Notes for Teachers
with Contracts
How to do the Medical Exam
inexpensively and Air Tickets (further below)
The next step
is the medical exam and then things get easier as we go
though the visa process.
There will
still be some little bureaucratic things that we will
have to do that may try your patience from time to time
- but generally nothing difficult or too time consuming
and I can usually tell you some short cuts to getting it
done.
Download TWO medical forms -
the one you need to do
and one
example.
The example I include because particularly for Americans
- as the medical system is all out of whack - the exam
can be expensive if not approached the right way.
These forms will open in a new window.
Do your exam at a college clinic, free clinic, social
welfare clinic or similar - where the costs will be sane
and where the physicians will not see the need to
conduct all the possible tests on the form.
You
can print out and take the example form and NOTE that
the physician in this case has written on things like
the EKG and Chest x-ray - "no indications" which can
mean - there was no indication that such a test was
needed. Many physicians can just ask you if you have
had this or that - or if you have any symptoms of this
or that. What is important is that there be something
written in EACH box. Bureaucrats (to whom these forms
are going) HATE blank spaces - so it is good to double
check your form before you leave the clinic.
LEGAL
DISCLAIMER: If you have ANY health concerns at all
- EXPRESS them SPECIFICALLY to your physician before
departing for China. You are submitting the
Medical Examination for VISA purposes - NOT truly for a
health review though you may certainly request
additional tests and examinations.
As always - we will need this form as soon as you get it
done. Major holidays are scheduled around the
starting time of both the spring and fall semesters, so
it is important to get the process moving so you don't
have to arrive late for your position.
A couple other things . . . start researching your plane
tickets. China Eastern and China Air tend to be the
cheapest but sometimes there are good specials to the
region - then you can get the small cheap regional
carriers the rest of the way. Some carriers that can -
at times - have very cheap flights to the region are
Korea Airlines - Asiana (also to Korea), Cathay Pacific
(to HK), Evergreen to Taipei, Malaysia Air also to
Taipei. So - there are LOTS of options - best bet is to
look in a BIG Sunday newspaper for the super cheap
specials on offer.
Plan to arrive at your school close but prior to
the beginning of the semester - typically around
September 1 and March 1. School is closed
immediately prior to the semesters but they will have
someone pick you up at the airport and get you situated
in your apartment. If you need to arrive a bit earlier
to get a better deal on your plane tickets - personally,
I would do that.
Finalization of your visa details
can sometimes take longer than expected (maybe 10-15% of
the time), so if you need to tie down a date for a good
price - be aware that you may need to change it at the
last minute to make sure you have your visa before you
go. If your start date is a couple months
away - try to get the visa process done ASAP and then
you can purchase your tickets without last minute
anxiety.
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"Twenty
years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn't do than by the
ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the
trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.
Discover." -- Mark Twain |
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