Anyone here have a student visa for 1-on-1 lessons, even if you only have one hour of lessons per day?

[Steveo]

Hi all

I am currently in a University in Beijing doing 4 hours of classes per day, i.e. the typical one year beginners Mandarin course.

I have realised I would probably be better suited to one hour of 1-on-1 classes per day, with the rest of my time dedicated to self-study. (I have noticed I learn a lot more through self-study.)

So my question is this:

Is it possible to get a student visa for 1-on-1 classes, even if I only have 1 class per day? This is something I would like to do (perhaps in Kunming) when my current course is finished.

Any personal stories appreciated.

Cheers!

[tc1stl]

Hi. I don't know how easily you can afford this or if your future school will let you do this, but I have a friend that made a deal with his university here in China. He paid tuition to be a student there, but didn't attend classes. He hired a full-time tutor instead. He still took the HSK at the end of the year as a student of that university. He claimed (similar to you) that he learned better on his own or in a one-on-one setting. So, depending on the university you plan to attend, they may or may not agree to an arrangement like this. Good luck!

[abcdefg]

I once had a student visa granted for two hours of one-to-one study per day. That was in Kunming about 3 years ago. It was at KCEL. Their policy may be different now.

[daveonhols]

I thought you can only get student visa by getting some particular forms from your university. In that case best bet may be to pick a university in Kunming and ask them if it's something they can help with. If you are doing private study or attending a private school I don't think you can get a true student (X) visa because you need that specific form ... is there any reason why you can't do this on a tourist (L) or business (F) visa? I would be tempted to pick a school first then go from there based on what visa options they can offer you.

When I came to China I did a bit of research on this, it did seem that attending a university and having one on one classes was possible - at least in Xi'an - and they would help me to apply the X visa. Bear in mind also that if you apply F or X visa you most likely have to pay everything up front, which means you are locked in somewhat if you don't like your teacher etc...

[abcdefg]

I thought you can only get student visa by getting some particular forms from your university....If you are doing private study or attending a private school I don't think you can get a true student (X) visa because you need that specific form ...

Many private schools will convert your tourist visa to a student visa after arrival for a fee. Doing this also requires that you take a physical exam. I have done it several times. The school must be licensed and approved; it cannot just be a friend who is teaching you at a coffee shop.

[hibicc]

It depends on the school. Some schools requires you to pay for 100 one on one lessons and after that they can issue you JW201 form, which you need for the students visa. Don't know about Kunming but there are few schools who do that but they charge like $500-$800 extra for that.

[icebear]

It depends on the school. Some schools requires you to pay for 100 one on one lessons and after that they can issue you JW201 form, which you need for the students visa. Don't know about Kunming but there are few schools who do that but they charge like $500-$800 extra for that.

This is interesting; I didn't realize such a thing was still possible, and with as few as 100 1-on-1 lessons reserved. By my guess that would probably come out to around 120*100=12000 RMB, or the price of a semester at most universities in Beijing. Having 3-4 1-on-1 lessons per week [edit:3 per week for 30+ weeks, or two semesters], and heavy self study in the remaining free time, could indeed be a great approach (and more affordable) for those of us that are sufficiently disciplined. I'll have to think this over more, as I know I'll move to Beijing next year but might consider this a more efficient use of my time.

Do the private schools typically charge for this visa endorsement, or is the 100 class prepayment sufficient?

I assume the JW201 form would grant you a 1 year X visa? If one uses this type of visa, and then finds a job at the end of their visa validity (i.e. have a legitimate job and contract offer) is there any issue converting the private school's X visa to a Z/Residents Permit (or can it be solved with a HK trip?)?

If anyone is aware of private schools in Beijing with the ability to issue long term (1 year) visas, I'd be interested in knowing! (by PM or here, depending on the forum rules)

[imron]

(by PM or here, depending on the forum rules)

Forums rules permit businesses to provide *relevant* replies to direct queries from members (see here for more info), and posts are generally better than PMs, as then the reply will also be useful for others in the future.

[roddy]

BICC (hibicc.com) say they can, I think that 1on1 (1to1?) Mandarin in Wudaokou did years back, not sure if they still can. Some school near UIBE, although they were so cheap I think it was more of a pay-for-visa deal than an actual school.

As for the visa changes, I think that would need a trip to HK. But given that things may have changed by the time you need to do it, there's little percentage in worrying about it.

[abcdefg]

Do the private schools typically charge for this visa endorsement, or is the 100 class prepayment sufficient?

It isn't a visa endorsement. The PSB will cancel your original visa and issue you a new one with the sponsorship of the school. There is always a fee, usually on the order of 400 to 500 RMB in my experience. The school may also require that you have a physical exam, adding another 300 to 400 RMB to your total expense. Costs may vary from school to school.