Job Discussion Forums

Brian Caulfield · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 1247 Location: China

Has anyone here had experience in China where they left a job . I tried to get a release from my employer but was given another job . Teaching 550 students . Students are great but the Chinese English teachers whould prefer I wasn't there and go out of their way to make things difficult. Too long and boring to go into . I just want to move on ,but am afraid I will have trouble with immigration .
I heard if you move to another province there is no problem . This is a first for me in twenty years of doing this job . I have always worked at least two years at the same place . I was recruited by the infamous Sean whose name has come up on this site . He washed his hands when I contacted him .So far I am the only one out money .
Has anyone taken another job before there contract expired . I have 5 more months to go but I am doing a terrible job under my present working conditions .
Midnight run to anywhere ,
Bia Lin

lagerlout2006 · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 985

Be careful. I see people move to Shanghai but when the police look at their visa they know they are not supposed to be there. One is supposed to be where one is. Try but be prepared to leave the country.

Lee_Odden · Joined: 22 Apr 2004 Posts: 172

Brian - I did a "runner" my first time out; conditions were worse than yours, perhaps. I am in a very good situation now so I am glad that I did leave but I had the same trepidations you do. I also asked for a letter of release and even offered to pay whatever extortion, I mean "release," money they may have wanted but they wouldn't have it. This topic has been covered here in depth before, so you may want to do a search on "letter of release" or "breaking the contract."

In a nutshell - technically, you need either a letter of release or a letter of completion to be hired by another school (irrespective of province). However, this is China so anything goes. It did become more difficult for me to find work (about one out of every two schools summarily rejected my application as soon as they ascertained I would not be supplying them with those letters). However, one school managed to work it out somehow. What was of paramount importance to them was that my passport contained a Z-Visa and that I was still in possession of a valid residency permit (which was the case for both). They did ask me to complete another foreign expert medical exam as it had been more than six months since the first one. And that was that. Fairly painless really.

The major, if not only, down side to pulling a runner is that, most likely, you will not be able to return to the same province at a later date to work for a different employer.