Job Discussion Forums

[MNguy]

[Brian Hugh]

I think you have the right to leave a job anywhere. Being an English teacher slave is not alright. I have been here a few years and worked for places that constantly get bad reviews on this board. The only way to stop them is to make them also hurt. Leave the job but try to line something else up before you go. I recommend you try in an other province. Most of the people I see here who get into trouble get work in the same city or same province. The problem is with the release letter. I have never left a job and always finished all my contracts. About 50% paid me my airline and everything stipulated in the contract.
I wonder why there are so many people on this board who back up bad employers? It is not a problem just for foreigners but also for Chinese workers. THey too are being held hostage. They are also having their wages held back and told the same thing,"If we pay you, you will leave." Adendums constantly being added to contracts is another thing that happens a lot here.

[stinkytofu]

[shadowrider]

A foreign teacher on a Chinese contract teaching at a Chinese school whose arbitration location for contract disputes is also in China. Nice. We seen how well that worked even for Apple. Has a foreign teacher ever prevailed in a contract dispute?

Other forums are full of stories of what employers can do to teachers in disputes. Sometimes the midnight run is the only way to go. Honor is mentioned. Agreed. But a contract is not a license to abuse as well.

First thing I was told by other FTs at work is to have airfare money saved up in case things go south.

The NZ embassy says it best;

http://www.nzembassy.com/china/new-zealanders-overseas/living-china/working-china/employment-contracts

and the Canadian embassy itself:

[johntpartee]

[Lobster]

Some posters here have stated that they have been successful in arbitration and negotiations. Maybe the odds are against it, but it doesn't mean you can't win if you have a good case.

[Trebek]

Flying Colours??? Please clue us all in on what happened? You posted a question with no follow up? Did you do the runner? What was so awful about your job?

[choudoufu]

[shadowrider]

[danasoverseasemail]

In essence, being married to a Chinese national gives you no special rights, period. Few of those married to Chinese citizen "has" any rights. You are only likely to get an extended length visitor visa should you choose to not have a work visa.

Nobody holds your FEC and Alien Resident Permit but you. If you allow anyone to keep your FEC and/or Passport (the location of your ARP), then you deserve anything that happens to you.

There are ways to identify your original signature and contract. Such as initialing each term, item, condition of your contract, each page of the contract, putting identifying marks here or there, somewhere, someplace that would otherwise go unnoticed by those attempting to replace pages or terms without your knowledge or approval. Original copies, with original signatures, notes, including a "stray" mark or two in a color other than black, say, red for example, that would likely also go unnoticed when a page substitution is attempted.

Why should anyone have "bargaining power" once the contact is signed? Bargaining is a situation/condition that takes place PRIOR to signing the contract. If you negotiated, or didn't, conditions you don't like; too bad, suck it up, 'cuz it's your fault. You have no right to change the situation after signing the thing - unless both parties agree - and to be frank, why should the employer agree to anything different once you've negotiated and signed the contract ?

All laughable really.

Yes, you are suppose to do exactly that, to suck it up and take it - you are obligated to follow the law. Since China has "supposedly" implemented this new taxation policy, you are supposed to do just that - take it. Either pay the tax or leave the country. The other side of the coin is, you have signed (assuming) a legal contract, which obligates you to complete the contract length. Violation of the contract, skipping out, etc. is in violation of civil law, and as far as I'm concerned should hold legal, financial, and other consequences for violators - JUST as the contract law dictates.

The contract specifically states that you are required to abide by the laws of the PRC, thus you've already agreed to any new laws placed in the books. Whether you knew the law existed or not, whether it would or would not, that's too darn bad. Pleading ignorance is child-like.

Either follow the contract, the laws, including taxation, or leave the country entirely and never return.

I think it's pretty, clearly, cut and dry simple.

[Zero]

choudofu, or stinkydoufu, or whatever your name is: It's not as simple as sign/not sign. So often, the school doesn't hold up its end of the bargain. Then what? At that point it's too late to say, "Don't sign."

[Opiate]

[Opiate]

..considering the OP has not said a single word in this thread since it was created...I am inclined to believe he was just trolling. So really...we are all likely wasting our time here.

[igorG]

No, we're not wasting our time at all but

[choudoufu]