Step 8 — Sign the Chinese Contract
*This section has information mainly for Americans. Please check the internet for information about your country.
Unless you just happen to be in China, you will have to print off a copy of the contract, scan it and send it through email, or fax it to the school or recruiter. You will then be told to look for a very important package to arrive to your house that will contain documents related to your work visa. In America, you will need to get these documents along with your passport to a Chinese Embassy where you will be issued a work visa. If you live in a major city like Chicago, New York, Houston or Los Angeles for example, you will be able to take everything yourself to the embassy. If not, you will need to use a special agency that specializes in Visa services. For a fee, you will send this company your passport and documents and they will submit them to a Chinese embassy. Time of return varies depending on what type of service you order. 1-2 day turnarounds are possible for a larger fee. You will also have to pay the Chinese government some money for the process.
Once your passport is returned to you, open it up and check to make sure that the visa contains accurate information. You don’t want to make the trip to China and find out that your visa is invalid.
Wsheew! That’s a lot to chew on isn’t it? Look, just go for it. It seems overwhelming but believe me when I say that it is worth it. Anytime you take a big step like this there is always risk involved but if you ask the right questions and do the right research, you should be able to come up with a position that suits you well. Good luck and happy job hunting!
