Job Discussion Forums

[mcloo7]

It's nice to have an exit strategy. So if you get to China, do your job for a while and really don't like it, can you quit and look for a job at another school? As long as you follow the protocol written into your contract, such as giving a month's notice, is it doable to find a more suitable job for yourself and leave your current school?

[Javelin of Radiance]

The best way to make sure you like your job is to do enough research on the place before you get there. It likely isn't going to be perfect and things are gonna go wrong and you're going to have to deal with it. Accept that fact and try to enjoy it. If it becomes so unbearable then you quit, but what makes you think the next job is going to be any better? The learning curve here is steep. Some people just aren't cut out for it.

[roadwalker]

Yeah, agree with Javelin. No, it's not easy to quit and change jobs in the middle of what should have been a year or near-year contract. I would be suspicious of the company that was considering hiring someone who just didn't like the job they came over to do.

It is possible that the boss, the working conditions, the living conditions will be so bad that quitting is appropriate, and sometimes research doesn't find it out before it is too late. But those must be pretty rare cases and they always seem to happen to a select few posters. Most of us plod through and vent but otherwise bide our time and change at the end of the contract (if we don't like where we are or there were major problems that weren't taken care of to our satisfaction).

If you do find yourself in a situation that you can't fix or abide, transferring can be relatively easy or extremely difficult depending on your soon to be ex-employer, your new employer and the province you are in. You may have to return to your home country and apply for a new z-visa. You may be able to transfer a Residence Permit to a new employer with the permission of the old employer. Not likely if the boss is that bad.

Just be patient, don't lose your temper, quietly insist on what was bargained for and be friendly. Most times the school or company will want to keep you happy and will try their best to fix problems (which will almost certainly crop up). Come with a positive attitude.

[Simon in Suzhou]

[Simon in Suzhou]

As a caveat, i will say there is a difference between "not liking" a job you've chosen, and being dealt with dishonestly and unprofessionally.

[xiguagua]

I agree, if you just don't like it there, you should kinda suck it up, but if the school is incredibly unprofessional and treats you like crap, well, they get whats coming to them when they have to replace the foreign teachers every 3 months. And there are plenty of those schools around......

[Non Sequitur]

[GreatApe]

Simon in Suzhou wrote: