Job Discussion Forums

[zenmeban]

I'm planning on giving my employer about 7 days notice before leaving, considerably less than the month or so they require. I'll give his notice right after I collect my pay. The remaining (unpaid) salary will go towards expenses I'm obligated to repay (a few thousand yuan in "fees," receipt or proof of which I've never been shown, though I've asked several times).

I'm thinking of running because I don't trust the school to pay me fairly after I give them one month's notice. There has been no transparency, the administration has proven itself unwilling to work with any reasonable requests we have and responds with contempt, calling us ungrateful. The (foreigner) teacher in charge of us is a two-faced liar who pretends to be on our side. Meanwhile, he avoids work, never gives any of our helpful feedback to the administration (because it would give him more work) and (we suspect) badmouths some of the teachers to higher-ups. I only just received my work visa, and I began working here May 2013.

My question:
I might sound paranoid, but... if I do a midnight run, is there anything they can do to me? Can they call the cops or cancel my visa or something? I thought giving them some notice might allow us to leave on decent terms and for me to get a release letter, but should I just be safe and do a midnight run?

[johntpartee]

Last June you said you were planning to arrive in July. You state here that you have been in China since May. Difficult to afford you any credibility.

[Zimmer]

Your visa, or residence permit is tied to your employer. If you leave the job they would most likely contact the PSB who will cancel the visa.

[drjtrekker]

OP,

If you are terminated, supposedly you will not be able to obtain another RP or z visa for 5 years, possibly tourist visa as well (the latter i'm not clear on).
This info comes from our HR because our UNI had to deal with a couple of issues like this recently.

These are the NEW visa rules that have been recently established (so i'm told from HR), along with the "new" background check that is starting to be mandated by some provinces.

Just don't know if that 5 year dealy is official now or not...

[kev7161]

Assuming you started working in September, that means your contract will expire in June (end of). After this holiday, won't you have roughly 4 months or so left to work? What kind of complaints/requests have you discussed with the school? Have you been paid on time, given accommodations, etc. as laid out in your contract? Why not just bite it and work the last part of your contract and leave on a high note, hopefully with full pay and no worries about finding employment elsewhere?

For me, your post doesn't have enough details to warrant my support of you or a kind of feedback that would say, "yes, doing a midnight runner may well be your best option." At this point, it sounds to me that you are a little miffed at things and just want to quit because the work is not as fun or easy as you thought it would be. That's just my take.

[zenmeban]

@john
Thanks for looking up my previous posts, bud, you're a true internet sleuth. Honestly, I just don't want too many exact details out there, as describing my situation with 100% accurate detail could get me in trouble. Anyway, feel free to post some useful information if you have any.

@zimmer
That's alright, this will probably be my last job in China. I like it here, but I'm also ready for the next adventure.

@drjtrekker
Thanks for the heads up, I'm gonna have to do more research about this. I'd definitely like to come back to check out Xinjiang and Sichuan in the next few years, so...

@kev7161
What kind of complaints/requests have you discussed with the school?

Well, again, I don't want to lay out too many details, but...
-Being forced to work during national holidays in violation of the contract
-Being forced to work overtime and (allegedly) receiving fewer teaching hours when at work instead of money as stipulated in the contract
-Asking if some of us could take Christmas off since there were very few classes (not in the contract, but... really? We have to show up and hang around for hours with ZERO classes just because "it's a work day?" We just wanted a show of goodwill--before that, we have never asked for any concessions)
-Being paid late for the first few months by several days, getting blown off by management when the issue was politely brought up
-Never getting an answer to the question "why?" Why are we having these new training sessions? Why have a waited months and not gotten a visa? Why does the Chinese staff keep quitting? Why are we changing our company name yet again...?
-Being denied time off, sick leave pay, etc. because "proper forms were not submitted." When asking the manager about this, he suddenly "remembered" that he told us all months ago, despite none of us being told about it

Have you been paid on time, given accommodations, etc. as laid out in your contract? Why not just bite it and work the last part of your contract and leave on a high note, hopefully with full pay and no worries about finding employment elsewhere?
As mentioned above, I now get paid on time, but it was only after some extreme brinksmanship my another teacher. I also receive no benefits whatsoever, not even accommodation, so that doesn't matter. (Before the self-righteous China tough guys show up, no, I'm not whining about it, I read the contract before signing it.) Also, I'm not looking to work in China again, so that shouldn't be a huge problem, I think.




Look, I don't want to screw anyone. That's not the kind of person I am, and that's why I came here to ask for advice instead of just doing it. But what I've found in many of my dealings with some (less than honest) Chinese is that courtesy/kindness is seen as weakness and will definitely be exploited. If I give notice and then suddenly my last paycheck fails to appear... well, then what? I have no recourse. And from the incidents I've described in my posts, they don't seem very trustworthy or particularly concerned about my well-being.

[Shroob]

Just my thought, but if they (the employer) broke the contract first, then I wouldn't have qualms leaving, especially if I had no plans to return. Of course I'd do the most I could to resolve the situation without deserting, but it's a two-way street, they (the employer) need to honour the contract just as much as the teacher.

[Bud Powell]

Your complaints aren't unique. Being forthright about your situation won't jeopardize your job (which you say you don't want anyway). If your employer is so horrible, I doubt that he cares enough to even look on forums to see if anyone is complaining about him.

[muffintop]

[Babala]

I would suggest you give notice. If you just pull a runner, the only people who will suffer are the other teachers who will be forced to pick up your classes.

[Non Sequitur]

[Spyro]

I personally would try to stick it out, just because the complaints you listed are common occurrences for a first newbie job in China. You could have done much worse, trust me.

Nevertheless, if you are going to leave (especially if you are leaving China), I would just go right away. No week long notice, nothing. Disappear.

Giving a week notice is only going to give you tons of trouble at shitty low-end schools (which is why most people consider pulling a runner in the first place). You'll get threatened, bullied, and I've heard some pretty crazy stories about employers making life miserable for people leaving.

So just go, don't feel guilty or bad (your western sense of honor isn't reciprocated here) and move on with your life

[thechangling]

[Bud Powell]

Make a new plan, Stan...
Drop off the key, Lee,
and get yourself free.

If you have absolutely no plans to return, and your contract has been broken as you say, you'd be stupid to stay.

However, showing patience and restraint, courtesy, and kindness is not really a sign of weakness to the Chinese. If one shows little emotion, I've found, he will be acting outside the employer's expectations of a westerner. He'll wonder what you'll do next. Don't give any indication of what you'll do. Make no threats. Just do it.

Your employer can make your life miserable, especially at this time of year if he owns (or has an interest in the apartment in which you live) or if he knows the landlord. Your heat can be turned off (as mine was) with the excuse that no repairman can be found.

If you want to push back in the hope that your employer will fall in line, visit your city FAO. Find out where it is and make an unannounced visit. The city FAO is responsible for you and for the behavior of your employer. The City FAO WILL investigate.

"... The (foreigner) teacher in charge of us is a two-faced liar who pretends to be on our side. Meanwhile, he avoids work, never gives any of our helpful feedback to the administration (because it would give him more work) and (we suspect) badmouths some of the teachers to higher-ups. I only just received my work visa, and I began working here May 2013. ..."

I know from experience that this is a formidable problem. I suggest that you keep your conversations with your employer low-key. Perhaps negotiate an early release (with a letter in English) and then allow the employer to change your Z visa (if you have a valid one) to an L. You'll be allowed to leave and return after you go home after you regroup and make a better choice of employer.

Buy time through your stoolie FT handler. Have a meeting with your boss, and even if nothing comes of it, report back to the psycho FT that all is well and that you think your boss is a good guy. It WILL be reported back.

Meanwhile, plan an escape if you can't come to an amicable agreement to release you from your responsibilities. Be advised that a one-week notice that's three weeks short of contractual obligation can worsen your situation.

Jettisoning a sh*tty employer should be like a good bowel movement: smooth and on-time.

[wonderingjoesmith]