Question related to Visa (new job)

I recently started a new job, I was teaching before but now I'm doing surfing the net pretending to be busy/marketing. The company I 'm working for is coming to do my Visa and having looked into it has said they want to put me down on the Visa as a teacher because it's much easier than Marketing Manager as they originally wanted. I've never been a
Marketing Manager before (hell, I wouldn't say what I'm doing now qualifies either, but w/e) but I have marketing experience, and apparently the visa office needs proof of some things that could be a pain in the arse (not sure of the details yet). I want to ask; say if in a year/two years I want to change company but do a similar job in the same city, is having my job as foreign teacher on the visa going to create a lot of trouble? I can't help thinking it will, but want to check with those of you with more experience in this area than me.  

I'm not 100% but here's my humble opinion.

Usually, each "visa" is an entity in itself even year to year. Getting branded as an expert is a must. But it's much easier to be labeled an English teacher since you are a foreigner. I presume you from one of the Big 6 (Canada, US, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand). Even if you are not, it's still pretty easy and more academic as you go to smaller cities.

Without knowing the company nor the city, it is a little difficult to give you better information. Rules change from place to place (sometimes day to day). You don't have to give us the name of the company, but some details help; are they 100% Chinese owned, a State Owned Business, is their head office in your country of birth or another, how big or prominent are they here, are you their first, etc.

For example if you are American and you are going to work for Coca-Cola China, then getting labeled as a marketing Manager is a piece of cake.

To further answer, I don't think it will impact on you future Foreign Export Certificate since this needs to be renewd each year. Whatever your new company is will process this for you

Yeah sorry, didn't give much info. I'm from the UK and living in Shanghai. The company is a small (10 employees) startup-style firm that has 3 web-based ventures. The owners are two "Canadians" (really as Chinese as they come but studied in Canada and got a passport along the way) and it's a pretty low-key affair from what I can tell.

My concern is if my new firm is also small and they also want me to be a marketing manager. Proof for them is going to be just as hard, whereas if I get it done now, then a new firm could just point to the classification on the Visa as the proof the bureau needs. I dunno, perhaps this is not something to worry about.

I once had an alien employment permit that said I was a senior software engineer when I was working as an English teacher for a software company-

If you change jobs, you will be getting a totally different certificate and I honestly don't think the title they give you on one will have any bearing on the title on the next one.

Yeah fair enough. I'm not a terminal worrier so will just leave this one as is then. Thanks. 

If a company want to hire a foreign worker they have to demonstrate that they have a need which cannot be met locally.  So that's why they want to put you down as a teacher rather then an employee, because they probably can't justify employing you over a Chinese person (that's not meant to sound critical by the way).

How it affects your future employment I don't know - I would imagine that this probably has more to do with your CV than your visa record.  I think that if you are a non-teacher you also don't get your FEC issued in the same way.

I would point out that it is illegal and that if this startup company goes the way of Beta-Max then you'll be in a more tenuous position because of it.

I once had an alien employment permit that said I was a senior software engineer when I was working as an English teacher for a software company-

Ha ha, really?! I didn't know that. Funny.

Disregarding the legality of it, I wouldn't worry about what your next employer (in China) would think about the title in your visa. Every company, Chinese or otherwise, doing business here will understand the need for getting around the 'red tape'. Your previous visa wouldn't effect them negatively so....