Teaching (legally) in China - the steps

How do I get to China and work legally.

This is sourced from Facebook - thank you to Dawid Erasmus Smit for the info. How to get to China as a TEACHER. (LEGALLY) What you need: 1. A Degree 2. A TEFL Certificate 3. A Valid Passport 4. NO criminal background 5. Time 6. A legal, registered school in China

Step 1

Apply for a Police Clearance Certificate at your nearest police station. This takes a while and could delay you, so apply with lots of time to spare. When you receive it in 4-6 weeks (if you're lucky), send scans of these documents to your handler in China.

Step 2

Photocopy your Bachelors Degree in colour, and take it to a law firm, and get them to notarize the copy. It is a circular stamp in most places. Keep your Police Clearence safe. You don't need it just yet.

Step 3

Travel up to the Department of Higher Education and Training in Pretoria (Francious Baard Street) and get a letter verifying that the institution that you studied at is legitimate. The officials will stamp your Degree copy and staple a letter to it.

Step 4

Take your Police Clearance Original, and your Notarized Degree with letter stapled, to The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in Pretoria. Submit your documents for legalizing. They take a day if you have 5 or fewer documents and you can collect them the next day. It is easier to do this in person. They will attach a page to the front of your Police Clearence and Degree copy, that verifies the signatures on these documents. The page they attach has a red seal on it and the documents will be bound by green cord. DO NOT DAMAGE THE SEAL OR CORD. This is done for free.

Step 5

Take your notarized, legalized documents to the Chinese Consulate/Embassy for authentication. They will need copies of your passport as well. You will fill in a form and submit your documents to them. They take approximately 4 days. There is no cost for standard service. You will receive a pink receipt. I used Durban as it was convenient for me as I live nearby. They are lovely and helpful. By now, your handler in China should have sent you a notification letter using the document scans you sent to them at Step 1.

Step 6

Applying for a Z Visa. YOU CANNOT LEGALLY WORK IN CHINA ON ANY OTHER VISA. You now take you NOTARIZED (LAW FIRM), LEGALIZED (DIRCO), AND AUTHENTICATED (CHINESE CONSULATE) documents to a Chinese Visa application centre, as well as the notification letter, your passport and a few copies of it, to the centre, and apply for a Z VISA. Keep in mind that some schools may require you to go through a medical before you arrive in China, some don't. Do it anyway to be safe. Get your vaccinations too. Visas take about a week to process.