Job Discussion Forums

[johnyklamka]

hi,
I started working in early Feb 2009 and signed 1year contract.
I can already tell I am not going to handle this position till feb 2010
(let's say the conditions I was promised and pictures I was given before coming here have nothing to do with reality).
Of course my contract mentions penalty for breaking it.
From what I read here I conclude if I let them now I'm about to quit 30days in advance there should be no ptoblems(?)
My plan is to let them know I'm leaving in the end of May and quit in the end of June when the summer break starts(the school will have a lot of time to replace me).
My questions are:
-will I get my letter of release?
-can they decide not to pay me June salary out of spite?

If I do it this way should I expect any problems with the next employer/PSB procedures?
I'm leaving the country for July and August and come back to another province for a new job.
Thanks!

[Mister Al]

Shame it hasn't worked out for you but if you are planning to leave at the end of June wait until you've been paid for that month then just leave. If you give them notice you will get nothing. If you really feel you should talk to them before you actually leave then tell them you are going home in an emergency (after you get your June salary) and that you will let them know about the date of your return once you get home and get more information , then send them an email. At least they get you until the end of the semester and you get paid for the work you've done and avoid the penalty.

[Itsme]

I remember when I was sent a picture of a view on the beach and I ended up in a nuclear waste dump.

Maybe you should try addressing your needs instead of throwing a tantrum and leaving. Perhaps they would be happy to oblige. Just give it a try! Don't be scared.

[kev7161]

Anyone who has visited Dave's for the past few months/years should know that almost NO teaching job in China is going to be filled with luxurious amenities as are generally "promised" to them. Some schools will certainly be better than others but you have to learn to read between the lines when it comes to job advertisements and the email correspondences. Always expect simple accommodations but don't accept run-down, broken-down ones that don't provide the basic living needs you've been told about. Be prepared to have to drop a dime from time to time to get your own broom and dustpan or bathroom towels or a DVD player. If they "promised" you those things in your written contract (good luck with spoken agreements!), then make a list of what you've bought, keep your receipts, and give these to your school so they can reimburse you. If it were me, I'd probably make copies of these to keep for yourself and turn in your original items with a copy of your contract (or email correspondence) where it talks about these things -- highlighted. Then bundle it all together with a staple in the corner and give to your FAO. This of course is after you've talked with them about it and waited for a few days for them to comply. To keep things civil, you can even offer to go do the shopping because you know they are busy and may not have the time to do these tasks.

If you have busted water pipes in your home or some other sort of calamity, talk with your FAO and tell them (don't ask) that you will go to a hotel for a couple of days at their expense while the problem is being fixed. If they balk at this idea, just make sure they understand the problems in your apartment and you can't live like that. Ask them what happens should it happen in THEIR apartment. Try to make them feel a little guilty -- it can work wonders!

Get a VERY clear picture on what you will be teaching (which kinds of classes), how many in each classroom, any office hours or extra duties are expected according to your contract, teaching materials offered, etc. Again, make sure it's written down. This will never really guarantee anything, but it's something concrete that you can put in their face and ask about when things start falling apart.

There is a certain amount of flexibility one has to learn when coming to China, but if you are the only one contorting your body, then maybe it is time to move on. Yeah, if you're breaking a contract, wait for that final pay that you want before you move on, but you still have over 3 months to try and work things out - - to get what you need or what you've been "promised". Some schools will work with you, some simply . . . won't.

[eddy-cool]

I think it is a tad naive to expect brochure pictures to perfectly reflect the conditions on site.
I have never seen any 100% identity between the object described and the object found.
Yet I do have to add that in almost every situation the conditions for the laowai has been superior to the situation in which the local found himself.
I must say that some westerners arrive here with totally blinkered, overly optimistic expectations. When the apartment is described as facing a beach and they were expected to take up the apartment on the wrong side of the building they then regarded the description of their apartment as misleading and declined to accept the position. That the house was still next to the beach didn't matter one way or another...

You will perhaps quit your next job as quickly as your first one. You can do that with impunity the first time, but you can't repeat it a second one.

Try to figure out why you can't stick it out until February 2010 rather than take a few incongruences as pretext for quitting. From your post I am absolutely not clear whether you are trying to leave for valid reasons (such as being overworked, underpaid, abused, lorded over, shortchanged etc.).

Of course, you might be right. Yet if your employer has successfully 'fooled' you then you should try to find an amicable solution that satisfies him as well, and get a release letter and all the support for being hired anew.

[bradley]

Or you can do what many teachers seem to do. Just tell them that your (Insert your favorite here ) (mother, father, brother) is sick or dying and that you have to go home.

[KidfromBrooklyn]

Its not naivety to be disillusioned when your employers secure you by fraud. If your contract is truly fraudulent then by all means terminate. Be sure to get in writing the true circumstances, not the excuse that the administration wished to write for the record.

Or... this can be a new starting point for negotiations. Chinese employers expect this and any savy China hand knows that all contracts are renegotiable at anytime. So.

Give face, even thought face has been taken from you first by them thinking it is OK to defraud a laowei....Kindly give them an opportunity to improve things for you. If after your act of overt kindness and keen awareness to the inner workings of Chinese culture, your attempts fail, by all means terminate.

[evaforsure]

[johnyklamka]

thank you all,
My reasons for leaving are not the issure here, it's not like I don't like the paint on my wall in the apartment or. It's a lot of stuff I cannot cope with(eg master-slave relation).

Let's say I wait until the pay-day and leave without a word the next morning.
What's the story with(out) the 'letter of release' with another job.
How does it affect all the formalities with getting a new job if I leave the school overnight?
Thanks

[Ramblin' Man]

Let's say I wait until the pay-day and leave without a word the next morning.
What's the story with(out) the 'letter of release' with another job.
How does it affect all the formalities with getting a new job if I leave the school overnight?

The letter of release isn't that important. The much bigger issue is the possibility that you will be put on a national blacklist, and won't be able to work in China anymore. I have to say from a personal standpoint, and from somebody who may also be considering the take the money and run, not being able to work in China is not a prospect that bothers me that much anymore. There's plenty of other places to go in Asia let alone the word.

As long as you are not operating on the same Visa/residence permit the letter of release might not matter. Also sometimes people don't even bother to ask. I left my job early in Wuhan, and was given a letter of release,my next job in Guangzhou was on the same residence permit but they didn't even ask to see my letter of release, they took me at my word. I wouldn't expect that to happen to often.

But really, I think blacklisting should be the primary thought in your mind.

[evaforsure]

As of yet, no one has actually offered any evidence that there is a blacklist for run away teachers...

A former co worker of mine who had started work as a DOS at another company recently took over a branch office down south near HK on the mainland and had one of his workers jump ship for a better paycheck. The surprizing thing about it, the new job location of this former worker is right on the same university campus as his old job.

Now as to your question, need more information...

[suanlatudousi]

[Hansen]

OP. You are somewhat vague about your reasons for leaving. Master/ slave relationship is hardly justification. Why not consider developing some coping skills which will enable things to turn around?

You will be treated like a slave if you allow yourself to be so treated. That could easily, and probably will, happen anywhere.

You could try "limit setting." This is an effective coping and management strategy for those who deal with personality disordered types.

For example, if your are annoyed that your "master" calls you without notice for a meeting, interfering with other plans, simply say, "I'm sorry. I have other plans. Please notify me at least a day in advance, (or whatever)." Then say good by and leave your place immediately.

If you feel harrassed by continuing phone calls, screen his/her number.
Be polite but firm when setting limits. Usually, once the people hassling you get the idea that you won't allow them to continue, they'll look for other victims.

You have to take control of your life.

[evaforsure]

[xiao51]