The straight scoop on the Z Visa

There is a lot of confusion over Z Visas. Let's demystify things by first stating a Z Visa is the visa that allows you to legally obtain employment in China. It is good for thirty days (even though it is usually printed as being good for "000" days) [see Z Visa image] and its purpose is to allow you to enter China and be hired. Once hired, your employer must process your Z Visa into a FRP (Foreign Residence Permit" - this, not the Z Visa, is what actually allows you to legally live and work in China. The Z Visa can only be properly obtained outside of mainland China. It is not legal (and in most places it is impossible) to convert an L Visa (Tourist Visa) to a Z Visa in China. The FRP is a sticker placed inside your passport [see FRP image] and also functions as a multiple reentry visa.

Your FRP is tied to your employer. When you change employers, you must change your FRP. No matter what your FRP sticker says in your passport, what really counts is what the PSB (Public Security Bureau) has in their database that tracks your documents. You can have a "valid" sticker in your passport and still be illegally present in China. The PSB can invalidate your Visa without you being present under certain circumstances, (midnight run, etc.). ||||

"Teachers" versus "Backpackers"

In China, the bar is lower than most other countries when it comes to being hired as a teacher. There are a lot of reasons for this, including inadequate screening procedures, wage scales offered, perceptions of the role of Foreign Teachers, etc.

What this translates to, in some cases, is a nineteen year old high school grad teaching at a University on the English Faculty. And experienced teachers with a Masters degree in Applied Linguistics being offered the same wages as the complete newbie with a freshly inked degree (or even a fake degree) in Library Science or whatever.

Whenever teachers congregate, the argument about who is a "real" teacher invariably emerges as well as discussion about the influence of "backpackers". These agruments usually shed more heat than light on the subject. A definition that works for me is that a "real" teacher is one that can impart knowledge and spark student's imagination and interest.

"Backpackers" are widely considered the scourge of ESL teaching in China. Basically, backpackers are considered transients who take teaching or other easily available jobs as a means of supporting their travels and then move on whenever the uge strikes and payday arrives. They hurt the reputation and professionalism of the ESL field. This is not to say teachers don't love to travel; they do. It just means that real teachers take teaching seriously, not as a sideline until enough funds are available for the next leg of their Nepal trip. |||