Visa Problems After Teaching For 5 Years?

[yingguoguy]

I've been teaching English in China now for nearly 5 years, and have just agreed to stay with my current college for another year. Our Waiban has apparently been told that there may be "problems" getting a working visa (or possibly Foreign Expert Certificate) for someone who has already been in China for 5 years. It's suggested that I would have to go back home for 2 years before returning. I've been looking around the internet and this site and can't find any reference to these rules, and I'm sure there are a more than a few people on this site who have been in China long term. Our Waiban is going to clarify matters in the next few days but does anybody know anything about this?

[roddy]

Have a look at this, article 19 - it dates from 1996, not sure if there's anything more up to date. The idea is that if you want to be a foreign expert, you need to maintain your foreignness and expertize overseas. I'd imagine the 一般 means it's not too hard to get around if the local foreign experts folk don't want to get in your way.

[simonlaing]

This seems very weird. I have known English teachers and other foreign experts that have been in China 6 , 7 , even 10 years without going back.

Sometimes getting a competing contract offer from another university will "encourage" your university to deal with the paper work. (Another issue might be that the university wants to switch you out but doesn't have any legitimate reason to do this so looks for some weird clause in the contract.) I had a job that they didn't want me to resign because my contract had a clause of getting a 10% raise each year which they didn't really want to pay.

Most things in China are negotiated or figured out indirectly with help from a second source. Good luck.

Sincerely,

Simon:)

[liuzhou]

 I've been teaching here for 15 years and have renewed my residence permit and foreign expert certificate each year with no problems. 

[terryswift]

 I've been teaching here for 15 years and have renewed my residence permit and foreign expert certificate each year with no problems. 

coincidentally a friend of mine just a few days ago went off to thailand for a month (he is australian). he said he had to go because he has been here for coming up on five years, and his boss told him he must leave for a month not because of visa issues, but because of tax issues; without leaving , he would be subject to paying tax to china on all the money he has made over the past five years. he has a 'real' expat job though, not an english teaching job, so it may be something to do with the higher salary.

[James Johnston]

 I've been teaching here for 15 years and have renewed my residence permit and foreign expert certificate each year with no problems. 

I guess the extent to which this rule is enforced depends on your qualifications. If you've only got a BA and a crash course in TEFL and you're teaching in a big city then you might run into trouble. However, if you have higher qualifications or teaching experience in your home country and/or your are teaching in a smaller city, officials are less likely to be fussy or will find solutions. But as always, cultivate your personal relationships and I'm sure you can make the problems go away.

[yingguoguy]

Thanks for all your replies.

The latest from our Waiban is that it's "not a big problem" and they should be able to apply from an extension to the foreign expert certificate in June. At that time it'll either go through no problem, or I'll be scrambling to find a city with more relaxed rules. I suspect that the matter has only cropped up due to that fact that our Waiban head is not very experienced and the city's Foreign Expert Department is particularly job-worthey. I've heard that other foreign teachers in another university in the city were refused an extention, but this may have been for political reasons as simonliang says.

Anyway, wait and see.

[mudhead]

I have been teaching at my college in Sichuan for almost 5 years. The director of the college Foreign Affairs Office called me in last week and told me that I can't keep my job after the end of this term. Apparently they are getting stricter with the five-year requirement - and Sichuan is among the strictest provinces of all. He suggested I leave China for a year or two and then try and come back. This is a problem for me since I have sold my house in my home country (Canada), have no other place to live, and don't want to give up the wonderful friends and the stuff I have accumulated over all this time. Maybe there are schools, even in Sichuan, that will look the other way. Wish me luck.

[roddy]

Hey, there's a recent ad in the classifieds from Muyongshi - the city he's recruiting in is waiving work experience requirements, so they might be flexible. And it's in Sichuan! Here you go. 

 

Edit: Also, this sucks. Ridiculously blunt instrument of a rule which would let a rubbish teacher teach for five years, and then fire him along with all the good ones. 

[roddy]

Mudhead, have you been able to find any solution?

[mudhead]

Ron, thanks for your interest.

 

I have just about given up on finding another job in China -- I'm too old (71 this Sunday) and they don't hire anyone over 60 (exceptionally 62). So now I'm chasing women on a horribly expensive Website (ChnLove) to see if there's one who might be willing to take on a Western husband without waiting too awfully long for the formalities. My presentation seems to be a success, many women have answered. Scratch the ones who only talk about sex or romantic love under the stars, and there are still one or two really nice people. Wish me luck!

 

Eric/Mudhead