Job Discussion Forums

DistantRelative · Joined: 19 Oct 2004 Posts: 367 Location: Shaanxi/Xian

GWOW: Nice to see you made it back! Hope you managed to get all the issues with your internet straightened out!

Middleman- It's good to hear your experience with Star has been a positive one. We'll hope it remains so. You say you have worked for them "at intervals, on and off, since 2006"? Have you gotten any of your deposits back? You don't address this in your post. You only state that you've worked for them, and they do indeed withhold money from your salary. Are we to assume that they are currently holding 2400 of your salary on an apartment they provided for you?

Frankly I think this is reasonable enough, but based on DC's experience, if I were in your shoes, I would be a bit concerned about it.

Zhuhao,

Shawn

Teatime of Soul · Joined: 12 Apr 2007 Posts: 905

Middleman: It's great you are having a fair go of it at your current employer, and even dedicate your first post on Daves in defense thereof.

It's unfortunate that you didn't post this nice review earlier, before a defense of your employer, in such a timely and convenient manner, would appear to some to be almost conjured.

Is it true that Star International keeps the passports of it's FTs? That seems an unlikely thing.

Thanks and continued good luck.

OGFT · Joined: 24 Jun 2006 Posts: 432

no one thinks they will get a deposit back..especially the landlord that takes it..
in Florida..even if you got it back there was no interest paid on it..

Middleman · Joined: 21 Jan 2008 Posts: 4

Ok, I didn't realise that taking deposits was illegal in accordance with the labour law. I'll check up on it. Thanks for letting me know anyway.

Middleman · Joined: 21 Jan 2008 Posts: 4

propertee · Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 88

Lobster · Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 3:41 am Post subject:

I'd have to agree that holding someone hostage by retaining their passport, rather than keeping a teacher by treating them well, is a pretty low form of behaviour. As for keeping an on-going deposit, that strikes me as total BS too. Taken together, it would make me worry about this particular organization's ethics and attitudes.

RED

lf_aristotle69 · Joined: 06 May 2006 Posts: 546 Location: HangZhou, China

Teatime of Soul · Joined: 12 Apr 2007 Posts: 905

Lobster · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 2:38 pm Post subject:

My last employer wanted to barcode my forehead. I used Nu-SkinTM and peeled it off afterwards.

RED

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

For those of you in a new job situation and have even an inkling that your boss is going to keep your passport beyond the time they need to get a residence permit affixed, you should beware. I don't often use my passport in a 2 or 3 month span of time, but I do use it. Mostly my once a month trip to the bank to exchange money is the main reason. However, should I want to go somewhere and sleep in a hotel, I must show it to the front desk. Certainly if I were to FLY somewhere, I need to have it as ID. But just the fact that someone else is holding on to it would creep me out.

You need to make sure (get it in writing if need be) that you are going to get your passport back immediately (within a couple of weeks tops). If they hem and haw or have some sort of "policy" about keeping it, don't accept the job. If they say they need it for some other reason, have a copy of the main page (and they can copy the Res. permit) at the ready to provide them. KEEP YOUR PASSPORT! It is one of the most important documents in your possession while in a strange and new foreign country.

cj750s · Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 2:10 am Post subject:

Under the current labor laws of china an employer cannot even keep your passport...any infraction can and should be reported to your embassy and then to the labor board. It is also law that your should also have the passport on you at all times..but usually a copy will do...

Middleman · Joined: 21 Jan 2008 Posts: 4

Chinglish? I thought my English was ok for an Englishman. I'll have to brush up on my grammar in the future. I guess you're right though, it's probably best to hang onto your passport. I gave it to them because I trusted them, (I guess you'll think I'm naive) but I got it back after the 2 month period as they had promised. I'm not even sure if it's a part of their policy now. They still have a deposit, but I'm expecting that I will be getting that back too when my employment with them comes to an end, (probably again naively, but we'll see). To be honest though, I haven't heard of any evidence that Peter is spending time with gangsters.