I have some highly qualified acquaintances, very experienced very well trained yet they lack a BA or an MA... their college gave a technical certification. They have certification for TESOL, TOEIC, IELTS etc... and I have observed them teach. Is it possible for them to get the foreign expert certification necessary for the Z visa? Any thoughts/advice/ experience would be appreciated.

no

OK. Thanks! Can I ask how you know, there are some forums that say it IS possible... but that it changes a lot based on WHERE you apply...

it is possible ILLEGALLY through agents. Im not going to get into all of that.

Legally no they cannot get FEC, or Z visa until they have ateast a BA, TEFL, 2 years experience,and in some places they need to be a NATIVE speaker.

Of course I totally respect that... not interested in going and illegal rout. Sorry... one more question...
Do you mean BA or TEFL or 2 years experience? I did they add a TEFL cert to the 2 years and BA requirement now? I mean I know a lot of people that don't have the 2 years experience requirement and only a BA but had no problem getting the visa...

I am curious to know if any other foreigners have had success applying for Z visa without the BA... I only know people that have gone about it with the BA.
Thanks dude! appreciate your thoughts!

This is going no where.....

LoL... maybe... well.. Don't worry about it! I have lived here long enough to know everyone SAYS "no." I was reading through the FEC qualification and it said SHOULD not MUST... which are different meanings... and some people said said it equated to "strongly recommended" not "essential". So... I decided to poke around a bit more. My gut says... probably not, but I figure the only way to know for sure is to ask if anyone HAS tried... this is just part of research. If I find anything to the contrary I'll let you know.

Really, I do appreciate you taking the time. I am gathering info and it's useful.

no rule is absolute, especially here

The regulations do say "should", not "must" bit the key issue is how local governments interpret that! They set their own requirements depending on local conditions. Some will only allow native speakers from the so-called "big 5" countries to teach English. Other areas, due to demand outstripping availability, will give work permits to non-native speakers.

I'd expect that the bigger cities would insist on a degree whereas smaller pls we might not.

Background reading: onestop.globaltimes.cn/[...]

I suppose it's possible, as I had a Z visa previously and do not have a BA or any foreign expert status. Similarly, I processed Z visas for two employees also without degrees with no problem. However, that was 8 or 9 years ago... things may be different now.