Hi folks I may be interested in relocating to Kunming from NYC id be interested in hearing from other expats on their experiences. I will likely teach english initially. is it reasonable to expect to be able to earn a living doing this? I have extensive esl experience,speak fluent Mandarin . Is a college degree neccessary what is the visa situation ect ect ect thanx..j

If you're a native English speaker and have ESL teaching experience, you can easily make a comfortable living here in KM. If you're not picky about what kind of students you teach or what kind of school you teach in, your options are limitless.

To qualify as a "foreign expert" and teach in university, you technically do need a bachelor's degree, and training in linguistics and teaching experience also will help. But supply and demand seems to be real law of the land. Even here in Kunming, one of the most desirable Chinese cities for expats, the supply of dedicated (not to say formally qualified) teachers is insufficient. You might have noticed the proliferation of want ads for such teachers on this site. Search for ESL jobs in China and you'll find a million more.

Right now is the hiring season for the 2009-2010 academic year. If you're looking to teach in a uni, you'd better get on it. Otherwise, opportunities pop up all the time, and freelance tutoring work is always available.

Unless you have a formal invite from a school, you'll probably have to enter China on a tourist visa and then find a legit (i.e. tax-paying) school that can get you a work visa.

For a work visa the requirements are that you at least have a Bachelors Degree and if you want to teach English you are required to provide them with a TEFL/TESOL certificate. Some of these rules can finally be bent a little bit again after the olympics but if you haven't graduated there is no way to get a visa unless you sign up at one of the universities and study Chinese. They will then provide you with a student visa, however, it is illegal to work on a student visa. If discovered (like anyone ever cares...) you might get a fine of 10 000 RMB up to 100 000 RMB.