Am I allowed to go to school (Shi Da) and work here legally with a work permit? I started at TLI, my class ends the 27(that is when my visa expires) and now I will start to work for them. My work permit papers wont be ready by then. I start at Shi Da on June 1st. For some reason I got in my mind that you can’t be both a student and work, even with a work permit. what’s the word?
he he … that’s funny that you think that because you are a worker you cannot study 
But I am not sure if you can work for another employer without the new work permit. In fact, I think that you need the new work permit or you are working illegally.
it says in my Shi Da book that students can only obtain a part time job after attending school for a year.
It almost sounds like in your situation you could choose to be a student (ie get a student visa) or a member of the work force (through TLI). In order to work you definitely need a work permit, so why not go for that through TLI and be a student on the side? There’s nothing to stop anyone from seeking higher education while they work!
If your papers aren’t ready by then, but the paperwork is already submitted, then you can just get an extension from the FA police (as long as you have a reciept showing that your paperwork is, indeed on the go).
Do you need a student visa to go to ShiDa, as long as you’re legal?
i already tried to get an extension from the police office but they said
that I either had to get my visitor visa changed from where it says “TLI” on it (it is in Chinese, underneath the remarks section on my visa, that is why I did not realize it) to one that says “Shi-Da.” This could take who knows how long and my visa runs out in days. I have been told that if you bring the work permit forms showing that the work process paperwork is underway during the time your visa expires this is risky business. They may refuse.
Why is all of this such a royal pain in the ass?
I have read all of the horror stories about overstaying visas and so i just booked a ticket to macau. This should give me two more months to get the work permit/ARC.
Thanks for responses, I appreciate it.