It sounded like the kind of small decision many teachers face after arriving in China: a main job, a side request, a little extra money, and a contract that may or may not say no.
On r/chinalife, u/notlikeinthemovies titled the post:
worth the risk to ‘breach’ my contract by tutoring outside of my school?
Then came the details:
hello! working in shenzhen, china as a kindy teacher, one of my students is graduating and i’ve heard through another teacher that this students parents want to reach out to me to tutor her once she’s graduated.
i haven’t accepted the parents friend request yet, so he hasn’t formally asked me but im hired by an agency of which it states in my contract that any part time work outside of my post is forbidden.
i need to actually review the details before i consider this further and see if it’s a ‘fine’ they serve me with or end my contract with them all together.
i know there’s a lot of intimidation tactics in my contract with them, i guess i just want to know if anyone has found themselves in a similar position if they were found out to be working outside of their contract what happened?
im considering tutoring this student for free because i really like her, and wouldn’t mind the additional experience but i think my agency would still think im being paid and punish me, they aren’t the nicest haha.
That was the setup.
A teacher in Shenzhen. A graduating kindergarten student. A parent who might ask for lessons. A contract that says no outside part-time work. A question about whether the agency would fine them or end the contract.
Then u/GZHotwater cut straight through it:
You should be more concerned with breaking the law than breaching your contract.
It is illegal to work at anywhere that is not your legal place of employment and getting caught could lead to a fine, deportation (and in the very worst case 14 days detention plus deportation and a 10-year ban).
u/Anngsturs made the same point in the blunt Reddit version:
Is it legal? No.
Do many people do it and suffer no consequences? Yes.
Do some people get caught and suffer serious consequences like deportation? Yes.
I personally wouldn't care about a contract with some rando school. Those are plentiful. I would be more concerned about getting busted by the cops.
Ultimately you need to decide if the extra money is worth the risk. Only you can do that math for your particular situation.
Leaving Your Job? Read This First!!
And OP’s answer showed why the thread mattered:
i had no idea it was illegal, if i knew it was i wouldn’t have even posted here so im glad i now know! thank you for your comment
That is the whole warning.
The first question sounded like: will my agency punish me?
The real question was: is this work even inside my legal work authorization?
For foreign workers in China, those are different problems.
A contract dispute can cost money, a job, leverage, or a reference.
Unauthorized work can put the work permit, residence status, renewal, and future entry at risk.
The Part To Check First
Private tutoring often feels informal because it starts with a parent, not a company.
It may be one child. One evening. One favor. One envelope. One WeChat transfer.
But the paperwork is not informal.
Foreign work authorization in China is usually tied to a specific employer, role, place of work, and approved arrangement.
If the tutoring is outside that approved scope, the problem is not solved just because the main school never finds out.
Before You Say Yes
Check what your permit and employment documents actually authorize.
Check whether the side class is paid work for a different family, school, agency, or platform.
Do not rely on “everyone does it.”
Do not rely on a parent saying it is private.
Do not rely on a recruiter saying it is fine.
If it is not clearly covered, get proper local advice before taking money or creating a work trail.
The ExpatRights Takeaway
u/notlikeinthemovies did the smart thing: they asked before accepting.
The danger is how normal the offer sounded.
That is why this kind of side job can be risky. It does not have to look like a scam to become a permit problem.
Before you tutor outside your authorized job, check the permit first.
Source: Original Reddit post - https://www.reddit.com/r/chinalife/comments/1uoovoz/worth_the_risk_to_breach_my_contract_by_tutoring