Job Discussion Forums

JRJohn · Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 175

I signed a contract with a public school in Beijing. Actually, it's not with the school directly, but with Chaoyang District, Beijing, or an agency they employed.
My contract mentions flight reimbursement, something I was granted the last time I was in China. But for this job, the flight into andout of China may be reimbursed. This is new. However, to get this reimbursement, I need to get a special certificate from the airline. My e-ticket will not do. Here is what is required:
ITINERARY/RECEIPT OF E-TICKET FOR AIR TRANSPORT”. Head office sent me a picture of the certificate, which has a mixture of Chinese and English on it.
I have never been asked for this before. Does anyone know of this certificate and how it may be acquired in Beijing? I flew to China by Turkish Airlines, and I still haven't found the phone number of their Beijing office, though I have searched online. A Turkish number was provided .

Unchained English · Joined: 31 Dec 2014 Posts: 32

I am assuming this is the beginning of your contract period. I would bring out the contract and show NOTHING was referenced in regards to this certificate and you would like reimbursement or release letter to go to another school. Don't put up with Chinese who change things when you arrive. At least put up an initial fight.

If you allow them an inch they will screw you later on as well. If you waited for the end of your contract period before bringing this up, then you might be out of luck.

Learn, and then don't do it again with the next school.

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

New to me, but I have found FAO people sometimes have a limited understanding of international air travel.
If the deal was an 'allowance' then the date and flight from an E-ticket should be enough.
But 'reimbursement' no doubt brings in all kinds of audit requirements. None of which make it easy for you.
Maybe one to add to the contract checklist?
Keep us in the loop OP.

Simon in Suzhou · Joined: 09 Aug 2011 Posts: 404 Location: GZ

This has suddenly become an issue with my university. In the past they paid us a lump sum of cash each term for travel/flights. However, now that sum is putting some of us in a higher tax bracket, so they wanted to go the way of reimbursement.

A reimbursement can be written off as a tax expense in a way that a cash travel payment cannot, as I understand it. When i went in with my e-ticket for reimbursement, the accounting office told me it was not sufficient anymore. Perhaps this is a new paperwork requirement from the gov't...I don't know. I was told there has been "tax reforms" this year (at least in Guangzhou) and they are trying to be a little more careful about having their ducks in a row should an auditor stop by.

I'm always skeptical, as you never know what is true and what is a convenient lie in China. But the office did work with me to move some of my money around to holiday time to avoid paying the higher taxes, so on this one I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

With all that said, I think there may be something to the OP needing a different document from the airlines. Now whether this document actually exists and can be produced by each airline or if it is something someone in a government tax office has dreamed up that SHOULD exist, is yet to be seen.

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

Good point about tax brackets Simon. It has a ring of truth about it.

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

Actually, as of last year (2014) a new rule/law/mandate was that e-tickets were now sufficient for reimbursements. My school in Suzhou has said this and it was even posted on the elong.com website for awhile. Previously, we had to have red-stamped receipts for everything travel related (train, airplane, hotels, etc.) in order to get reimbursements. Ah, life in China. Never a dull moment and never an organized plan!