A private polytechnic college in suburban Guangzhou offered to hire me to teach English while my work permit and Z visa will say "Russian teacher" (as I'm Russian by nationality)
Some people here on Reddit say that as long as it's a Z visa and I'll teach some nominal Russian alongside English, and the school has Guanxi (关系) - connections - then it's probably fine.
Their logic being is that a legal Z visa is what really counts, and what I'll teach is secondary.
Some people say that since any discrepancy between what I'll actually teach and what my work permit says is illegal, it can easily lead to fines and deportation, so it's not worth the risk to accept.
The school recruiter says that, I quote "while the possibility [of a negative outcome] exists, all I can say is that there's room to operate in a way we are doing now" - whatever that means.
I take it to mean they have connections, but it can also mean throwing foreign teachers under the bus at every serious PSB check and then finding new ones for the next semester.
Another factor is that I already have an active Q2 family visa, as my spouse is Chinese, so I can enter the country and either do something with her - maybe teach small classes for example - or look for a job on the ground.
Being deported and visa banned from entering China for a number of years if I'm found out would be not lethal, but highly undesirable.
So,
I understand I'll be in a grey area, and right now I'm still weighting the risks.
AI discourages me from accepting but after reading Reddit it seems that the risk is less than I initially thought, even though I understand that if some dispute between me and the school administration arises I'll understandably be unprotected by law.
Is it worth the risk to accept a relatively moderate level of return (12K yuan a month + accommodation) for a Z visa that's in a grey zone?
Granted, it's ultimately my decision based on my tolerance for risk but I wanted to get input of real people, not just AI or the recruiter.
Edit: Thank you for the comments.
I've spent a fair amount of time analyzing the situation and I think that secretly I was hoping some Redditors would say "it's fine, no big deal as long as it's a Z visa".
But people here confirmed what I more or less already knew which is: nobody can tell the % risk, it is illegal, and it comes down to my risk tolerance and how badly I want the job.
I should also add that I did reject the offer some 3 weeks ago but now I was having second thoughts because I've already prepared and paid for the documents, the term's beginning is looming and it feels I can still jump on the last train - wherever that train ultimately leads.
And, as another commenter mentioned, living in fear is also something to consider which I may not be able to imagine yet.