 8 pm (not once did he ask me if I had eaten when I arrived in town after the 4-hour bus ride or during the 3 hours we spent battling immigration).

Finally, in a self depreciating rant about China and the government's policies, he explains to me that our training center has not been in business for three years so it cannot hire a foreign expert, that it would be too expensive for the company.

So today at work, after 2 days out sick, immediately upon arriving in town from visa run and no "Hi, how are you?" or "Are you feeling better?" or even an apology as the director won't even acknowledge me, I have submitted 1,137 RMB worth of expenses for the two failed visa runs... we'll see.

This Is China (TIC) as the expats say

Just wondering if I can get some feedback again about Z-visa and Foreign Expert Certificate problems. Well, as stated in my previous posts my employer is shipping me off to HK and the story gets a little more absurd (more about that later).

Today, I was called in to speak with the director of my school about the trip and my itinerary. I was showed my FEC and other documents that I will be taking to HK. I have a question regarding the Z-visa and work permit.

My director told me that I should tell administration in HK to make the process 3 months and not sooner because he wants to buy time and not be rushed because our training center is very busy and no one will have the time to get me registered with the police station in Suzhou (although it is not my school and I work in another city). I am wondering if he is trying to stall because I confronted him about how improper the whole situation is (see previous post).

I am paranoid because they continue to persuade me to sign a new one year contract (because I have already worked there eight months illegally and now that I will be here legally for one year they want to get full use out of me and my work permit). I have told them that I signed up for a one year contract and that I am not sure if I would want to commit any longer.

Their selfish response to this was, "Well, we have done a lot and spent a lot to get you this work permit. What's the point if you only work here until December (when my contract was signed)? I couldn't help but let out a huge sigh of frustration and laughingly said, "You're supposed to! I committed to a one year contract and it states that you will assist me with a visa. It's not my problem if you did it illegally!"

Can you please tell me if I am out of the woods yet as far as having a work permit is concerned? Do I have anything to worry about since I already have the FEC and HK will give me the Z-visa? I really want to be in a situation where I can finish my contract and have this work visa. I think I am suppose to take my FEC and paperwork to the police station and register but on paper I am working in Suzhou and not Nanjing which is where I live and work.

Also, if I decided to work somewhere else I know I should get a letter of release from my current employer. Do I need to worry about them selfishly withholding this if I tell them that I will not sign a new contract for an additional year? Also, I guess I am going to have to lie about the school I worked for on my resume if I look for job elsewhere because it will need to match with paper work? What a mess! Can you please give me any feedback? Thanks, so much.

In addition to this, my itinerary tells me to meet someone in HK to pick up a watch. My flight is from Nanjing to HK but my return flight leaves HK and arrives in Shanghai where I am suppose to give the watch to someone else at the Shanghai train station before I get on the train to Nanjing.

A week ago when they booked my flight they told me there were no flights from Eastern China out of HK to Nanjing and that I would have to fly into Shanghai. Now all of a sudden they try and subtly tell me I need to be a mule for a watch. I checked the flight availability and saw that there is a flight available the same day from HK to Nanjing!

All this after they even tried to tell me I needed to pay for my hotel in HK. I told them NO WAY! My contract says otherwise. The director then said he would cover the cost even though the person who wrote the contract no longer works for the company and that he wanted to make me happy.

I hope maybe these posts will be read by people who are thinking of teaching in China. So many of these schools, even those that appear reputable, practice this type of behavior.

BE FOREWARNED!

PS. By the way, I forgot to mention that I already took the physical examination and received the clean bill of health and have a copy of this for my records. So if I am in possession of this, a FEC, and a z-visa. I should be in the clear? It will just be a matter of going to the police station to register?

Your school appears to be doing a roundabout method of obtaining your proper work documents.

In all, it is not uncommon (except for the watch part).

Once you have your visa, you'll need to register with the local police - a necessary formality.

You are of course free to go upon fulfilling your present contract. This will obviously cause (deserved) grief to your current employer since he will have to do this all again.

Have him write a letter of release/reference when you leave and all will be fine. You won't need to worry about lying on your resume, just present the letter when required by your new employer.

Your situation isn't too abnormal for those who do not arrive on a Z-visa.

Thank you so much for the speedy reply!

Hello and thanks again,

I just have one quick question that I need to be reassured about. On the Visa Application Form of the People's Republic of China, section 2.2 Intended number of entries, there are a few options (one entry valid for 3 months from application, two entries....etc). I am nervous because I want to leave here for vacation a few times while I have my one year work permit. I am being told that this visa has nothing to do with my work permit and that I can enter multiple times. Is this true?

You need the work permit and letter of invitation to receive the Z-visa. Once you have the Z-visa, you have 30 days to convert it to a residency permit. Once you have received the residency permit, you have unlimited entries into mainland China.

I am hoping this is the last time I need to ask you a question about this. As luck would have it I have lost the top of the FEC receipt that tears off the original but I made copies before I left. Is this going to be a problem? I have already received the Z visa in HK. They took my original FEC but I misplaced the receipt! I am so annoyed.......20 hours in bus rides and plane rides to get this Z visa and now I have lost the FEC receipt!