I’m from the UK, was interviewed over Skype and offered a job in China in November 2021.

The paperwork process began, and three months later, I had all the necessary document legalizations from the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCOD) and the Chinese Embassy, and a new police certificate. I spent hundreds of pounds traveling to London, invested lots of time and energy, and lost pay for the days I took off.

A week before receiving the Chinese legalization, I came across the required steps for entering China after receiving a work visa. Unfortunately, the school had not informed me of these steps – they had only outlined the steps to get the visa. After visa approval, there would be several hurdles to overcome.

At the time of research, there were no direct flights to China from the UK. Direct flights leaving Europe were £1700-£4000 one way. Indirect flights from the UK involved 1 or 2 transit stops. Indirect flights would not have been an issue until I understood the Health Declaration Certificate (HDC) required to receive approval to fly. The flight allowance was 6000RMB (£719 / $943US). The school did offer to reimburse the full flight costs after I shared this with them.

Obtaining the HDC would involve receiving negative PCR and antibody COVID tests from medics approved by the Chinese Embassy in the UK. There are very few on the list and the test costs around £300. If someone has had Covid, there are extra PCR and chest X-ray tests to undergo at least four weeks before your flight at around £400. PCR tests are also needed in any transit city at that country’s Chinese-approved facility, with estimated costs of over £1000, especially if I’d had to stay in a transit city to attend an appointment or await results. 

Having had Covid, I was starting to worry that these upfront costs were unaffordable, given that I’d also learned I needed to pay the 14-day hotel quarantine on arrival and later request a refund. I was also concerned that I might not be able to avoid reinfection within 90 days of the flight as it is tough to avoid in the UK, especially in schools.

I raised my concerns with the school, and they said they would get back to me with the level of financial risk I might expect. Instead, they came back to me saying that since I had had Covid, the PU letter needed to apply for the visa would likely be rejected. They then reneged on the job offer as they now thought I would be unable to enter China. The school did refund the cost of the legalizations but not the travel and all the other expenses incurred. So, this is something, I guess.

Use the following questions as a guide for your discussions. Feel free to re-phrase the questions or expand on them.

1. What made the experience an ordeal for the new teacher? Why do you think the teacher felt so strongly about the situation?

2. What could have been done differently to prevent the ordeal or reduce the impact of the rude awakening?

3. What nature and frequency of communications between the school and the recruits are necessary? Why?

4. How does what the school are not telling newly contracted overseas teachers will greatly influence their experience?

5. What other concerns and challenges will a new teacher encounter before arriving in the host country? What can the school do to address these issues?