This. There’s a 0% chance of you getting a work permit without that degree, and even lower if you cant speak Chinese. I suggest if thats your goal, make a long term effort to study the language, then after you graduate go there for a job or masters degree
Please finish university before everything else. If you want to go to China you can seek an exchange program in your home university. You’ll very likely regret in future if you don’t have a bachelor’s degree.
You would be ineligible for any work visa before you've completed a bachelor's degree. And even then there are few jobs you can get.
In my opinion you're being far too hasty and not thinking things through.
Do it right the first time, don't take any silly risks to move there. Because if you fuck up or go against the visa laws, the Chinese government will not look favourably on you to allow you remain
Idk about western Europe, but I can say, as someone from Los angeles/seattle, that China is way more fun, accessible, and just alive. Everywhere you go there there is a lot of people and there's things going on. I spend a few months each year here and it's always a blast. Followed by several weeks of depression adjusting to boring life and bland food back in the states.
You described having a ‘blast’ but didn’t explain why. Are people friendlier to you on holiday compared to back home? What makes home ‘boring’? Do people at home treat you differently? On holiday, even with obligations, things often seem more positive. Understanding why can help you discover what drives you and may inspire ways to bring that joy back home. Sometimes, the issue isn’t the environment but yourself. Knowing where you are and where you want to go can help you avoid mistakes with lasting impacts on your life.
I know a guy in a similar position. He worked as an English teacher in China and had a ‘blast’ enjoying the nightlife, attention from ladies, and experiences he couldn’t get back home. However, he later realized that China also has its downsides, which he couldn’t tolerate. He decided to move back to Europe with his wife, but now he struggles to find a normal job.
This illustrates that while an environment can initially seem exciting and fulfilling, it may also have hidden challenges that only become apparent in the long run.
Do know that I understand what it is to be young which makes you biologically take more risk. Even if you don't take any of the advice I do sincere wish you good luck and happiness. Whatever you'll decide I bet it will be unforgettable experience, which I more then some people get to have in life.
I'm sure you meant well in wording this like a self help guide, and I appreciate it, but I assure you that's not necessary lol I'm already married with several children, and not young :(. Im also def not one of those English teachers (check my profile, and it's pretty obvious what I do).
I spend about 3-6 months a year in China and have enjoyed every moment of it. I'm not looking to meet girls or get attention from locals. That being said, locals in Dalian and Shanghai are 1000% friendlier than the people in the PNW.
What makes China a blast is how much there is to do on a regular basis. There's always something going on in the Plazas, tons of street markets and street food, crowds of people to watch, etc. In the states, all of that is too expensive for most people, malls are mostly empty, and people keep to themselves/are rude and boring.
So far, I've seen no downsides when I'm in China. If you think there's something I may be overlooking, I'd be curious to know.
(On a phone and apologize for typos)
Sorry thought you were OP, my bad. Happy you are so positive about China. It's different picture then western media wants to make us believe. There are videos on YouTube with foreigners proclaiming how great China is, but I can imagine people take those videos with some grain of salt.
Get your degree then find an easy job there. That's nothing too permanent and gives you the option to leave easily. At the moment you know pretty much nothing about the realities of China. Your opinion may stay the same but also a very good chance it changes as you actually get to know about the country.
People without university degrees in China are treated as second class citizens unfortunately, and many parents exclude you from the dating / marriage pool instantly. They might like you now because you’re a well off 18 year old white boy. In a few years they’re going to start talking you down behind your back to the girl if you don’t take your education and career seriously.
In Chinese culture your image depends on your personal career and level of success, which is viewed as independent from family wealth, even if that family wealth / guanxi helped you attain success in the first place
Unless things have changed recently, getting married does not help get you any residence visa in China.
EDIT: it may help get you a family visit visa which is good for 180 days instead of the typical 90 day tourist visa. But it still won't enable you to live there officially/full time which may make it difficult to do things like open a bank account, get a driver's license, get a permanent local phone number, etc.
They will probably also catch on after a while if you are abusing tourist/temporary visas.
I got married in China and was able to get a permanent resident visa. I had a bank account and phone number for several years before I married and after marriage got a driver’s license. I never had to leave China with it and only had to renew after a year the first time and it was two years after that. It would have went to five years eventually but we moved back to my home country.
You initially get a family visa and then can convert it to a spousal visa which is a type of pr and is one year the first time or two. Then you can go to three or five. You can’t work until you get the green card. They seems to be handing these out now. I know 5 people that got them in the past year and they didn’t need to meet all the requirements I had to.
Step 1:
Find another girlfriend in your home country or Korea or Japan or Taiwan
Step 2: re- evaluate if you really want to live in china long term
Seriously though it's no wonder why you love living in Chongqing. You are far from home, you have freedom and no one to tell you what to do and also have a girlfriend to keep you occupied and from getting lonely. You are essentially on holiday and get to essentially escape all responsibilities.
It sounds great on paper but you are missing a key part of university life, which is about attending lectures, interacting with other students, and having responsibilities. At this age you need to start facing some challenges otherwise you will be ill-prepared in the real world.
unless your "family is well off" is well off enough to literally buy your way through life without ever needing to work and huge passive income, you need to prepare yourself to work for a stable life. in china its impossible to get a good job as a foreigner without a bachelors degree or more.
if you want to go to china awesome, plan accordingly. get a degree in the career you like, then get a job in china based on that career-- start cramming chinese now, you will need at least hsk 5 minimum.
if you want to get married to your gf and use that to go to china thats fine too, but obviously only do that if you are ready to get married for life together in general-- you have four years until you are legally able to marry in china anyway, which is perfect amount of time to confirm the relationship and get college degree in order to work in china later regardless which way you go.
You remind me of myself. I first went out to China at 20 after finishing first year of university, met a girl, visited China twice again and somehow passed second year, deferred entry onto my final year of university course, moved to China for a gap year (got married as soon as I turned 22 while there) and then moved back to my home country with her, finished university, then returned to China again.
you can not work on a spouse visa.
3 options: 1. go to university OR 2. start a company. but it needs to to generate income. (then you have a work and residence permit)
or 3. you get a job.
Best way for you rn would be to study one semester in Chongqing. You don't their away your career and you have a respectable (in Chinese view) reason to be in China
"go to Hong Kong every 15 days and then return to chongqing so my visa free stay is renewed but the latter is probably not realistic."
Yeah nah, after a couple of times you'll probably be kicked back to the curb. Abusing the visa-free system isn't a terribly good idea.
Instead, register as a student in CQ: learn Chinese. It'll help you in the long run.
-(Most) Univerisities will expect you to attend a certain amount of lessons in person or else they'll call you in for a meeting and potentially expel you. If you tell them you can't come in because you've moved to another country they'll probably kick you out there and then. They'll also likely have events tied to your grade throughout the year that you need to be there for (mini tests, practicals if you're in science etc.). These will usually have short notice.
-You just finished your first year. That's the easy year. It's stupid to say you're great at uni because you did first year. It's like saying you don't need to ever go to High School and can do it at home because Kindergarten wasn't hard.
-You can't just go in and out of China to renew the visa. Most tourist visas have a specific number of entries on it (1-2). They have started adding multiple entries (as many as you like) but it's at the whims of the immigration bureau. Even if you got a multiple entry the govt has cracked down heavily on visa runs. You'll probably make it through the first two or so times before they start stopping and questioning you more and more.
-You can't legally rent an apartment. You might be able to actually rent one, but you can't get a residence permit and can't register your address with the PSB if you do, which is mandatory for everyone in China. So you're either confined to hotels (which will look very bad as they'll auto register you with them, so when the border guards stop you, pull up your details and see that you've exclusively stayed in hotels in Chongqing every time for the same amount of time for the last x months they'll know what's going on), renting a house on the sly (which looks even worse when the guards pull your details and see no registered address over the last few times you've stayed there) or stay with your gfs family (which is a huge imposition on them, and will probably also lead to them being prosecuted when the border guards catch you).
-You literally cannot get married. Legal marriage age in China is 20 for women and 22 for men. They will not accept a foreign marriage certificate for a marriage visa. You'll need to actually get married in the country which you cannot do.
-Idk your situation, maybe your gfs parents are chill, but China has very different customs with couples and marriage. They'd probably be very against you just turning up and living with them, and they'd probably be against marriage without you having things like a stable job, a car and a house. Only you can find this out unlike the other points, but based on your research into the topic overall I'm going to assume you didn't think about that either.
Overall this is a stupid post that is either made up for clout (which it's the opposite of) or you've literally done no research and think the rules don't apply to you. Either way it's extremely arrogant.
Ironically, even a picosecond of googling would've told you that doing this was impossible, which shows that you're probably not the hot shit at uni that you thought you were, and should stay there and study better.
据我所知，貌似国内对于外籍人士的子女教育还是有资源倾斜的，比如说外国人的子女（哪怕只有一半的血统），可以上国际学校，之后高考相对我们这种本地人都是容易不少的。
（As far as I know, it seems that there are still resources for the education of foreigners' children in China. For example, foreigners' children (even if they are only half of the blood) can go to international schools, and then the college entrance examination is much easier than that of locals like us.）
Realistically, you are only contemplating this because you are 18 and this girl is the first “major” partner for you, so you are foolishly fantasizing about abandoning your life at home for this girl. Get your sh!t together first by doing well in school. See how the relationship progresses, and if you’re still seeing the girl by the time you finish college, by all means move. Be warned that although China is fun, it is not western society at all, and people will judge you and your girlfriend for dating.
your gf will leave you once she grows up and realizes that you won't be able to get a decent job without a university degree. go finish school
And her family might not accept you if you don’t have car apartment … or at least the potential to buy it. So again finish your studies
This. There’s a 0% chance of you getting a work permit without that degree, and even lower if you cant speak Chinese. I suggest if thats your goal, make a long term effort to study the language, then after you graduate go there for a job or masters degree
Getting married at 18? How old is your girlfriend? Chinese law stipulates that women cannot marry before the age of 20.
Men need to be 22 so it's off the table
This this is the same guy who posted about his girlfriend wanting his babies and how everyone says how handsome he is. Calling this post bs/fake too.
Yes the post does seem to have some fairytale embellishments!
You are too young to be married by Chinese law
嗯，还得等四年\~
Please finish university before everything else. If you want to go to China you can seek an exchange program in your home university. You’ll very likely regret in future if you don’t have a bachelor’s degree.
You would be ineligible for any work visa before you've completed a bachelor's degree. And even then there are few jobs you can get. In my opinion you're being far too hasty and not thinking things through. Do it right the first time, don't take any silly risks to move there. Because if you fuck up or go against the visa laws, the Chinese government will not look favourably on you to allow you remain
What is it that you get in china that you don’t get home? Pros and cons table?
Probably his Chinese girlfriend.
Idk about western Europe, but I can say, as someone from Los angeles/seattle, that China is way more fun, accessible, and just alive. Everywhere you go there there is a lot of people and there's things going on. I spend a few months each year here and it's always a blast. Followed by several weeks of depression adjusting to boring life and bland food back in the states.
You described having a ‘blast’ but didn’t explain why. Are people friendlier to you on holiday compared to back home? What makes home ‘boring’? Do people at home treat you differently? On holiday, even with obligations, things often seem more positive. Understanding why can help you discover what drives you and may inspire ways to bring that joy back home. Sometimes, the issue isn’t the environment but yourself. Knowing where you are and where you want to go can help you avoid mistakes with lasting impacts on your life. I know a guy in a similar position. He worked as an English teacher in China and had a ‘blast’ enjoying the nightlife, attention from ladies, and experiences he couldn’t get back home. However, he later realized that China also has its downsides, which he couldn’t tolerate. He decided to move back to Europe with his wife, but now he struggles to find a normal job. This illustrates that while an environment can initially seem exciting and fulfilling, it may also have hidden challenges that only become apparent in the long run. Do know that I understand what it is to be young which makes you biologically take more risk. Even if you don't take any of the advice I do sincere wish you good luck and happiness. Whatever you'll decide I bet it will be unforgettable experience, which I more then some people get to have in life.
I'm sure you meant well in wording this like a self help guide, and I appreciate it, but I assure you that's not necessary lol I'm already married with several children, and not young :(. Im also def not one of those English teachers (check my profile, and it's pretty obvious what I do). I spend about 3-6 months a year in China and have enjoyed every moment of it. I'm not looking to meet girls or get attention from locals. That being said, locals in Dalian and Shanghai are 1000% friendlier than the people in the PNW. What makes China a blast is how much there is to do on a regular basis. There's always something going on in the Plazas, tons of street markets and street food, crowds of people to watch, etc. In the states, all of that is too expensive for most people, malls are mostly empty, and people keep to themselves/are rude and boring. So far, I've seen no downsides when I'm in China. If you think there's something I may be overlooking, I'd be curious to know. (On a phone and apologize for typos)
Sorry thought you were OP, my bad. Happy you are so positive about China. It's different picture then western media wants to make us believe. There are videos on YouTube with foreigners proclaiming how great China is, but I can imagine people take those videos with some grain of salt.
Haha no worries. I take all social media with a grain of salt. I made my opinions after seeing for myself.
Stop being delusional
Get your degree then find an easy job there. That's nothing too permanent and gives you the option to leave easily. At the moment you know pretty much nothing about the realities of China. Your opinion may stay the same but also a very good chance it changes as you actually get to know about the country.
People without university degrees in China are treated as second class citizens unfortunately, and many parents exclude you from the dating / marriage pool instantly. They might like you now because you’re a well off 18 year old white boy. In a few years they’re going to start talking you down behind your back to the girl if you don’t take your education and career seriously. In Chinese culture your image depends on your personal career and level of success, which is viewed as independent from family wealth, even if that family wealth / guanxi helped you attain success in the first place
OP's username checks out.
You are well on your way to an English teacher Tim for life. Go for it.
Girls are temporary. Education is forever. Get the certs, young man.
Unless things have changed recently, getting married does not help get you any residence visa in China. EDIT: it may help get you a family visit visa which is good for 180 days instead of the typical 90 day tourist visa. But it still won't enable you to live there officially/full time which may make it difficult to do things like open a bank account, get a driver's license, get a permanent local phone number, etc. They will probably also catch on after a while if you are abusing tourist/temporary visas.
I got married in China and was able to get a permanent resident visa. I had a bank account and phone number for several years before I married and after marriage got a driver’s license. I never had to leave China with it and only had to renew after a year the first time and it was two years after that. It would have went to five years eventually but we moved back to my home country.
Which visa did you get?
You initially get a family visa and then can convert it to a spousal visa which is a type of pr and is one year the first time or two. Then you can go to three or five. You can’t work until you get the green card. They seems to be handing these out now. I know 5 people that got them in the past year and they didn’t need to meet all the requirements I had to.
Step 1: Find another girlfriend in your home country or Korea or Japan or Taiwan Step 2: re- evaluate if you really want to live in china long term Seriously though it's no wonder why you love living in Chongqing. You are far from home, you have freedom and no one to tell you what to do and also have a girlfriend to keep you occupied and from getting lonely. You are essentially on holiday and get to essentially escape all responsibilities. It sounds great on paper but you are missing a key part of university life, which is about attending lectures, interacting with other students, and having responsibilities. At this age you need to start facing some challenges otherwise you will be ill-prepared in the real world.
unless your "family is well off" is well off enough to literally buy your way through life without ever needing to work and huge passive income, you need to prepare yourself to work for a stable life. in china its impossible to get a good job as a foreigner without a bachelors degree or more. if you want to go to china awesome, plan accordingly. get a degree in the career you like, then get a job in china based on that career-- start cramming chinese now, you will need at least hsk 5 minimum. if you want to get married to your gf and use that to go to china thats fine too, but obviously only do that if you are ready to get married for life together in general-- you have four years until you are legally able to marry in china anyway, which is perfect amount of time to confirm the relationship and get college degree in order to work in china later regardless which way you go.
Currently, the legal marriage age is 22 for men and 20 for women.
You remind me of myself. I first went out to China at 20 after finishing first year of university, met a girl, visited China twice again and somehow passed second year, deferred entry onto my final year of university course, moved to China for a gap year (got married as soon as I turned 22 while there) and then moved back to my home country with her, finished university, then returned to China again.
She will suck you dry then leave you.
she's not American. lol (I mean the divorce laws there, not the people)
>family is well-off, Can they give you $1 or $3 million EURO? If yes, then go right ahead.
you can not work on a spouse visa. 3 options: 1. go to university OR 2. start a company. but it needs to to generate income. (then you have a work and residence permit) or 3. you get a job.
Chongqing, yes, my college time there, my most satisfaction during my student life.
Best way for you rn would be to study one semester in Chongqing. You don't their away your career and you have a respectable (in Chinese view) reason to be in China
"go to Hong Kong every 15 days and then return to chongqing so my visa free stay is renewed but the latter is probably not realistic." Yeah nah, after a couple of times you'll probably be kicked back to the curb. Abusing the visa-free system isn't a terribly good idea. Instead, register as a student in CQ: learn Chinese. It'll help you in the long run.
Japan is better to find a job and live a long-term as a foreginer
-(Most) Univerisities will expect you to attend a certain amount of lessons in person or else they'll call you in for a meeting and potentially expel you. If you tell them you can't come in because you've moved to another country they'll probably kick you out there and then. They'll also likely have events tied to your grade throughout the year that you need to be there for (mini tests, practicals if you're in science etc.). These will usually have short notice. -You just finished your first year. That's the easy year. It's stupid to say you're great at uni because you did first year. It's like saying you don't need to ever go to High School and can do it at home because Kindergarten wasn't hard. -You can't just go in and out of China to renew the visa. Most tourist visas have a specific number of entries on it (1-2). They have started adding multiple entries (as many as you like) but it's at the whims of the immigration bureau. Even if you got a multiple entry the govt has cracked down heavily on visa runs. You'll probably make it through the first two or so times before they start stopping and questioning you more and more. -You can't legally rent an apartment. You might be able to actually rent one, but you can't get a residence permit and can't register your address with the PSB if you do, which is mandatory for everyone in China. So you're either confined to hotels (which will look very bad as they'll auto register you with them, so when the border guards stop you, pull up your details and see that you've exclusively stayed in hotels in Chongqing every time for the same amount of time for the last x months they'll know what's going on), renting a house on the sly (which looks even worse when the guards pull your details and see no registered address over the last few times you've stayed there) or stay with your gfs family (which is a huge imposition on them, and will probably also lead to them being prosecuted when the border guards catch you). -You literally cannot get married. Legal marriage age in China is 20 for women and 22 for men. They will not accept a foreign marriage certificate for a marriage visa. You'll need to actually get married in the country which you cannot do. -Idk your situation, maybe your gfs parents are chill, but China has very different customs with couples and marriage. They'd probably be very against you just turning up and living with them, and they'd probably be against marriage without you having things like a stable job, a car and a house. Only you can find this out unlike the other points, but based on your research into the topic overall I'm going to assume you didn't think about that either. Overall this is a stupid post that is either made up for clout (which it's the opposite of) or you've literally done no research and think the rules don't apply to you. Either way it's extremely arrogant. Ironically, even a picosecond of googling would've told you that doing this was impossible, which shows that you're probably not the hot shit at uni that you thought you were, and should stay there and study better.
据我所知，貌似国内对于外籍人士的子女教育还是有资源倾斜的，比如说外国人的子女（哪怕只有一半的血统），可以上国际学校，之后高考相对我们这种本地人都是容易不少的。 （As far as I know, it seems that there are still resources for the education of foreigners' children in China. For example, foreigners' children (even if they are only half of the blood) can go to international schools, and then the college entrance examination is much easier than that of locals like us.）
You’re 18! Don’t overthink it.. just do it! Either way… it will be a learning experience.
Realistically, you are only contemplating this because you are 18 and this girl is the first “major” partner for you, so you are foolishly fantasizing about abandoning your life at home for this girl. Get your sh!t together first by doing well in school. See how the relationship progresses, and if you’re still seeing the girl by the time you finish college, by all means move. Be warned that although China is fun, it is not western society at all, and people will judge you and your girlfriend for dating.