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Post by Lotus Eater on Jul 9, 2005 9:23:06 GMT 7
Has anyone used one of these things to travel with? I want to travel overnight next week, and my passport and Foreign Residence Permit are off being re-done. The FAO promised me them in 5 days - but I am not sure if that is 5 days from yesterday afternoon at 4:30 when I handed them over, or 5 days from Monday. If the former - no problems, if the latter - I want to be away before then.
So can I use the Experts Cert, or my Uni ID card to book into a hotel?
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Post by hankuh on Jul 9, 2005 9:36:56 GMT 7
Those Foreign Expert Certificates:
Do they have a brownish cover, and the embossed China logo on them?
I got mine about five years ago when I came here, but I have never ever used it for anything. It's never been renewed, and it collects coal dust in my drawer.
In fact, maybe I am misguided, but my understanding is that those certifcates are no longer issued.
I mean, I do have my working z visa and foreign residence permit.
According to my FAO, the Foreign Experts Certificate is gradually being eradicated here, but I suppose this varies according to the Provincial Educational laws.
Can anyone relate?
Lotus, for travelling, I usually just take my passport and foreign residence permit, but as far as checking into a hotel, I just flash our China marriage certificate, and sometimes, this is sufficient, and sometimes, the clerks just don't care.
Usually, foreign passport is required if the hotel is a state-sanctified hotel for visitors--i.e. foreigners.
All of this is just my limited experience. I am sure there are variations too.
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Post by Lotus Eater on Jul 9, 2005 10:17:15 GMT 7
Yes - red/brown, with my photo. I was given one last year when I arrived, and this year the new university updated it - so that was Feb/March from memory. Tells me I am an expert until next year. I hope the passport or the Residence permit gets back in time then. I usually only use the residence permit - often leave the passport at home. Figure it is easier for the FAO to get me a new residence permit than for me to get a new passport!  If you don't flash your marriage certificate, does that mean you can't share? |
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Post by burlives on Jul 9, 2005 10:19:55 GMT 7
I don't know the answer, but I'm semi-reliably informed that the Foreign Experts Card is a school-owned document in the sense that you are supposed to return it to the school that gave it to you when you leave their employ. They said so in Henan. I speculate then that it is of minimal utility, it's only true purpose being a money changing authority document.
I could be wrong.
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Post by hankuh on Jul 9, 2005 13:01:27 GMT 7
Problems arise from female/male occupancy.
Depends on the hotel, the location, and how concerned they are about notifying the PSB.
Before we were married, some didn't ask, and some did. Now, we're married. When we check in, they usually don't even bother.
Agree. I will have to exchange money on monday. My Fao will simply provide a document with the glorious sanctified red chop for the bank to exchange my money, like they do every year before I fly home for a few weeks.
My little brown book slowly turns yellow and black........
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Post by Raoul Duke on Jul 9, 2005 13:21:14 GMT 7
Yeah, the FEC is essentially a work permit. A necessary step in the road to a residence permit that provides steady employment for millions of useless bureaucrats.
By the way, Shanghai at least is still issuing FECs.
Once you have the green card, the only relevance the FEC has for you is to reduce the taxes you pay when you convert RMB to foreign currency. And this in turn only has relevance if you're actually silly enough to convert money in a bank.
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Post by hankuh on Jul 9, 2005 13:29:04 GMT 7
ah but my FAO has major guanxi with this bank and they give me the full exchange rate!
Plus we have our bank account there; and some of the employees go to our health club. Blah, blah, blah guanxi, we know them, they know us, etc.
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Post by Raoul Duke on Jul 9, 2005 13:37:45 GMT 7
Ah. That, sir, is an entirely different story. You seem to have this China thing figured out. ;D
BTW, Lotus, technically the FEC would not be useful for checking into a hotel. What they are really looking for at a hotel is your visa or green card, which proves that you are in China legally.
Actual results depend upon the intelligence, creativity, and degrees of indifference and/or hostility possessed by your friendly front desk clerk.
Don't hold your breath.
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Post by Lotus Eater on Jul 9, 2005 13:41:04 GMT 7
That's what I was afraid of. Damn - I hope they get the residence card back to me soon then!
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Post by hankuh on Jul 9, 2005 13:43:15 GMT 7
LOL, I don't think so. My wife of course, yes. Me, I don't have a clue........
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Post by Raoul Duke on Jul 9, 2005 14:45:51 GMT 7
Well, I wondered about that.  |
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Post by Lotus Eater on Jul 12, 2005 14:31:04 GMT 7
The PSB gave me back my passport and Residence Permit today. BUT did not extend my visa. Why not - because they are busy, and my green card says I am legal for 12 months, so I don't have to worry about the visa being out-or-date!!
Anyone else come across this yet?
Just as well I only use the permit when I am travelling!
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Post by Raoul Duke on Jul 12, 2005 23:53:04 GMT 7
It's OK. Once you have the Green Card the visa becomes irrelevant...
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gengrant
SuperBarfly! 
Hao, Bu Hao?
Posts: 1,818
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Post by gengrant on Jul 13, 2005 6:05:15 GMT 7
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Post by MK on Jul 13, 2005 11:11:14 GMT 7
Does 'educational institutions' mean private language schools? There must be more than 101 primary/middle schools/colleges etc in Shenzhen as a whole...
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Post by Raoul Duke on Jul 13, 2005 11:19:28 GMT 7
Ironically enough, I can't seem to get this Chinese web site to open...
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gengrant
SuperBarfly!
Hao, Bu Hao?
Posts: 1,818
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Post by gengrant on Jul 13, 2005 19:35:58 GMT 7
here is the text version for ya, Raoul:
[glow=red,2,300]Certificate a must for expat teachers [/glow]
2005-07-12 10:03 SZNEWS
By Newman Huo
FOREIGN teachers working in Shenzhen should obtain a foreign expert certificate, or they will be regarded illegal, according to the Shenzhen Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs on Monday.
Foreign teachers who planned to work in Shenzhen should obtain a foreign expert working permit with the help of Shenzhen employers before they came to China, said the administration’s spokesman.
He said teachers would be granted a foreign expert certificate by the administration after their arrival.
“Foreign teachers who don’t obtain a foreign expert working permit for various reasons before their entry should apply to the administration for a foreign expert certificate within 15 days through their employers after their entry,” he said.
“Foreign expert certificates are valid for one to five years. They are foreign teachers’ ID cards here,” he said.
Foreign teachers who plan to teach in various educational institutions are required to hold a bachelor’s degree with at least two years’ teaching experience, according to him.
The administration found about 90 percent of foreign teachers who were teaching in the city didn’t meet one or both of the two requirements, the spokesman said.
The city’s 101 educational institutions have employed about 1,000 foreign teachers by the end of June this year.
All educational institutions that provide preschool and nine-year compulsory education are not allowed to employ foreign teachers with the exception of international schools.
So far, only 16 of the city’s 101 educational institutions have got an employment permit.
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Post by Raoul Duke on Jul 13, 2005 21:16:27 GMT 7
Thanks, GG.
Nothing really new in here...just the fine old local tradition of reporting on what's already long since the status quo...
Disagree with the characterization of the FEC as "foreign teachers' ID cards". The police, the hotels, and so on will want to see your residence permit and/or your passport. You can more or less throw your FEC in a drawer and forget about it.
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Post by Lotus Eater on Jul 14, 2005 6:50:43 GMT 7
I'll take it with me and test these holidays! Let's see if it does anything useful. I did manage to get a seat allocation at the airport one time with it, but not through the boarding gate, they wanted the residence permit there.
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Post by MK on Jul 14, 2005 10:46:20 GMT 7
I have been able to get hotel rooms with just my green book (soon to be a thing of the past anyway), but some places INSISTED on seeing my actual passport. Never tried to get through the airport with just the green book.
I have heard vague rumours from a couple of other foreign teachers that your experts certificate can be used to get you a 'teachers discount' on books, hotel rooms, even meals and more...but I never carry the thing with me so I haven't tried, and have never actually seen anyone else use it for that purpose either.
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Post by Lotus Eater on Jul 14, 2005 11:56:33 GMT 7
I was told the experts certificate is supposed to get you a discount during the summer and spring breaks - but because I negotiate any hotel deals anyway, I can get better than the 20% discount!  Internal airflights, hotels etc I just use the green book, and have not been asked for my passport - which is good because most of the time I don't carry it!! |
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Post by con's fly is open on Jul 14, 2005 12:16:49 GMT 7
Ditto. I never carry my passport anywhere: I can replace the green book here in China, but the passort...  Not going there. And the green book's always been enough. |
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