Re: Resident's Permit listed as "study"

This is a new scam, being perpetrated by schools that either can not legally hire foreign teacher, too cheap to go through paying for all the necessary paperwork, or who simply don't want to have to employ you legally, which gives you certain rights, and requires them to abide by certain rules under the law. Whatever the case may be, you are in a precarious situation. An "x" visa, as it is more commonly known as, is for the purpose of being a student in China. Lot's of schools nowadays are hiring teachers on this kind of visa, and they are banking on your ignorance in regards to visa laws. Working on an X visa is illegal. hat said, it is not so uncommon, and the school may have paid off local officials in the PSB or elsewhere to look the other way. Or they may not have.

China is kind of like the wild west, there are a lot of laws, and they are rarely followed, or enforced, unless it is to serve some ulterior motive.

It's not all that uncommon, this new scam, however you need to keep in mind that the odds of getting your flight costs reimbursed at the end of contract is practically nil if you come here on an x visa for study. You also have zero protection, and can expect late pay, and shabby treatment, as you have no real legal protection. This is not a given, but it is more likely than not given the type of visa they are offering you. expect to not be treated like a real teacher as well, as everyone will know you don't have the right visa, and to them this will mean you are simply not qualified to do the job, even if you actually are.

Personally I would say no, but if you are desperate, who am I to say not to do it under any circumstances. Some people work illegally for a school and get most of what they were promised at the beginning, and are treated well. That however is not the norm, keep that in mind. The school will have you by the balls, as you are not legal, though at the same time you will have the freedom to leave whenever you want.

The truth is it is your ignorance that they are counting on. I have spoken to schools who have offered me an F visa, and then tried to convince me that the contract I'd be signing was totally legal, binding, and that we both would have to legally abide to it. Utter nonsense of course, and they are betting that you won't know the fine details. Chinese, especially the bosses here, have an over inflated sense of their own intelligence, and a very low view of that of foreigners. They don't expect you to know those fine details. Those fine details being that, unless your visa is a legal Z visa, and unless you have a legal work permit, and contract signed is good for just one thing, wiping your arse. Schools that try to entice you into working on an X or F want you to believe otherwise, so they can gt to have their cake and eat it to. This just isn't the case.

I'd say avoid this school, in the end it all depends on your situation, and being that we all have different circumstances, maybe this is the best you can do. If it isn't, keep searching.

Re: Resident's Permit listed as "study"

Only if Chinese immigration police find out you're working. If so, you can expect a 5000 yuan fine, a new 10-day visa that you'll have to pay for, and a swift deportation. That's standard punishment for having violated your visa conditions.