... all bona fide recruiters, other than the schools, must, at law, be authorized by either a Provincial Foreign Affairs Office [FAO], to recruit locally, or SAFEA if they recruit for more than one Province. As authorized recruiters such entities are issued with a certificate endorsing such authorization, sealed by the Provincial FAO, if it's restricted; or SAFEA if unrestricted.

Holders of FAO Certificates should be able to produce a copy of such on FAO [Government] letterhead and signed by the Director. All Government letterheads are in red and carry the five-pointed star, it is illegal for any non-government entity to mimic such.

SAFEA Certificates are not for public dissemination [fear of illegal copying] but each authorized recruiter is allocated a three-digit number, prefixed with a "0". The bona fides of the holder can be verified by contacting SAFEA Beijing by fax [+86 10 6843 4805] or email, which is a tad bit awkward at present. SAFEA has two Websites: http://ciep.chinajob.com and http://ciep-nj.org, which is for the annual conference.

With regards L vs. Z visa (Tourist visa vs. working visa). Strictly speaking this (coming to China to work with only a tourist visa) is not a lawful practice, it contravenes international conventions; however, it is a reasonably common practice and should not indicate that something is amiss. If the FAO has authorized the teacher to travel with a L visa, for conversion upon arrival, the teacher will not be compromised, as their visa is converted by the local PSB immediately upon arrival, permitting the teacher to be lawfully employed. Such methodology is often used at the start of semesters, because of the huge workload imposed on FAO staff.

However, some operators of unauthorized establishments use this method to circumvent the system and therein dwells the biggest and most serious problem facing persons aspiring to teach in China - contract obligations; surety of tenure, payment of salary, reasonable working hours, provision of satisfactory accommodation, reimbursement of airfares. Teachers thus brought to China via this channel are the primary source of subsequent complaints and the reason for so many horror stories. Requesting Certificates should negate much of this surreptitious and decidedly unwanted recruiting.