Job Discussion Forums

jeffinflorida · Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2005 1:02 am Post subject: The Running Man...

Arnold I ain't. Stephen King I'm not. But we do have something in common. I AM The Running Man.

I was basically fed up at my school. Many read the thread National Week make Up Classes and listened to some of the issues I had with my school.

It didn't get any better after that week. They fined me 600rmb for missing classes and I got a nasty letter from the school president. Not a rich man but 600rmb was a laughable fine. The president was deciding if I should be fined $500 - 2000 USD for breaking the contract.

Moronic fao girl was getting on my nerves - most conversations between us ended in my turning away from her and walking away while she was talking to me. They paid me - and the other fts - a day late - and didn't think this was a problem. When I waved the contract under theirnoses and said it says pay me by the 10th they waved it off by saying that they never pay the Chinese teachers on time either.

A complaint to the dean about classes that have 29 students on the roster where there are 10 extra students in the class and I am wasting valuable class time finding out who is not in the class brought this remark: "Maybe they are in your class because you are so charming." Yes the dean knows all the right answers...

Complaints that I was promised only 30 students a class but 2 classes have over 60 students simply brought dumb looks. (The dean and fao girl are both clueless females...)

So one day I did my imitation of The Running Man. I packed my stuff and left. No good-byes to the school or notice. No letter of resignation. I didn't even give them the key to the apartment.

I simply left.

So my question is this. What will happen to me? Will the PSB track me down? Will the government force me to pay the school money? The R/T money they gave me or the contract termination fee?

If I go to the airport or a border crossing will I be stopped? Will I get back in on my visa? Will I ever get another visa or extension from the PRC?

More importantly, if I ever ask that pretty 21 year old girlfriend of mine to come back to the U.S. as wife or fianc�e will she have a problem?

Does the government of PRC hunt down Runners (ala Logan's Run?)

hengyangdave · Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2005 4:51 am Post subject:

I once ran from a company.....well connected in ChongQing....

I came back to hengyang without approval, broke back into my apartment with me locksmith friend (guanxi helps), stayed inside incase they came with all the locks closed, didnt answer the fone etc...etc...then went to HK got a new VISA and came back in as a tourist....

get into HK, get a new L visa and come back....you will be fairly clean after this...

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

i finished one job in china as i was treated rather well. the second job i had in china, i quit after 8 months due to internal problems. now, two weeks into this third job, i want to leave since the school has had nearly a month to prepare my flat (and i'm still not living in it), they never told me the school was a 45 minute bus ride out of town, no timetable yet after two weeks of work, and i am not able to get a hot shower daily out here in temp accommodation. i understand why some people quit jobs abruptly. i dont want to quit this job but if they dont attend to my requests/needs very very quickly, i'll quit this one by weeks end.

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

If a school treats you badly and/or doesn't live up to its contractual agreements (or even its spoken agreements), then I'm all for leaving the school. However, I would give the school a certain deadline to meeting your requests. I would also suggest giving it to them in writing. On your copy, you might have an addition at the bottom that says:

I, ___________________________(name of FAO or principal), have received a copy of the above letter from _______________________ (your name) and have discussed it with him (her) on ______________ (date).

There is no need in this addition for them to state WHEN the problems will be solved; you should already have a deadline in the original letter. This is just a matter of dotting your i's and crossing your t's so if and when the time comes that things have not been completed as written in your letter (and discussed), then your contact person can't say that he or she wasn't aware.

If you send an email, then blind copy (bc) yourself with the email and request a reply within 24 hours. If they don't reply, then call them and ask them to read the email and respond. If they don't do that, then call them every hour until they are sick of hearing from you. Once they DO respond, be sure and keep the response in an email folder you should have already created for just such correspondence. I always find it useful that if it's an issue that affects all your FTs to "CC" the other FTs if you have their email. Again, cover your bases - - don't get overly pushy or angry - - be patient for a reasonable amount of time ("reasonable" is an individual call), and then pack your bags and leave if it comes to that.

If you follow some of the above suggestions, then you should not have to do a runner. Rather, you can try your best for the school to act, then give a two-week notice (again, in writing) and leave professionally. If they scream "breach of contract", your a$$ should be well-covered by now.

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

good ideas kev... i handed in my requests/needs to my school in writing this morning. more positive things happened today than in the past 10 days combined. they didnt get everything i had insisted on today, but they got 3/6 and did pay me a full months salary for only 2.5 weeks work..... and even that came a week early. they must have read into my memo just as i had intended them to.

yes, u need to be persistent and sometimes forceful when dealing with FAO, or whoever it is that is supposed to be helping you. usually it can work out in the end, but not always.

warmest regards ~ 7969

Babala · Joined: 28 Jan 2005 Posts: 1303 Location: Henan

Jeff did you happen to return the airfare they gave you up-front?

hengyangdave · Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 4:28 am Post subject:

Rabid · Joined: 05 Oct 2005 Posts: 199

YearOfTheDog · Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 11:29 am Post subject:

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

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bdawg · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 526 Location: Nanjing

Do you think his school will hire another American? This isn't a stab against folks from the USA...just my opinion that running might have scarred that schools image of Americans.

hengyangdave · Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:47 pm Post subject:

in his defence.

he signed a contract....they wouldnt fulfil it....he came to china as agreed.....he is just doign loss prevention....basic economic function....minimise the loss!

YearOfTheDog · Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 3:13 pm Post subject:

jeffinflorida · Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2005 1:50 am Post subject:

Babala · Joined: 28 Jan 2005 Posts: 1303 Location: Henan

Jeff what you did was wrong. I'm sure there will be a bunch of people on this forum cheering you on, because in their minds the school is always the bad guy but let's face facts, you basically stole that money. The school trusted that you would complete your contract so they gave you the money up-front. Guess they won't be making that mistake again will they? I did read all your posts and it sounds like you weren't willing to negociate anything. If China isn't about the money for you, why didn't you return the airfare?