Job Discussion Forums

[silkbomber]

Greetings All.
I was recently contacted by an associate of mine, who told me his school had too many classes for the summer, and asked if I wanted to do some part time work. I have plenty of spare time at the moment so I thought sure, why not. They said it would only be for a month, but in the end they only needed for me a week. No big deal. No contracts or anything were signed, and I started on good faith because of the advice my friend gave me.
It's been nearly a month since i did the work, and I still haven't been paid because they only pay foreign teachers monthly. Yesterday once of the ladies from the office called me to ask if I could bring in my passport and leave it with them so I can get paid on tuesday. I feel very uncomfortable with this, and can't understand how for a part time teacher they would need my passport. They claim it's for tax reasons, but with the small amount I worked their would be no tax involved..

Has anyone been in a similar situation, if so, so you have any advice?

[kev7161]

Why not just bring a copy of your passport and residence permit and give that to them?

[silkbomber]

I have offered to take a copy to them, but they are saying they need the original. I really don't want to leave my passport with a private company, with which i have no affiliation with and no trust in.

[bnej]

Stay with them for the whole time they have your passport? Just say you need to have it back for x reason that same day. Maybe you need it for buying a plane ticket...I dunno.

[LanGuTou]

Approach this with care!

You could end up with further problems. What you have been doing is basically moonlighting. I assume that you have a RP for another school therefore a SAFEA contract and FEC. The right to work is employer specific. FT's do work on the quiet but it is cash in pocket as this should be. I certainly do not recommend handing over your passport. I do not know what their true intentions are but I doubt it is tax related.

[Miasaurus]

Honestly, I'd sooner just not get paid. I hope it works out for you!

[mat chen]

Ya be careful. I watched a few people get sent home. They are digging sometimes for something you have done wrong in the past and then they don't have to pay you. Remember everyone is friends here. I agree that you should never give your passport to anyone. But in China you are then labelled a trouble maker.
Sometimes it is better to take the loss and have you passport incase you have to go to a hospital, use a computer room or just rent a place to stay. If you have to leave the country you need it to buy the ticket.

[JamesD]

Absolutely, positively do NOT leave your passport with anyone except your employer or a government office (when you know they need it for official reasons) or someone you would otherwise trust with your life's savings.

Since they are not your legal employers a copy of the main page and the visa page is the most they should need and even then they should be able to tell you exactly why. If they say they need the actual passport I would take the loss, sounds fishy to me.

[maotouying]

Just a reminder "your passport" though in your possession is a document from your country.

Your passport is the most valuable document. It confirms your citizenship. Guard it carefully. Do not use it as collateral for a loan or lend it to anyone. It is your best form of identification.

[silkbomber]

Ok, thankfully an agreement was made that i was to give them a copy of my passport, and sign it saying it's mine, and they gave me the cash. In the end they didn't even look at my original. It took my wife and I 4 days of arguing with them, but in the end they understood.

[johntpartee]

Every time I hear something about a "rule" or "requirement" that sounds the least bit dodgy, it turns out to be some authoritarian wannabe who's gotta show that they have some power.