Ask Headmaster Ken

Hi Headmaster Ken, we'd really appreciate your advice to help us plan properly.

I will finish my BA at the end of 2012, and would then like to move to China with my fiancee and enroll in a master's degree program in international relations at Central China Normal University (Wuhan), which starts August 2013.

We would very much like to teach English beginning in January 2013 for 6 months prior to me starting the master's, after which my fiancee would continue to teach English and I would endeavor to find part-time work while studying.

The two problems as I see it are that first: our timing is not going to allow me to accept anything longer than a 6-month teaching contract, after which University will begin. Second, and related to the first, is that my fiancee is Australian-born Vietnamese, and we have read here that her finding work will be almost impossible without me as a package deal.

She is 26 and has a BS with Honours, I am 31 and will have a BA with a major in Mandarin. We are both Australian and will have TESOL certificates, plenty of work experience but no teaching experience.

How should we proceed?

Sincerely,

Toby

You are going to have a hard time fulfilling both your job requirements. Most schools want at least a one year contract.

Further, only training schools will be open during the summer and that means your fiancee will be competing against the many, many foreigners looking for a job in Wuhan - a competitive city.

If at all possible, I'd suggest forgetting about working prior to starting school unless absolutely necessary.

If you do decide to pursue this, then you'll need to send out an enormous amount of resumes.

Cheers.

I agree with Headmaster Ken that finding something in Wuhan for six months for the both of you is going to be very difficult if not impossible.

Before I left my position at Jinan University's International School, I actually found and provided the School with my replacement: A Canadian psychiatrist (MD) of Vietnamese descent (born in Vietnam but fully educated in Canada with excellent English and French language sills). She ran into all sorts of racism and, from the onset, was offered less money than they were paying me with a PhD (this is unheard of in North America). They then started to haggle with her over everything (housing, airfare) until--with very hurt feelings--she finally decided not to take the position.

Please keep us updated.

Big thanks to both of you--as always, sound advice.

Working prior to the commencement of school is not absolutely necessary, but we thought it might be a good way to familiarize ourselves with the new environment.

Following your advice, we will instead aim for the beginning of the school year, enabling her to sign a year contract.

Considering that my course is available in Beijing, Wuhan, Changchun, Jinan and Hangzhou, and I am happy with any of these, where do you think we would have most luck finding her work? I need to apply well before July 2013, at what time should we be applying for her employment?

Also factoring in that this is in the later part of 2013, with quite some time to prepare, what should she do to between now and then to improve her chances of securing a contract?

Everyone will have perhaps a different opinion regarding locale. From personal experience regarding the treatment of foreign-tongue-but-Asian-face teachers, I say avoid Changchun at all costs.

I'd suggest Beijing, where even though it will be competitive, your fiancee will have a huge number of places she can go in person to interview. Her advantages will be the large numbers of employers available and applying in person.

You will want to begin sending applications in early May until you are hired.

If, prior to your arrival, you can get an ESL certificate, from an organization that provides actual classroom training, that would be a benefit to you both.

Cheers.

Thanks again.

One last thing - you mentioned applying in person... I know this is a much easier way to get a job, but are you suggesting she arrives on an L visa in Beijing and then approaches private schools as opposed to Universities?

Potentially we could cover this approach financially (2 months or so looking for a job), but are we not better off approaching Universities or public schools, prior to leaving Australia, who will issue a Z visa?

Actually, getting married and then you applying for a job and her getting a spousal visa would be the easiest route. Then she could look for work at her leisure.

Failing that, your plans should be to:

1. Apply for a Z visa job for each of you, preferably at the same employer.

2. If that doesn't work, then look perhaps you arriving first and then looking for a job for her using the contacts you can build and schools you can visit.

3. Failing that, have her arrive on tourist visa and look for work near you.

You should have a plan B, C and D in case things are unexpectedly difficult.

Definitely try to secure both of you jobs at the same employer as a first option. Just have fallback options all along the way.

Cheers.

After considering your recommendations, we thought we might update this thread with our revised plan.

Since the reason we are moving to China is so I can attend postgraduate study starting in August (2013), options 1 & 2 in Ken's last post are not possible. I will be a full-time student, so I cannot commit to full-time employment.

Instead, we thought we might both enroll in an 18-week language program beginning in February (2013), giving us several months to hit the pavement, visit schools, and attend interviews face-to-face. Financially this is not a burden, and if all fails then neither of us are leaving anything here we can't pick up if we have to return.

However, this does pose several new problems.

1. After securing an offer of employment, will she have to return to Australia to get the Z-visa and then reenter the country? We are prepared to do this if it is essential, but will this pose any new problems?

2. Regarding our visas for the 18-week language course, since the duration is less than six months, we will not be issued an X-visa. In the visa section on this site an L-visa is only valid for 30 days, so which should we be applying for?

3. Do we need a residency permit to lease an apartment?

You will not necessarily, nor even likely, have to return to your home country if you secure employment while attending school here. Normally, you would do a Hong Kong visa run. In Shanghai however, some employers can have the visa converted directly without the Hong Kong visa run.

Your 18 week school will advise you on the type of visa needed. Normally, a tourist visa is good for 30 days, but it can be done in longer increments, and they can, under the correct circumstances, be extended.

For registering housing, you need an X visa. Normally this is a minimum six month visa, but your host school may have a workaround, (pre-leased housing,etc.). You'll need to contact the language school you propose to attend and explain your housing needs and they can advise you of how they work the visa issue.

Your school's headmaster should have already resolved all of these issues or he couldn't stay in business.

Cheers.