It has long been the case that students studying in China did not have the legal right to work or earn money in any way. Absurd as it was, this was the norm in most places in China, including Nanjing.
However, as of this year, certain students studying in Nanjing will have the legal right to work and earn money.
Students who can prove they have excellent grades, attendance and study habits, in addition to permission from the university, can apply for “work study”. Work-study is permission written into one’s visa, which proves legal status to be working on a student visa.
As good as this sounds, students who have been approved by the university to work part-time cannot, unfortunately, manage their own funds. Students on work-study visas must go through an agency, which has been arranged by the government, to help find students work.
The agency in question assists students in finding relevant work and monitors where, when and how they work, while also charging the company in which they work 15 percent of the salary.
Students may be able to work a maximum of 20 hours per week during term time and up to 40 hours per week during winter and summer holidays. The move to allow students flexible working permission comes at the same time the government introduces the ABC identity cards for foreigners. Both initiatives appear to be moving in the direction of helping students and foreigners to have smoother access to various initiatives during their time in China.
“It is about time we are given some leeway… not all of us have enough funds to pay for tuition, bills and other expenses. I am so happy the government has finally allowed us to earn a little money to help us support ourselves while we are here,” an international student from Nanjing Normal University told The Nanjinger.
