Documents required for Employment
The following information will help you to prepare the documents needed for obtaining a visa and work permit in China. You can send each document digitally to joanna.sun@cishefei.com. We will also need to have you bring all original documents with you upon arrival. The actual visa fee can be reimbursed after your arrival – please keep your receipts. If the original documents are not in English or Mandarin they will need to be translated.
Note: As of November 7th, 2023, the Apostille Convention came into effect in China, the Chinese government accepts apostilled documents by a country that is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention and intended for use in another member country. Please note that India and China are not bound by the apostille convention for each other’s documents. For such circumstances, traditional consular/embassy authentication process is required. It involves several steps – one at the local government level and one at the Chinese embassy. Here is a link with instructions for notarization from the Chinese embassy: http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/ywzn/lsyw/gzrz/ You can find an agent in your area by doing a Google search for “Chinese Visa Services” or something similar. Here is a sample of what the authentication/notarization seal from a Chinese Embassy looks like:
All teachers must provide:
1.A copy of the passport information page. Note: The passport must be valid for at least one year, not damaged and have at least five empty pages.
2.A copy of every visa (the sticker or stamp in the passport) used for entry into China previously (not applicable if the teacher has never entered China before).
3.A digital color passport-quality photo with a white background.
4.A copy of the teacher’s highest-attained university degree that is apostilled. The original degree(s) must be provided upon arrival with the paper notarized copy. Note: Obtaining the apostille (sometimes called an authentication) can be time consuming and costly.
5.A copy of the teaching license or certificate that is apostilled. The original license must be provided upon arrival with the paper notarized copy.
6.An updated resume in MS Word format. The resume should include all education background, work experience, home address and phone number. The education background and work experience sections of the resume need to be detailed as follows:
EDUCATION:September 2002 to July 2006（time frame attended）
BA in History – University of New Brunswick, Canada (degree—major—university）
WORK EXPERIENCE：
October 2008 to June 2010（time frame attended）
YCIS International School – Shanghai, China（employer）
Homeroom Teacher（position）
·Delivered a modified British curriculum to a class of 25 mixed ability international students
·Instructed Kindergarten and Second Grade reading ,writing, science, and cultural studies
（description of work)
1.Three letters of reference from past places of employment. The letters should included the period of time worked, the position you held and the contact information of the person providing the reference. Please bring the original letters with when you arrive in China. At least one must have an original ink signature on it (rather than a printed digital version).
2.If the teacher does not have a bachelor’s degree in a field of education, a teaching license or a TEFL certificate, a Proof of Employment Letter or certificate covering the past two years of employment in an educational institution must be provided. If the teacher has been enrolled in a master’s degree program for the past two years, a letter from the university can be used in place of the proof of employment. The letter should include the period of time worked, the position you held and the contact information of the person providing the reference. Please bring the original letter with an ink signature on it when you arrive in China.
3.A Health Check Certificate completed by an authorized medical professional. The school will provide the form to be used. Please contact joanna.sun@cishefei.com to receive a copy.
4.A Police Record Check from the local police station or national security agency matching the region of the teacher’s address for the past year that’s. (For example, if the teacher has been living and working in Japan for the past year, a certificate would be needed from that region of Japan or a Japanese national agency). The Police Record Check must be completed within six months prior to your arrival in China. Record checks that are older will not be accepted by the Chinese government. This certificate also needs to be apostilled in similar manner as described above with the degrees and licenses.
5.Determine which Chinese embassy or consulate you need to apply to for your Z visa and send a message to Joanna indicating which one it is. Generally, you can only apply for a Z visa in the region that you are living or working. If you have residence permit or working visa in a certain country, then you most likely can apply for the visa in that country. However, in some cases, teachers may need to go back to their home country to apply for their visa. It would be best to check with the Chinese embassy or consulate nearest you to see if they can accept your visa application beforehand. Please kindly note that once you choose the embassy or the consulate to which you will apply, we will indicate that in the online system and you must to apply for your visa at that embassy or consulate. If you want to change the embassy, then we need to go through the process from the very beginning.
Spouses of teachers who will be applying for a visa as a family member (not as a licensed teacher with their own work visa) we need to submit the following:
1.A copy of the passport information page. Note: The passport must be valid for at least one year, not damaged and have at least five empty pages.
2.A copy of every visa (the sticker or stamp in the passport) used for entry into China previously (not applicable if the teacher has never entered China before).
3.A digital color passport-quality photo with a white background.
4.A Health Check Certificate completed by an authorized medical professional. The school will provide the form to be used. Please contact joanna.sun@cishefei.com to receive a copy.
5.A copy of the couple’s Marriage License that is apostilled as outlined above.
For children (under 18 years old) of teachers we will need the following:
1.A copy of the passport photo page. Note: The passport must be valid for at least one year, not damaged and have at least five empty pages.
2.A copy of every visa (the sticker or stamp in the passport) used for entry into China previously (not applicable if the teacher has never entered China before).
3.A digital color passport-quality photo with a white background.
4.A copy of the Birth Certificate that is apostilled as outlined above.
Once the above digital documents are received, we can use these documents to fill out the required forms and procure an invitation letter from the Foreign Experts Bureau and a work permit. This process will take about 2-3 weeks.
If the embassy or consulate near you does not accept electronic versions of invitations letters, we will courier the invitation letters to your current address (please be sure you have provided it if it is different from your resume). Delivery usually takes 2-3 days.
Once you receive the letter(s) of invitation, please bring the letter(s) with your passport and original documents to the Chinese embassy/consulate that you selected previously to apply for a Z visa. This usually takes four business days.
Some Canadian embassies or consulates now require you to travel to the embassy or consulate in order to be fingerprinted. CISH will cover the cost for travel to the embassy or consulate up to a limit if you request prior approval and send us a tentative itinerary and cost breakdown. Please contact the joanna.sun@cishefei.com and cc the Head of School for approval and a list of reimbursement limits.
Upon arrival in Hefei, please go to the Foreign Affairs Office within 24 hours after your arrival. Your initial Z visa is only valid for 30 days and we must apply for a permanent one immediately after you arrive.
We will complete the following in China:
1.Collect the passport. The school will keep them safe and utilize them to complete the process below.
2.Register your arrival and accommodation on behalf of you at the local police station.
3.Take you to get a Chinese SIM card at the China Mobile Shop.
4.Take you to complete a local health check (the report is usually issued within one week), you will need to prepare 2 two-inch size visa photos for the health check. If you don’t have any with you, the school representative will help you to take photos at the medical center. It costs about 26RMB for the photos at the medical center.
5.Submit an application for a digital Foreign Expert Card on your behalf (this takes 1-3 working days).
6.Apply for a residence permit (All family members need to be present, it takes 15 working days for a residence permit to be issued ).
7.Update the residence permit information in local police station on your behalf (this usually takes 1-3 days).
8.Once residence permit application is completed, FAO will take you to open a Chinese bank account. If you need your passport for settling-in tasks we can likely give it back to you for a day or so in the middle of the process.
If you have any questions about the visa and work permit process, please do not hesitate to contact us: Phone: (86-551) 62670231 E-mail: joanna.sun@cishefei.com
Payday (for International Staff Members)
CISH has a transparent system of payment for employees and uses a set salary scale to determine the level of pay. Teachers and staff may visit the Foreign Affairs Office, and Finance or the Head of School to view the salary scale and discuss contract details.
The first salary payment for new teachers will be issued on August 20th. This first paycheck will include salary for the period of August 1 to August 20 if the new teachers report to school on time as we required. New teachers are therefore encouraged to bring enough funds with them to live from the date of their arrival until August 20th. Relocating generally requires a significant amount of expense. For families who will be living off campus, a large deposit is usually required when renting an apartment. A 2000RMB cash advance can be issued to teachers who request it.
The Foreign Affairs Department will help each new teacher create a bank account with the Bank of China. Salaries may only be deposited into a Bank of China account. Pay checks are deposited into the teacher’s account automatically on the 20th of each month. If the 20th falls on a Saturday, then the pay will be issued on the previous Friday. If the 20th falls on a Sunday, the pay will be issued on the following Monday. Monthly pay is calculated from the 21st of one month to the 20th of the following month.
The twelve month annual pay cycle runs from August 1st to July 31st. For teachers entering their second year or any consecutive year, the paycheck for July 21st to 31st will be apportioned at the last year’s salary rate and August 1-20 being at the coming year’s salary rate. For teachers who do not arrive on time for the academic year (after the first day of school), the salary will be paid starting on the teacher’s first day of work.
Salary and benefits are paid in local Chinese Yuan (RMB) currency but at the start of each academic year and summer, teachers are able to designate a portion of their salary to be sent to an overseas bank in Canadian dollars. The Foreign Affairs Office will ask teachers to complete a form indicating the amount, the currency and the account information for these international transfers. Transfers can take up to ten business days. The banking system in China is rather cumbersome so teachers should not depend upon an exact date of transfer. The fee for this service is 65CAD per monthly transfer plus any additional fees that your home bank may charge. Certain small town banks may not be equipped to handle a transfer from China. The exchange rate fluctuates continuously and will be set at the time of transfer. This service is provided as a courtesy by CISH and is not guaranteed.
All taxes in China are paid by the school. Teachers will receive a monthly pay slip email indicating the tax paid by school for tax purposes in their home country. You can also request an annual official tax receipt from the Chinese government through the CISH finance office.
Health Insurance:
International Health Insurance is provided, and the cost is fully covered for all foreign teaching staff. The insurance coverage applies to all countries except the United States, where only emergencies are covered. A briefing will be held at the start of each school year to clarify the health insurance policy. The current health insurance policy covers an annual wellness exam. Dental and vision are not covered unless it is for emergency care. Local Chinese employees have different benefits based on contracts.
Discontinuation of Contract:
The repercussions for changing from a two or three-year contract to a one year contract will include reverting to the benefits and salary of a one year contract which are lesser in value. The teacher must pay back (deducted from final paycheck) all such benefits that have already been received.
The penalty for breaking a contract of employment at any time throughout the academic year is 15,000RMB. This fee is collected for covering the costs of recruiting, hiring, transportation and replacement. See the official teacher contract for further details.