Thank you degreeforum!

[Vaeal]

I debated making another thread as there were a few thank you threads around and I don't want to pollute the forum. Ultimately, I decided that the community would appreciate seeing just how much help they are providing!

I decided about 18 months ago that I wanted to travel around the world after seeing how feasible it is to do by teaching English. However, in nearly every country a Bachelors is required to do so and I only had an unaccredited vocational certificate to work with. After verifying that the advertised "get a degree in 3 months!" was not a scam (although perhaps too ambitious of a time frame) I decided to do it and I was absolutely lost. A deer in headlights had a better clue to the degree process than I did starting out. That's where this forum came in. The community here is AMAZING! Y'all had helped so much with understanding the process and answering questions, certainly much more than the school I used. I enrolled to TESU 7/1/15 and completed my last course 2/1/16. I graduated this month and had my degree in hand less than a week later (I ran out of money to pay the graduation fee hence the delay). Straighterline was a huge source of my credits as were the TECEPs, CLEPs, and trove of free credits I found out about through this forum. My overall cost was ~$6,500 (this was before the most recent change implementing the $2,000 residency fee).

Having the final piece of the puzzle I am on track to leave for China next month! This probably would not have been possible without you guys and I have my warmest gratitude to convey. Thank you =)

[Mamasaphire]

Awesome job! Have fun with your travels!!

[yb1]

congrats. I imagine that would be awesome! My sister is going to China to teach English as well.

What company ae you doing? If you have the time could you explain the process and how you picked which company/agency to go with?

[bricabrac]

Congratulations! :hurray:

[Synicaal]

Congrats!! I wish I found this forum a few month earlier then I did, I would be wasting time taking courses at a local CC for my associates degree. Would have went straight for the Bachelor's. Then again I'm getting over 40 credits done for minimal money. My Pell Grant and NYS TAP covered my full 16credits for Fall and another 17 in the Spring. Also I get free vouchers for classes from my union.

[Brownie82]

Congrats to you! I wish I found this forum 10 years and 2 kids ago. I wanted to teach in Japan with the JET Program, but I struggled with getting my Bachelors'. Enjoy China!

[bjcheung77]

Woot Woot! Congrats! That's awesome, you're heading to Asia! Wish I can do that....

[Toastmaster]

Congrats!!!!!!!!

[Vaeal]

congrats. I imagine that would be awesome! My sister is going to China to teach English as well.

What company ae you doing? If you have the time could you explain the process and how you picked which company/agency to go with?

I decided against using one of the big companies. EF/Aston English/Disney English/etc certainly have some major advantages although due to the number of accusations of fraud/illegal visa's I decided against them. I didn't work this hard to get a legitimate degree just to end up there illegally! I would really recommend that your sister heavily research any company she wants to use. A work visa isn't good enough to work in China, the company you work for also has to be registered with SAFEA (the state agency that authorizes companies to hire foreigners). However, SAFEA doesn't publish a listing of which schools are authorized and some schools will use a legitimate schools name to get the visa processed and you still end up teaching illegally since you're working for a different school. Unless you have a thorough understanding of simplified Chinese, it's an easy trap to get into.

Daves ESL cafà (Dave's ESL Cafe) is one of the most recommended websites although I would use it with caution. There are a lot of positions stating a degree is not required (the school doesn't care, the government does) meaning that the job postings aren't moderated. Craigslist suffers the same problem. You will hear to avoid using a recruiter and for good reason. They're usually so dishonorable they make politicians look like saints. I've heard stories of recruiters forging documents to get you over there to get a cut from the school then turning around and reporting you to the government for working there illegally to get a cut from them too. That being said, through some heavy research I found a recruiter I felt is safe after learning about the scams where illegal schools can still get you a work visa. She claims to only work with SAFEA authorized schools and the job advertisements I have seen on the website (uwhjobs.com although it's down right now for some reason) appear to reflect that. The school she set me up with appears legitimate although without access to the SAFEA list it's impossible to tell. I have an email out to the Chinese consulate to verify it although I do not know if/how they will reply. The best way to find a job is through networking. Talking with people who have done the same and can vouch for the school and visa process. There are a number of expat/tefl forums including Chinese-forum.com, reddit.com/r/tefl, etc that can be used as a networking tool.

The process itself is quite lengthy. You need to have a photo of your degree, a photo of your passport (at least 6 months duration left although I have seen requirements listing 18+ months duration), a background check (most provinces can use the local police background clearance although some provinces may require the FBI one that can take 3-4 months), and a photo of yourself to begin the process that happens on the Chinese end. They have to process paperwork through SAFEA to get you authorized to come over there to work. The process takes 2-6 weeks. While that is happening you need to get your degree apostilled which involves contacting your school to write you a letter stating you earned your degree there, getting it notarized from the school, then getting it authenticated through the secretary of state. I haven't finished this process yet but TESU honors apostille requests. I was told to allow 4-8 weeks for this process to finish. You also need to get a physical done using a special Chinese form. Once the school finishes their process they will send you a letter of invitation. Requirements may very based on consulates but the Los Angeles consulate that I am using accepts faxed or email printed letters. There are 5 consulates in the US and you are required to use the one that services your area (defined by drivers license). Some of them are rather far as the consulate that services Colorado is located in Chicago. If you live far from a consulate it's probably better to use a visa agency (They charge ~$160). You take the letter of invitation, physical, apostille, copy of your degree, passport photo, original passport, passport application, and foreign expert work permit (should come with letter of invitation) to the consulate (or mail to agency) and pay the visa fee. The visa fee depends on country. Most countries it's only $30-40 although for Americans it's $160. It takes 3-4 business days to process the visa. Once you have it in hand you only have 30 days to use it. Most schools will have a representative meet you at the airport and instruct you on what to do next which involves checking in with the Chinese police district and exchanging your visa for a residence permit.

I am no expert on the visa process but this is my understanding.