One does not need a work permit to get into China. To enter China, one needs only a visa. The visa can be single entry or multiple. One can only obtain a multiple entry visa valid for a year if he/her has a work permit. Without the work permit, one can only get a single entry or two-entry visa. Even in Hong Kong, it takes three days or more to get the visa and it cost about USD 20 for a single entry visa. (note: Single entry visa to China costs USD 50 if obtained in U.S.) With the work permit, one can get a multiple entry visa which will give the teacher a lot more freedom going in and out of China.

Also, one needs a work permit to work legally in China.

Documents needed to apply for the work permit:
1) Photocopy of the inside back cover of the passport. That is the page which has the photo, the name, the passport number, the date and place of birth and all the other essential information.

2) A photocopy of the diploma. The Chinese Government demands that all foreign teachers to have a bachelor's degree or higher. The school needs only the photocopy of one diploma even if a teacher has several. If a teacher has already completed all the course work but the diploma cannot be obtained until a later date, an official letter from his/her school certifying that the teacher is fully qualified to obtain a bachelor's degree is sufficient.

3) A simple medical report. The teachers are required to go thru a thorough physical examination in a government approved hospital after they arrive in China no matter what kind of physical examination the teachers have prior to their arrival. Therefore, it is absolutely unnecessary for a teacher to spend a lot of money to have a thorough physical unless he/she wants to for his/her own personal use. For the purpose of getting the work permit, the school only needs a piece of paper with a letter head of doctor's name and on it, a simple signed statement by a doctor which says the the teacher is healthy enough to work in China.

4) Copy of the resume.

5) The employment contract. The teacher is advised to send the school all of the five documents required when he/she sends in his/her contract. However, if any of the above document is not available at the time when the signed contract is send, the missing document can be send in a later date.

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