Is it really that easy for foreign teachers to make money in China? |How to become a legal foreign teacher

Frequent incidents in the market of foreign teachers
In 2018, Ms. Wang, who now lives in Southern California, USA, discovered that the real identity of her favourite foreign college teacher was actually one of 15 murder suspects urgently arrested in the United States. According to information published on the website of the US Department of Justice, a “teacher” named Daniel William Hires is guilty of murdering his wife, molesting a minor child, and also committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree against a minor. . The reason why Ms. Wang was deeply impressed by this foreign teacher was precisely because her former friend was bombarded with a lot of pornographic pictures and seriously sexually harassed after dropping out of his classes.

Information taken from US Marshals Service 15 Most Wanted by Daniel William HEARS, Jr. (usmarshals.gov)

In 2019, back in Springfield, Missouri, former EF Education foreign language teacher Curtis J. Baldwin contacted a 12-year-old student who had previously studied in China via WeChat and asked her to send him more of her pornographic photos and videos, threatening that he would expose and sell her lewd sexually explicit videos. In March 2020, the FBI found several child pornography files on Baldwin’s laptop, including obscene videos of several Chinese students. In October of that year, Baldwin pleaded guilty to two charges of child sexual exploitation and receiving and distributing child pornography, and was eventually sentenced to 41 years and eight months without parole. The court also sentenced Baldwin to spend the rest of his life under supervision after his imprisonment.

Information taken from Former teacher pleads guilty to sexual exploitation of a student | USAO-WDMO | Department of Justice

News of this kind is not uncommon, and many netizens have condemned “the removal of foreign garbage from China.” On the stage of last year’s talk show, actor Zhou Qimo also made fun of foreigners who couldn’t get along in their own country, but being a foreign teacher could easily make money in China. Thus, people gradually begin to think that a blond-haired, blue-eyed foreign face is equivalent to a win-win passport in China.

However, only a third of China’s 400,000 foreign teachers are legal, according to 2017 data from the State Administration of Foreign Experts. It is the proliferation of illegal foreign teachers that has led to frequent incidents in the foreign teacher market.
So what do you need to do to become a legal foreign teacher in China?

Note. The foreign teachers listed below are limited to foreign language teaching staff who are in the country for more than 90 days.

Citizenship [2]
First, the language taught by foreigners must be their mother tongue.
Secondly, you must complete a bachelor’s degree or higher, and after graduation, you must have more than two years of work experience in the field of language education.
However, if you have ① obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher in education/languages/teaching, or ② obtained a teaching qualification certificate in your home country or an international language teaching certificate that meets international requirements such as TESOL[1]/TEFL/TESL, you can be exempt from work experience requirements.
In addition, China has set some basic requirements for all foreigners coming to work in China, such as good health, no criminal record, and a specific employer within the country. For foreign language teachers, the age must be between 18-60 years old.

Tip: The “Hidden Rules” of Applying for Foreign Teachers
1. China has the highest demand for foreign English teachers
2. Foreign teachers with fair skin and hair tend to be more popular.
3. The school usually provides accommodation, annual flights, visas and even meals.
4. Salary ranges from RMB 8,000 to RMB 35,000 depending on city, school, nationality, and teaching experience.
5. Many schools accept non-native English teachers as foreign teachers.

After receiving an offer from a Chinese school, you can go to a mysterious eastern country!

Falling leaves and rooting – in China

The two required documents for foreign teachers in China are a work permit and a residence permit by type of work.

Application process[3]
Step 1: The school itself or the specialised service agency must register an account with the foreigners service system in China and apply online for the “Notice of Work Permit for Foreigners”.
(1) List of required materials:
Schools should prepare:
1. School Information Registration Form
2. Certificate of legal registration: for example, a business license
3. Identity card of the responsible person
4. Industry license documents
Foreign teachers need to prepare:
1. Questionnaire for foreigners to work in China
2. Proof of previous job qualification
3. Highest Degree/Academic Certificate or Appropriate Evidence/Certificate of Professional Qualification: must be certified
Bodies authorised to certify: ① Chinese embassies and consulates abroad; ② embassies and consulates in China of countries where foreign teachers received diplomas; ③ Chinese Academic Qualification Certification Bodies
4. Criminal record certificate: it must be certified by Chinese embassies and consulates abroad or foreign embassies and consulates in China; issuance period must be within 6 months
5. Medical certificate: must be issued by a Chinese institution or an overseas institution recognised by China; issuance period must be within 6 months
6. Employment contract or certificate of employment: including working hours, place of work, content of work, salary, position, and a page signed and stamped in China.
7. Passport or international travel document
8. Frontal photo with bare head, taken no more than 6 months ago.
Preliminary online review: 5 business days.
If the materials are ready and the content is standardised, the admissions agency will notify you online or make an appointment to submit the materials on site.
(3) Acceptance:
If the application materials are complete and meet the requirements, an Alien Work Permit Acceptance Form will be issued on the spot.
(4) Consideration and decision: 10 business days.
If the decision is made, the system will generate an online “Notice of Work Permit for Foreigners” which will be uploaded by the school and sent to the foreign teacher.

Step 2: Apply for a Z visa at Chinese embassies and consulates abroad.
(1) List of materials to be submitted:
1. “Notice of Work Permit for Foreigners”
2. Passport of a foreign teacher or foreign passport
3. Up-to-date materials for applying for language training in China
(2) Participate in an interview in accordance with the requirements of the visa department abroad
(3) After passing the exam, issue a Z-signature and indicate on the visa the deadline for applying for a residence permit after entry.

Step 3: (after entry): within 15 days of the foreigner’s entry into the country, the school will apply for a “Foreigner Work Permit” online.
Organiser: school
Deadline: within 15 days after the foreigner enters the country
Method: online
(1) List of materials to be submitted:
1. Z visa for foreign teachers
2. Employment contract
3. Medical certificate
Preliminary online review: 5 business days.
If the pre-screening is passed, the school submits paper materials to the admissions agency.
(3) Acceptance:
If the application materials are complete and meet the requirements, an Alien Work Permit Acceptance Form will be issued on the spot.
(4) Consideration and decision: 10 business days.
If the decision is made, notify the scene for a certificate

Step 4: Within 30 days after entering the country, foreigners must apply to the exit and entry management department of the public security authorities where the school is located to apply for a residence permit for work.
(1) List of materials to be submitted:
1. Passport of a foreign teacher or foreign passport
2. Photos
3. Supporting materials such as a work permit
4. Human biometric information (fingerprints)
(2) Verification and decision: 15 days
If a decision is made, the exit-entry department of the public security organs issues a residence permit of a working type.
The above is the complete process of becoming a legal foreign teacher in China. I hope everyone will be aware of the necessary qualifications and documents required for “real foreign teachers”!

[1] Brief Introduction to TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)
The overall pass rate for the TESOL exam is 90% and there is a free retake option. The content of the exam is entirely based on what has been learned, and the learning content mainly includes courses to strengthen grammar (for example, international phonetic symbols, tenses, parts of speech and other knowledge, as well as common student mistakes and teaching methods). how to correct them) and teaching methodology (e.g. class management, how to write lesson plans, methods for teaching listening/writing/speaking, etc.)
The TESOL exam consists of three parts. The first part of the tasks accounts for 50%, it is necessary to complete 15 questions with short answers and an essay; the second part is a demonstration lecture that requires candidates to record a 25-minute full test video in English, and the score is 40%; the third part is an interview where the examiner asks questions (3-5 minutes for each question). The full score is 100 points and the total score is above 70 points.
[2] “Classification Standard for Foreigners Working in China (Trial Version)”
[3] “Guidelines for Issuing Work Permits for Foreigners in China”
Articles 7 and 16 of the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on the management of the entry and exit of foreigners

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