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Q: In which provinces can I find legal Eng. teaching work as a non-native?
I know it is possible to get a Z-visa for a teacher who comes from Eastern-Europe, could you give me advice on what provinces I would have better chance of finding work at (with everything being legal)? For instance, I've read on the forums that it is kind of impossible now in Jiangsu and Guangdong, so I wouldn't waste my time sending applications to schools that are based in these provinces.
9 years 32 weeks ago in Visa & Legalities - China
Prepare you resume and required documents. Open 'jobs' site top R of the screen, and email away for offer you're interested.
Disregard 'Native English Teacher', and send your CV anyway. I consider 'NETeacher' only as wish of the employer. Fact is, by such large number of English students in China (300 M), there're simply not enough Native English teachers available in the whole world.
That's some 2 hours job you must do every day. Send your CV everywhere.
Chinese managers/schools won't reply, if they're not interested. It doesn't matter. Don't stop sending your CV, till you don't land a job.
Good luck!
icnif77:
Individual Schools know their rite with Foreign Expert Bureau (SAFEA), where they must apply for Working permit and Foreign Expert Certificate.
If local FEB require NETeacher at WP application, School won't talk to you. They'll disregard your (Non) CV.
After 5 Y working in China, my average Schools reply is '5 replies on over 50 -70 sent CVs'.
NETeacher rule isn't applied the same everywhere in China. It varies locally.
You have as much chance being successful in any province if you just keep applying.
It will depend on an individual employers decision or whim if you are successful.
ironman510:
I would go as far as that Sorrel. The laws were changed as you know not too long ago. NOW as of today in most cities you MUST be a native speaker if you are going to teach English other jobs of course can be hired for.
Prepare you resume and required documents. Open 'jobs' site top R of the screen, and email away for offer you're interested.
Disregard 'Native English Teacher', and send your CV anyway. I consider 'NETeacher' only as wish of the employer. Fact is, by such large number of English students in China (300 M), there're simply not enough Native English teachers available in the whole world.
That's some 2 hours job you must do every day. Send your CV everywhere.
Chinese managers/schools won't reply, if they're not interested. It doesn't matter. Don't stop sending your CV, till you don't land a job.
Good luck!
icnif77:
Individual Schools know their rite with Foreign Expert Bureau (SAFEA), where they must apply for Working permit and Foreign Expert Certificate.
If local FEB require NETeacher at WP application, School won't talk to you. They'll disregard your (Non) CV.
After 5 Y working in China, my average Schools reply is '5 replies on over 50 -70 sent CVs'.
NETeacher rule isn't applied the same everywhere in China. It varies locally.
It's not impossible in Jiangsu. I just left a training center where I was the ONLY native teacher, everyone else was from either Taiwan or the Philippines.
icnif77:
They were probably working without RPermit. F visas most likely.
I spoke to Jiangsu FEB two months ago. Officer flatly told me, I won't get WP as Non-native in coastal cities in China. I was arguing, that I'm not applying for new WP, but extending WP from 2011. No avail! Return to EU was his advice. I was at Public School in Taizhou, and School told me application for FEC was denied. I had valid RP.
Spiderboenz:
I know two non-native teachers in Nanjing, a Russian and a Filipina. Bother were fully legal, but the Russian had to do a HK run every month.
Edit: The Taiwanese I was working with were also fully legal.icnif77:
Russian had F, so 3-months runs, or probably L for monthly runs. I'm not sure, what are requirements in China for Taiwanese....Two different countries usually exchange visa matters, i.e. 'If Chinese citizens must pay high fee for USA visa or similar, Chinese will impose the same rule toward USA citizens', so I guess Philippine residents have 'tough love' from Chinese Gov. 'Legal work' in China is possible only with Z/RPermit, in other words, 'if you saw FEC or RP, then FT is legal'.
I ate fried duck tongues last night…..
Any province, there is no law stating that "only native English speakers will be delivered Z-visas" and there will never be, China has too many English learners and can't afford to be picky.
You will face more competition in city centers than in suburbs or smaller towns but it's definitely possible to find a job in the downtown areas of Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing or Shenzhen paying as high as 25000RMB/month as a non-native speaker, keep searching and don't hesitate to send resumes to every schools you can find in the area using Google or Baidu maps, or you can take the first job you find in a smaller town for 5000RMB/month.
Schools who ask for natives only want in fact "white only", they care only about appearance so you don't want to work there anyway.
icnif77:
I'm convinced 'NETeachers' requirement is because of low English level of Chinese-managers.
They can 'judge' your proficiency just by your passport
.
I would never hire Chinese language teacher from Japan. Maybe she/he's good, but how can I judge, if I know 10 Chinese words only?
A friend of mine has a Filipino teacher working with him in Guangdong. I think that GD may have less discrimination than other provinces depending upon where the boss is from and what the school's focus is. Give it a shot.
Eorthisio:
I also observed that Cantonese people are usually more open minded than people from other provinces (especially more than Northerners/Manchu), Guangdong might be full of migrant workers today but key management positions are still held for the vast majority by native Cantonese.
MAKE SURE, YOU ASK AT SCHOOL, BEFORE YOU SIGN CONTRACT:
'Is your School authorized to hire Foreign teachers?'
If they don't understand your question, you can try with:
'Did you hire foreign teachers before, or am I the first one?'
Positive answer will tell you, your School can sponsor Z visa (Working permit and Invitation letter), or extend your valid Residence permit.
Very important question and answer, which none, Native or Non-native teacher should missed, before Contract sign!
Thank you all, the reason I asked this is because I know that sometimes applications for Z visa and expert permit get rejected, and I simply can't afford to waste time with it, I only have 3-4 months to land a job and get my Z visa.
Thank you all, the reason I asked this is because I know that sometimes applications for Z visa and expert permit get rejected, and I simply can't afford to waste time with it, I only have 3-4 months to land a job and get my Z visa.
not impossible in Guangdong, I work with a French guy and a Russian girl in my school and they both have a RP but as yasow mentioned, getting TEFL is a plus.
Try Xinjiang. It is the wild west here. I've met high school students, non-natives with bad accents, English teachers who don't know English, and some Americans who can't tell the difference between a verb from a noun. All the aforementioned have Z visas. Except the married Ghanian guy that tries to pick up every Chinese girl he meets. He is on an X Visa. But the police here is more worried about terrorism, or using We Chat, than hunting down a few rogue foreigners.
I would like to be somewhere in Jiangsu or Zhejiang, lot of day-trips to be had there to the numerous water towns.
Shining_brow:
Yes, quite possible.
But given you haven't told us your qualifications or much else about you, it's really hard to say....
I'm technically a non-native, non-white (although I do have a UK passport) and I'm currently working with a Z visa in Shenzhen, Guangdong. As far as I know, they require you to have a UK/US/Aus etc passport, Bachelor's Degree, TEFL certificate and 2 years post-Bachelor work experience to be issued the Z visa. If you meet those requirements it shouldn't be a problem.
icnif77:
'Non-native' stands for 'passport issued by other country than UK, USA, Canada, Ozz, New Zealand and I think S. Africa'.
wchowsilpa:
Oh that's odd. I thought you could only be considered a native if you were born in those countries haha.
Right, the situation is not exactly the same with you then, if you have a passport from the 6 big English speaking countries then it doesn't really matter where you were originally born, China considers those who have passports from Anglophone countries as native-English speakers.
My question was towards non-native speakers who do not possess such passports.
Jiangsu does hire Non -native speakers.. I have 2 friends in Nanjing from phillipines. Just keep on sending your CV.. there will be someone who will surely offer you a job. Don't be too picky though. Start where it seems convenient to you then get some work experience and apply in cities like shanghai, Beijing.. Guangdong..
hunny797:
Philippines??? not again..
there are a lot of philippinos teaching English in China...
Is the English standard pretty good in that country???
Spiderboenz:
The best non-neative speakers that I have met have all been Filipinos.
The most bad job , I would never try this ! So many fake schools and agents !
Try shenzhen. In my school, most of us are non-native speaker. Two of my collegues were russians, one egyptian, one turkish, one french and I am from the Philippines. its kinda annoying when you look for a teaching job and most of the schools advertise that they are looking for a native speaker. There are some schools that they entertain non-native speaker but when they see your credentials and demo they forgot your nationality.
Try shenzhen. In my school, most of us are non-native speaker. Two of my collegues were russians, one egyptian, one turkish, one french and I am from the Philippines. its kinda annoying when you look for a teaching job and most of the schools advertise that they are looking for a native speaker. There are some schools that they entertain non-native speaker but when they see your credentials and demo they forgot your nationality.
Only 3 of us has Z visa. The rest were new teachers so they dont want to give a Z visa after they stay there 6more months. We have one guy from america but he married toChinese woman so he is not holding Z visa
