if this is the same school that has been jerking you around regarding the correct paperwork for a visa, i'd say just discontinue any dealings with them.

They will think that you can be jerked around once you are there and believe me, they will, especially if you are a newbie.

Job title on the paperwork you received different from that on the contract?

That is a red flag for me as an employer to avoid.

If they can't get the basics right at the start, they sure as he** will fudge and dither over anything and everything they can.

You owe them nothing.

Get yourself a more reliable employer who is more up-front from the start.

it is up to you to do due-diligence and ask all the right questions from the start, not get drip-fed BS over weeks from a potential employer.

If you are worried about encountering problems in Shanghai, it is not the be all and end all of places to work in China.

Yes. FOREIGN EXPERT WP is for teaching and educators. Dont go through with it. Otherwise for 6 months any other company can't apply for FEWP or AEL. As it'll be tied to your passport. It seems they're using some ghost company to process you. You won't be working for the company who is on your FEWP.Deeming it illegal employment. Look for another school.

Get a Chinese friend to translate the company name on the AEL.Of its the same as the place you will work. You're 99% sweet as

Abraham, Thank you for the heads up. I have translated it and it is not the school as I thought it would be.

If I apply for this work visa, you mention that it is tied to my passport? If I do decide to go along with this school, and I get to china and find out the employer is not legit or I don't want to work there any further, would I be able to start looking for another job while still on my contract? If I found another job would I be able to cancel my contract, round trip flight back to the states to get a new work visa with a new school and fly back and continue working?

I am ready to begin working now and my Chinese friend who is friends with many foreign teachers is telling me that I should just come, start work, and change employer if things don't work out. How possible is this plan?

Do you think, aliens visited Earth already, or we should rather expect them in the forseeable future?

Can family accompany alien, or alien family members should apply for new visas at the Chinese Moon Embassy's post? 

I know I have an Alien Employment License on file with HR, so that's something that ESL teacher's don't get?

That's weird it sounds like it's a completely different procedure getting a visa for teaching than for everything else. 

Ben, the thing is. They have applied, and you have that permit. It means, for 6 months you can't get another employer to apply for a certificate. Because the document which you have is active for 6 months from date of issue.'

Problem is, if you send it back and tell them cancel it. They might not, then keep using that document to reapply and apply so you can't ever get a Z visa.

If you enter on that , you'll have the Z (for entry) but that Z is linked to that AEL..

What i advise you to do is, contact the new school, tell them you have an active AEL (but it hasn't been visaed) and see if it would matter, because from what I know SAFEA doesn't issue AEL's only FEWPs.

Let us know what happens. 

Expatlife, FEWPs are issued to Educational/scientific (whatever that means -  the scientific part). Basically, anything that is teaching related gets that one.

IT jobs, hotel manager, manager, etc is AEL.

Apparently the Alien Employment License is for foreigners working in non-specialist areas (try search "difference between AEL and FEC"), and both can be linked to a Foreign Resident's Permit in your passport issued after arrival in China.

You may be dealing with a recruiter, or someone not licensed to employ foreign teachers.

Once you are in China it is not a simple matter to change employers, (or locations), so it is safer to partner with a ligitmate employer.