For sure the online system has been around for a few years, what has changed this year is that it is linked peovincially and you cannot apply to multiple provinces simultaneously which was a common ruse before amongst the midnight runner brigade who seemed to think that popping up in another province gave them a new start. Not any more, it will no work.

I know that for certain as I deal with recruitment for my school and this year encountered it, an applicant had began an application in another province and then applied to us as well. The system told us that he had and we could not continue unless he withdrew the other. When we challenged him he sheepishly admitted that he was keeping a failsafe. Before you could do this, now you cannot and I am glad as given the work we have to go through to deal with applications no shows are a pain in the rear.

The point which I tried to initially make was about original documents. They are needed now in several provinces and no doubt the others will follow. Shanxi is considered a backwater and as someone said has gone from being super relaxed to rediculously strict. The reasons behind this whilst discussed on other threads and are largely superficial on here rather than factual is that the province has encountered intense scrutiny from the powers at be and now everything is being checked and double checked. I have seen it happening before my own eyes。

My own documents are all in legitimate so I can relax. The only minor hassle I had was obtaining a criminal record check. I understand what SanMigs said but find it slightly unusual that he has not a single person back home who can receive a document and post it to him. There is another workaround for that anyway and it is on the official website as I had to shepherd a new starter through the process myself in August. Yes it has become more difficult to work in China but the system has long needed an overhaul and there were too many people here who should not be.

The vast majority of complainants seem to be those who have somethIng amiss and the old saying 'those who shout the loudest' springs to mind here.

It has affected recruitment as we have to be much more picky. It is difficult getting teachers now particularly in a rural area where I am and unfortunately we are often associated with a rather shady agency not to far away but luckily we can quickly establish that we are nothing to do with them.