Job Discussion Forums

[china505]

Hello all,

A few weeks back I wrote about switching jobs and got some great advice, I followed the advice and things went fairly smoothly.

earlier this week I was given my release letter although Ill be with the same company to finish out the semester because this was the agreement we made. Basically, contractually I had to give 6 weeks notice, we mad a deal to give me my release letter early (so I could give it to the new school before they go away for summer vacation) and I stay until the end of the term, no problem.

Well, today I went to the school to turn in the papers they asked for:release letter and medical check.

They looked at my papers and said: "did you bring the release letter?", I told them this was it and they said "no, this isnt a release letter"....Then they showed me a "release letter"...

The letter I was given had a short paragraph in chinese at the top of the page, then below presumably the same paragraph but translated into english saying xxxx is released from his duties on xxxx date, and has a red stamp on it and official company letterhead.

The release letter they showed me is a form letter that is stamped in 2 places...

not the same thing.

Whats going on here??? I provided the new school with the phone number to the current school and the person who handles these papers. I also spoke with another co-worker who was given the same paper as me when they requested their release letter.

-what paper was given to me?
-what should I do?
-what would YOU do?
-am i getting jerked around?

-For those of you who have seen a release letter, what did it look like?

Thanks, im sort of upset now, today was to be the day that I handed my things in, signed the new contract then went on cruise control for a few more weeks as the semester ends....

FML, thanks again.

[rogerwilco]

Probably best to just let your new school handle getting the correct
release letter from your old school.

[GeminiTiger]

http://bizpanda.org/download-chinese-letter-of-release-reference/

this is what it should look like.

[ymmv]

Not to add to your concerns, but are you on a Foreign Expert Certificate currently? And is your next job in a different city/province? And are you on a Residence Permit? If your answer to all 3 is yes, under your plan, you may well into another problem in 6 weeks.

Last summer, I was doing the same thing - getting the release letter in early July so the new school could start the process before summer holiday. My then school was co-operative and gave me an early release letter and I also gave them my FEC to be cancelled locally (a requirement there and in the new city). Got everything sorted the first week of July and sent on to the new school, which promptly processed it through their local Foreign Experts Bureau and a new FEC was issued there within 7 days. (BTW, this had no effect at my old school. They honored my contract and paid me through August and let me stay in the school apartment until I moved to the new city in the third week of August).

In the new city, I would require a new Residence Permit when I arrived and my new school said we'll take care of that when you get here. So I arrive in the 3rd week of August, about 6 weeks after the new FEC had been issued, and the next day go to the PSB to take care of the RP. They immediately flag me when looking at the FEC (which is a requirement to getting the RP) and send me to another station where the officer spends 45 minutes looking at his computer screen without saying anything. FInally, he says, "You have overstayed your visa and broken the law." I didn't overstay my visa because I have been in China for a few years, constantly on renewed RPs. He said that the FEC I presented had been issued 6 weeks earlier. The cancellation of my previous FEC effectively cancelled my "visa" and with the issuance of the new FEC, according to the law, you have 10 days to use that new FEC to get a new RP. Otherwise, you are considered to have overstayed. It's a PSB rule. I asked, and he told me that the FEB and PSB systems aren't linked, so they don't know my FEC was cancelled until I showed up bearing the new one. Catch 22

I tried to explain that all of this was done by the FAOs of the two universities to try to get some of the paperwork out of the way before they went on summer holiday and I had no idea..... In the end, he told me he would waive the penalty (I think he said it was 5,000) and I just needed to sign a "confession" written in Chinese, and he would send me back to the RP desk with a waiver and my RP application would go through.

Which I did, and it did. I was a little pissed off at the new school FAO for having put me now on record as having "overstayed visa". I contacted SAFEA afterwards about this, and THEY didn't know about this PSB "rule". They made some calls to the PSB and actually got back to me and said that this was a new rule (last year) from the PSB. It hadn't been communicated to other branches (i.e. SAFEA or the local FEBs) and SAFEA confirmed that their systems aren't (yet) tied into the PSB system.

The takeaway for you china505, is that even if your well-meaning plan goes through and you do get the proper release letter, a 6 week cruise control voyage may result in a big hassle with the PSB over your new RP when you land at your new job.

[GeminiTiger]

[ymmv]

Beijing. As of August, 2012. Confirmed by SAFEA after calls to Beijing PSB.

I was just trying to give the OP a "heads up" because his plan DID sound solid (assuming he gets the correct release letter-which is different from getting an FEC cancelled. As I mentioned, I went through a similar process last summer thinking I had all prospective bases covered, only to run into the PSB wall of silent rules.

My moniker is ymmv for good reason. But I thought I'd give him/her a heads up on the next possible monkey-wrench he might encounter.

[china505]

more details:

Im leaving a language mill, Ill give details and a name of this place and describe why I am leaving once things are settled. I am currently not living in their housing and being paid their housing stipend.

The new job is at a university in the same city so no change of provinces or even cities.

I was told a few hours after posting that this other letter they want is a "recommendation" letter although it asks no information regarding you and your skills. I would attach this file so you could see but it has another foreigners name on it as its just a scan of his.

Is this a legal document? why do they need it when I have a release letter.

I am worried because this school is rather pissed that I am leaving and im worried they will give me shit about this letter.

Do I have any legal ground here? like with the release letter and the foreign experts bereau???

thanks again.

[china505]

Ill add that my residence oermit expires a few days before then end of august and my FEC is good through the first quarter of 2014.

[china505]

Ill add that my residence oermit expires a few days before then end of august and my FEC is good through the first quarter of 2014.

[rogerwilco]

The past two times that I have changed schools the new school needed a letter that is both a recommendation and a release letter from the old school.