it depends.

I am in the same position as Mrs Tourist(China).
I am looking for english teaching work, only for 2 weeks max, before leaving the country (within 1 month of entry). I am currently on a tourist visa (1 month). I am happy to receive cash payment.
Can anyone give visa advice?

Thanks very much

If you get a job and related documents for work visa, you can apply in HK through Commissioner's Office of the Ministry of China Foreign Affairs.

Mrs Enid,

Thanks for your reply.
So, to do work, one must first leave the country to Hong Kong then re-enter?
Approximately how much does the visa application cost?

With the travel costs to HK, to do only a few weeks work in China, maybe it is not worth it..

If you only works in China for a few weeks, you don't need to apply for work visa, your employer can help you to get a Business Visa, it is possible to change tourist visa into business visa at the exit-entry administrative bureau within Mainland China.

It costs HK$ 450 for single entry work visa in Hong Kong, it is not worth it.

Thank you for the advice about converting from a tourist visa to a business visa. This would suit my situation very well. But how long does it normally take to process the application? Can I apply in Beijing? How much does it cost to apply?

It takes a week to process the application, you can apply it at Exit-Entry Administrative Bureau of Beijing Public Security. It costs 469 RMB for the application, if your employer doesn't know the procedure of application, you can ask a vsia agency in Beijing to help you to convert L visa to F visa.