The lifting of border restrictions and subsequent rules

Since the borders were reopened to foreigners with ordinary visas (including travel) on 8 January, applications from overseas have increased dramatically. This has resulted in the relevant authorities scrutinizing the rules for permits and the corresponding visas to make sure all foreigners applications follow the legal requirements. Shanghai and the other tier one cities are now being very strict in their interpretation of those rules. Currently, non-native English speakers are not permitted to be English teachers. Applications for non-natives by…

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Foreigners wanting to enter China

Foreigners from many industries have been enquiring about entering China. As far as Shanghai is concerned the rules are quite simple. Any foreigner needs to have a residence permit (visa) in their passport. These are marked with one of three reasons for residence: work, student or family/spouse. It is possible to enter China without one of these, if a Z visa has been issued by a company intending to employ the foreigner. This means all documents must have already been…

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Apartment rentals in Shanghai

One of the most common questions we are asked is "how much is an apartment in SH?". This is like asking, how long is a piece of string. The price is going to vary depending on the location, surrounding amenities, size of the apartment, number of rooms, shared space, etc. Furthermore, if an apartment is sourced from an English language website, the rental is likely to be significantly higher than a Chinese language one, as those sites are geared towards…

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The long road to reopening

Whilst there is a form of release from lockdown in Shanghai now, everyone still has to test and show the results to update their health QR codes every 3 days. Without the correct QR code, entry into public transport, malls and the small shops that are open is forbidden. Many places are still closed and intercity travel requires at least seven days quarantine. Further to this, schools are still closed and likely to be so until at least August. In…

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SH lockdown continues

Since the end of March, Shanghai has been in lockdown with no current end date. Deadlines have come and gone and yet residential, business, office and government compounds all remain closed as the zero tolerance policy towards COVID continues. Transport hubs are operating on a minimal schedule with no international airport arrivals, which means anyone wanting to enter China cannot come directly into SH. Further to this, the general policy, regardless of the situation in SH, has been for any…

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SH schools closed again

Since 12 March all education establishments in Shanghai have been ordered to close by the Education Bureau. Primary schools and above are organising online classes, but for kindergartens this is not compulsory. This is a result of mass testing taking place throughout the city and lockdowns being enforced in residential, retail and office compounds. Two years ago, schools were closed for at least four months, so we hope this situation is resolved more quickly this time. Any official updates will…

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No relaxation of Shanghai restrictions

Whilst some of the Western world seems to be heading towards a policy of living with COVID and its variants, China is still operating a zero tolerance policy with immediate clampdowns of sealed off areas, quarantine, mask wearing and travel code passes. This coupled with continuing border restrictions means that entry for foreigners is still extremely limited. For many countries, the rule of thumb is foreigners are not permitted into China unless they have a valid and current working visa,…

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Restrictions update

Whilst the borders are still generally closed for foreigners wishing to come into China, the Pfizer vaccine has been added to the list as acceptable to gain entry. However, only holders of current residential visas will be accepted after vaccination. Working visas may not be applied for foreigners if they are not already within mainland China. Shanghai has maintained this rule for a while, but other cities are now also enforcing this. Teachers who were either caught outside China when…

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Countries Using Chinese Manufactured Vaccine

Border restrictions are now being reviewed for many countries whose citizens have residential visas (work, family), provided that the visa holder has been inoculated with a Chinese manufactured COVID vaccine. Documentation must be provided for proof of this before either being granted a new visa, or access through Chinese passport control. A vaccine that is not manufactured in China is not currently acceptable. Furthermore, quarantine restrictions still apply to any new arrivals despite the inoculation. For more details of which…

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Border Restrictions Update

Still Closed for New Comers For those potential applicants who are outside of China, the borders remain closed. In the weeks leading up to Chinese New Year (CNY), the numbers of COVID infections started to rise again (in very small numbers compared with Western standards) and the authorities quickly acted by stopping the slight relaxations announced towards the end of last year. As things stand, temperature checks are still the norm for entry into malls, train stations, airports etc., usually…

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You Can’t Hide In China

Foreigner's Who think they Can hide from the Government China is a great and wonderful place to live and work. However you need to be aware that you must follow the immigration laws and work legally. No matter what you hear from people in chat groups, online, from schools, education centres, or agents, you can’t work here illegally. You might have heard from people that they have been working in China for years and never got caught, and this might be…

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A day in the life of an EFL teacher in a Chinese kindergarten

Many thanks to Vincent Sdrigotti for allowing Panda to use this article on our site. Vince is a teacher at one of our schools and also part of our teaching development team. I’m writing this particular article for anyone who is considering coming to China to work as an EFL teacher in a kindergarten and would like to know what it actually entails. The first thing you need to know is that there are currently two types of EFL teaching…

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Do’s and Don’ts of Quitting your Job

The 10 Dos and Don'ts of Quitting Your Teaching job in China Posting Provided By David at China By Teaching.comQuitting your teaching job early in China isn’t as torturously difficult as you might imagine. In fact, the biggest issue is going to be keeping your (possible) frustrations in check if the reason, or reasons, are anything other than an immediate emergency back home.Why would anyone want to quit their teaching contract early, after all they’ve done to secure a great…

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Why Should You Never Accept Free Accommodations !

Why You Should Never Accept School Accommodations When a foreigner decides to come to China, or might already be living in China, or wants to relocate, they sometimes look for a job that provides accommodations in their employment package. This is a foolish idea in most cases. Sure, if you are working for a company in your own country and they transfer you to China, accommodation might be a really good thing because everything is being arranged for you. The…

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What are some of the Online Education Issues in China?

What are some of the Online Education Issues in China? Due to the Corona Virus in China, the government is now suggesting schools set up online education so that teachers can work from home and students won’t get too far behind in their studies. Unfortunately, most online education is set up for Chinese teachers, not foreigners who also teach in China. This all said, the idea has become a huge challenge for schools, teachers, owners of the schools and mostly…

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How is COVID-19 Going to Affect the Education Market in China?

How is COVID-19 Going to Affect the Education Market in China? Having been here since 2001 and lived through the SARS virus, the education market for foreigners and schools in China will be affected a lot. Many foreigners who had left the country during the Chinese New Year Festival were either stuck in their home countries or stuck in a country where they were vacationing. We have already spoken to many of these foreigners and many aren’t returning back to…

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