Job Discussion Forums

[dakelei]

I'll admit I'm a bit afraid to go totally public with this and squawk too loudly so I'll withhold names for now. I'm presently owed at least 5000
yuan and possibly as much as 15,000 by a public university in Guangdong that I'm convinced is banking on me just quietly going away. This is not
some sleazy training center we're talking about here, friends. It's a
public university and has screwed several FT's out of salary and plane
fare money that was promised to them. Will shaming the place in public
forums like this one do any good at all? I really don't know what to do
next.

[Raindrops]

If you can legally prove that they do owe you money I think that I can help you, PM the University's name.

[Robin53]

Outing them here will not help you get your money. Instead, look at your SAFEA contract, and at the end it says that if you and the university can not resolve a dispute, you are entitled to go to the local Dept Education Office and ask them to mediate. If the university is definately in breach of their contract with you, the local Dept Education Office will make them pay you what is owed immediately, and invite you to "punish" the university with a fine of up to US$5000. They may also remove the university's license to hire foreign teachers.

Unfortunately its often either a lazy office worker or a rotten egg who causes these problems in an otherwise good university. However a contract is a contract, and this is one situation in which you definately have power if the university has broken the contract.

Start discretely finding out the contact person who speaks English in your local Dept Education Office where you live and call them. Action will be very swift and you will be supported 100% .

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

Good Luck Dakelei. Update us on the outcome.

[Hansen]

Robin, Is that a joke? Would you please tell us about the wonderful experiences you have had in discovering, righteousness, justice, and truth when assisted by the local "department of education" or even provincial level FAOs

[LanGuTou]

[LanGuTou]

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

I have an They could collaborate and send a message to someone else who might forward it on.

[JGC458]

First off, ultimately only you can decide what to do, and anything anyone on here says may not necessarily have any bearing on your situation.

That said, I've been in China 3 years and had lots of "nagging" from my Chinese wife about the best ways to deal with Chinese people/staff.

If I were in your situation I might first try to solve the problem amicably without shaming anyone. Perhaps stress how you are surprised and disappointed that the contract is not being honoured. Of course, you need to be an innocent party for this to have a chance of working. If you've broken the contract or try to threaten them you lose the "moral high ground". Have written proof (dated, names, etc) that you have requested the situation to be resolved - perhaps emails to and from the school would be enough for this?? Give the school (and tell the school they have) a reasonable amount of time to solve the problem - though now we're at the end of the semester you can't give them too much time.

If they fail to resolve the problem in the given time then go to arbitration. Again, be reasonable and calm and state how sorry you are that you have had to resort to this action. Arbitration may not work, but it will have a better chance of working if it is very clear that ONLY you are the innocent party/victim. If you muddy the waters with threats and wild accusations and actions then you may be seen as a trouble maker.

If arbitration doesn't work - if the school is too well connected - then there's probably nothing you can do anyway.

One important point though. Be very careful about getting irate and screaming and shouting. If the problem is one lazy/decietful school emplyee then perhaps being firm/forceful with him/her may work. But if you start getting angry with lots of staff then you may be seen as being disrespectful of the Chinese in general, and people may not want to help you simply on principle.

Anyway, just my thoughts, just what I might do. You decide what's best for you.

Good luck.

[Raindrops]

Well put JGC458

http://www.safea.gov.cn/

86-10-68948899
86-10-68940923
[email protected]

Call, they will switch you to an English speaking pers.

[suanlatudousi]

[dakelei]

I'm no longer living in the city where all this transpired and I have no idea who the Ed. Department person is. At one point a Chinese woman who claims to "know" people called the FAO director to help me and he agreed to pay me. It never happened. The problem, as they see it, is that I never actually left the country and am therefore entitled to nothing as far as plane fare is concerned. That simply isn't what the contract says. I was supposed to be paid something like half the value of the plane fare a month or so after I arrived and never was. I didn't even notice this in the contract until I was nearly done, to be honest, and I was trying to chase down ANY money they would give me. I would gladly settle for even that first half of the plane money and if they feel they don't owe me the rest because I stayed in the country, heck, I could live with that. I lingered at the school until my Residence Permit was dangerously close to expiring, hoping for some sort of resolution to this before I left. I finally accepted a position in another city, in haste, and moved, without the money. I wound up never getting my last month's salary, either.

My email address is publicly posted at my profile so anyone who wants to contact me can do so if you feel like it. I'd appreciate any help you might offer.

[JGC458]

[JGC458]

OP, I have a feeling that you may have left it too late. Maybe other posters may know what you could try doing.

[suanlatudousi, nice to see you becoming a little less extreme...even if it is under duress.]

[The Ever-changing Cleric]