Working in China with an L Visa, a Tourist Visa. Do serious,...

No, all employers should send you the required documents to obtain a work visa before departure from the states. Sometimes, people do take a chance and go to China on a tourist visa. Once in the country they find a job, and are able to do a visa run to obtain the proper working visa. If an employer says 'well, you can come here first and we'll sort things out later'. In my experience, that means 'once you get here, we're not doing any more than what we have to, which does not include furnishing a proper visa' Good luck

I have been working in China since 2009. I have often commenced work on an L-visa and the paperwork for the Z-visa and residence permit has been completed after I have commenced work, it is not a problem, it is just the way that they do things. I wouldn't worry about it.

I worked on china last year on a Z visa. I applied for a couple of jobs there for the 2013/2014 year and was informed that the government had changed the regulations and that you needed two years work experience to obtain a Z visa so foreigners were now working on tourist visas and business visas. If you have two years experience I don't think you will have a problem obtaining a z visa. You can get them once in country. Hope everything goes well!

Meaghan is right. I lived in China for 2 years and had 2 different jobs, and both provided the visa for me up-front. You should stay away from jobs that don't do this, because you are well-qualified and can easily find a job that will provide it for you. I have had friends make this mistake, and they end up having to spend their own money to go to Hong Kong or wherever else to get tourist visas renewed, etc. and it's just a big hassle. You are also in big danger of being deported, as China's government has begun cracking down on teachers working illegally this year. Stand firm and don't accept until they offer a Z visa!

I agree with Meaghan here, I had the same bad experiences going on their word of 'come with tourist visa and we will do the rest'' - nearly got thrown right into jail with an employer who claimed to not know me or anything about me..never go without a workvisa in your hands first.

China is replete with spivs who could not give a hoot about a laowai's legality in Zhongguo. Z visa is the only means by which a laowai laoshi can legally work in Zhongguo. A business visa can be used but eventually you need a Z visa.

I also concur with the other posters claiming a "Z" visa is the smart way to go. Having been working in China for a couple years, I'm on a work visa and highly recommend you to ignore any and all companies telling you to come on a tourist or business visa. Good Luck,

In the present environment you would be very wise to not come on nothing but a Z-visa. Before the Jul 1 - Sep 1 changes, coming on another kind of visa would be done, and generally, there was not an issue with having it converted later. You could get in trouble, but it didn't happen often and the penalties were not too severe. Having said that, you still had recruiters and employers who even then never had any intention of obtaining a teacher a proper visa. This could become problematic and open you up to becoming an abused illegal employee with no legal standing in China. There is still that risk for you. Since the changes have occurred, you will run into many more problems. For one, if you are caught the penalties are much more severe and the enforcement has been more vigorous. Before you could, depending on province, have the visa converted in country or could do a visa "run", typically to Hong Kong. Feedback seems to be that even if you do a "run" now, a third country embassy, even Hong Kong, will tell you to go back to your home country. This seems especially true if you hold a current L or F visa. They seem intent to prevent what your employer intends to do. Depending on your nationality, and where you are applying, it will now take you quite a bit of time and expense in obtaining your z-visa in your home country. You will need to get a medical before and after you arrive. You may need to get a national background check which will take time. You will possibly need to get said background check signed off by the authorities of China and tour home country. Your work experience may actually need to be verified. You may need to provide certified degrees, sealed transcripts and so forth. You may need to take a long and convoluted multipart test followed by an interview. You may need to provide professionally translated versions of some or all of the above. The above list is not inclusive, but generally the complexity is not as severe save localities like Beijing, Tianjin, Jiangsu. There is a lot of confusion and different city by city interpretations of all of this as it is being implemented. Mainland Chinese are not always very good at keeping up to date about such things, so don't expect even a well intentioned school to be able to guide you through the process without additional delay and expense to you. I believe that www.lawandborder.com is the best resource. I hate to be negative, but when you look at the hassle involved, compared to the rewards of working in China, I think you have to be a real China lover to go through with this at present.

I am currently working in China. I would greatly discourage you to come into China without having your work visa sorted out. It is true that in the past, teachers have come into China on business or L visas and have later gotten the paper work for their work visa. There have been dramatic changes to the visa process in China that have taken full effect as of June 2013. These changes make is extremely expensive for companies to get the required paperwork to employee foreign teachers. That being said, many language centers and schools are no longer in a position to employ foreign teachers "legally". Government run schools and large English companies have no problem or are in a position to cover the cost.

Yes, you first arrive on an L-visa and the paperwork to begin the process of obtaining a Z-visa begins in country. Your concerns are valid though as some schools promise the above and do not deliver. Before you decide, ask as many questions from the employer as possible in order to make the right decision. One way is the check out the school on the internet and try to find reviews on the school's practices.

I went into China on a visitor visa and later my work covered my Z Visa once I signed the contract there. This was in 2010 though. I guess it depends on the company you are working for. Google search their name if you're uneasy about it. A lot of companies do this in ESL schools I noticed. International ones tend to cover them beforehand.

My experience in China has been awful. During the online interview process, I asked for the contact information of professional foreign teachers who had recently quit working there and had left China. I was not given that information. I got a reference from a live teacher who currently works there. The person said they were always paid on time, never had a problem, had a super-clean apartment in a fabulous, beautiful area with no problems, had international-style and American-style electrical wiring, and was able to easily save over $1000 USD monthly without any problem. I spent over $2000 USD moving here. I spent seven and a half days in (expensive) Hong Kong, first getting a $200 USD tourist visa and then getting a $200 USD work visa, always following my employer's instructions about what to do. I was never reimbursed for any of my expenses. I was told that my visa would be free. In China, the apartment I was assigned to was urine-filled, filthy, dusty, totally unacceptable in every way. My new home had 4 different types of roaches and 2 different types of KILLER Mosquitoes. At the Medical Check, I had to remove my clothes. Their tests and x-rays had to be done several times, claiming they were not sure it was done right the first time. All along, my employer was always saying, with joy and happiness: I am sweet and kind! You can trust me. I keep my word. I do what I say. You can count on me. I will be there for you. You can rely on me. I will pay you, I keep my word, I am reliable, I am trustworthy and dependable. I will be there for you. I was never paid. When I found out that I was not going to be paid, 6 weeks later, I quit working, of course. Then I was told that I must pay my employer to receive my passport, so that I can leave. My passport was taken from me at the beginning of the employment, and I was given no answer about why it was never given back to me, other than their claim that their local government offices had it. Today, December 13th, I was told I won't get my passport back from the local government until December 24th, and that I must pay my employer if I want to receive my passport.