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I have read that it is unlikely dependent visas will be issued for remainder of 2021. I am not willing to be separated from my family.
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Where did you read that?

I agree that you probably won't save much but can live comfortably enough with that package. And I myself would certainly jump at the chance to live in Tokyo!

Well, for what it's worth, the school has told me I should expect a contract the week after Chinese New Year break. Fingers crossed....

Doesn't seem like I can check out the pro boards without registering.

Are those boards specifically for international teachers?

Check the member forums (it's worth the money) and also this link:

https://internationalschoolsreviewdiscu ... -informed/

You can also try contacting a current teacher at the school. If admin won't give you any contact info, it's usually not too hard to figure out email addresses for yourself.

There are multiple posts about this both in these forums and the member forums.

Basically, yes, it's possible that people will be able to relocate to China this summer/fall. Check to see how your school handled the pandemic last year and if they were able to get teachers into the country. If they did a good job, it'll probably be a similar story this year.

IMHO, it was obvious the pandemic was going to worsen in winter, so it's no surprise to me that borders have been closed/tightened. Things can change quickly, though, and I suspect China will start letting people in as spring and summer comes around and more people get vaccinated. This is all just my opinion, but I am optimistic. I myself have accepted a job in China and have three dependents coming with me.

I agree with the others. Sid has good advice. How did they treat staff in 2020, and were they able to get new staff into the country?

I have accepted a job in China, and I have three dependents. But my school got positive comments on these forums about how they handled things last year, and I know for a fact they got teachers into the country in fall 2020, albeit 1-2 months late in some cases. So I'm optimistic and will go ahead with our planning and preparation for our move to China.

I think the concern is not so much teachers but their dependents. My situation is a little different than yours, because my husband can stay behind with our kids for a couple weeks or months, if necessary. (We're hoping it wouldn't be longer than two months.) We know it's a risk, but again, we're optimistic, and my school is being very supportive and is keeping up communication with me.

I guess I was under the mistaken assumption that they were just going to email me something in an attachment to sign. If they need to pull together a bunch of official documents and then mail them, then that's totally understandable that it would take a few weeks.

I should probably stop stressing out and just relax and enjoy the fact that I got (and accepted) a job offer at a good school! Hooray!

How long is it, typically, between being offered a job and actually receiving a contract to sign?

It's been several weeks since my last interview with a particular school, and I finally got an official job offer last week. I don't have the finalized contract yet, but maybe that's normal? I haven't gone overseas for work in almost two decades, so I don't remember how long I had to wait for the contract.

We're talking about China, if that helps. But I'm curious about other countries, too.

Thanks!