The Current Challenge of Living in China

So many people want to spend time here in China. Many have teaching jobs while others do business. Others are just happy to live here. However it seems the Government is continually making it harder and harder for foreigners to stay. If you have a lot of money and have invested in business in China that's a different story. You are a lot more acceptable. If you have married a Chinese citizen that also makes it easier, but it's still not without some difficulty.

The Chinese government has made it mandatory for all students to learn English. There are enough well trained Chinese teachers to fulfill this job, but it's so much better to learn it from a native speaker even if they are not trained teachers. Or so they think. School administrations take advantage of this and hire foreign teachers so the parents will send their children to their school. Language schools splash the photos of foreign teachers all over their web sites to help attract students. At public schools the foreign teachers' often only see students for 45 minutes a week. Obviously they are not going to have too much impact on their student's English education, but this never seems to be considered. They employ foreign teachers regardless, paying them more money than the Chinese teachers will ever see.

To stay in China (or anywhere) you need that visa in your passport. Several years ago it was quite easy to get a visa to stay in China for a year. Then it decreased to six months. Now the most that can be obtained from Visa offices is three months. That's only obtained with an invitation letter from an employer other wise it's only a one month tourist visa. Once in the country with a one month visa it's possible to get a months extension twice. Getting this can be a hassle depending on your plans. It cannot be picked up for another week after application. If you are traveling you will have to stay at the same hotel/hostel because you cannot register anywhere else as you will not have your passport and visa details.

With a tourist visa, legally, no-one is allowed to work. Institutions caught employing a foreigner with a tourist visa will be in big trouble from the PSB (Public Security Bureau). Of course to maintain public safety and control this is as it should be. But schools want foreign teachers, especially the training schools, so they will if desperate, ignore the rules and put people at risk of being deported. People want teaching jobs in certain areas so they accept them hence a vicious cycle is established.

How the Government will address this issue is anyone's guess. It seems that rules constantly change, but these rules can also be ignored if it suits someone. Maybe leaving the door wide open for corruption.


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