How to stay in China!?!?

[s6mcmanus]

Hi all,

I am a sophomore college student in electrical engineering, and I want to take some time off before i really get into the thick of my major so that I can boost my Chinese by going to Beijing, China, and then practice w/Chinese friends at home.

What is the best way to go there for 6 months? I would love to teach, but I don't think that I can get a Z-visa because I don't have a teaching degree and I'm only going to be 21 years old when I wish to leave (May, 2007). From what I gather, a tourist visa is a 2 month maximum. I would like to visit from May to December, and hopefully make enough money to at least pay SOME of the bills. Any ideas on how I can get there and live legally (or illegally....) while not getting arrested and/or maybe getting some decent work experience.

Thanks Everyone!!

Shane

[kdavid]

Without a TESOL degree or a BA you won't be able to work at "any" school, but there are definitely some that will hirer you regardless.

You can also enroll in a university; they'll supply you with a student visa.

As far as saving money to pay off bills, stay away from big cities. =)

[optical]

Sorry for digging up an old thread - but where exactly are these "any" schools you speak of?

[feebie]

Im sure some places will employ you without a TESOL cert and no degree.

So you can

* work

* study -- eg BLCU can give you a letter to give to the visa office to get your student visa. Not all Chinese schools help you with a visa.

* volunteer, I saw a web page advertising this but you actually

had to pay to volunteer ???? weird

* homestay --- there are some homestay programs in which

an organisation set you up with accomodation and you teach em

English or something, don't know if they deal with visa's

* travel visa, I don't know about your country, but in Australia we can only get 30 days

some Australians have gone to Hong Kong and got a 3 month travel visa

good luck

[simonlaing]

I am not sure what country you're from but you can usually get tourist visas for up to 6 months. Also while you're here you can extend them at least once sometimes several times.

If you go to HK first you can get an F visa which will give you at least 6 months (if US) and sometimes a year if you're European. Once you move to a medium or large sized city you can pick up off the books teaching jobs fairly easily. 10-15 hours a week would be plenty to live off.

Or you can be a student. Universities take foreign students of all ages if you just want to study Chinese.

Good luck,

Simon:)

[gougou]

If you go to HK first you can get an F visa which will give you at least 6 months (if US) and sometimes a year if you're European.

Actually take that (and supposedly the other visa types as well) with a grain of salt. As we discussed in this thread on F visas, their availability changed recently.