Job Discussion Forums

[7969]

every time my school does something in the favour of the FTs, they turn around and negate it by being fools again.

to recap, i came here in early october on a 90 day L visa. it was soon apparent that the school couldnt convert that into a Z and in late october i knew i would have to go to hong kong to get a new Z. however, instead of going to HK in october and doing it, the school told me to hang on to see if they could bribe some local official and get the Z visa. fast track to two weeks ago: the school said they cant do it and the school official told me i should leave by the end of my visa, which expires on december 30th, with the appropriate paperwork to get the Z visa in HK.

however since the term ends in mid-january, and i'm going to HK today, there's no point in going to HK, get the Z visa, come back for one week of work, then go back to HK again in mid-Jan as thats my departure point for my holiday. the second term commences on feb 13th. i'm on a full year contract. that means i am about to embark on a 7 week vacation instead of 4 (which i dont really mind but didnt ask for) and i had to ask the school for an advance on the january salary, since that salary will be issued before the term ends but after i've left. note that i wont actually be working for two weeks of that january pay period.

normally, i would have no qualms at not getting a full month's salary since i didnt work a full month. however, i did offer to go to HK back in october to get the Z visa and solve the problem right away. i was told to wait. i get the feeling that the school has somehow deceived me here, and has found a way to save two weeks pay on my part by delaying for so long and now it seems they dont want to advance any money for this extended period (they've replied to my requests for an advance by telling me they have to ask the president). our dean of english seems to think that one month of salary (issued last week) is enough to tide me over for this entire period (3rd week of december till mid february), which is of course ridiculous. further, i will pay for the Z visa myself.

in addition, i'm leaving zhengzhou on the 16h58 train today and the school just decided to start processing the visa paperwork (invitation letter) at 3 o clock yesterday. they want to mail it to me somewhere in the event its not ready before i leave. oh and they also reminded me that before i can get the invititation letter that they need to get me a foreign expert certificate as well. i'm kind of hoping they dont get it finished today and that they do mail it to me, just so i can tell them i never got their letter

here's my question:

am i justified in asking for the full month's salary for the past 10 days and the next two and a half weeks even tho i'm leaving today? my point is that this is an imposed departure, not one of my choice. it could have been avoided if they had taken my suggestion to go to HK earlier.

warmest regards ~ 7969

[andyscott84]

If you are paid hourly then you probably shouldn't ask for that money. If you paid monthly then definately get it from them.

Also remember that the on the new work visa you can come and go as you please without having to replace it again for a year.

So the best case scenario would be getting that full months salary, having an extra three weeks of holidays and being secure with a new visa.

Good luck!

[7969]

[tofuman]

If you are willing to work for a school that involves you in the type of things you describe, you deserve only what the school gives you and rarely will that be to your advantage

[Louras]

That's right. Slag him off - he deserved it. How dare he ask advice over here?

[7969]

[clark.w.griswald]

7969 you seem like a fairly reasonable person who, judging from your posts here on Daves, has had your fair share of problems in China. I wish you well however things work out.

Considering this schools track record to date I think that I would be primarily concerned with getting the paperwork in order and the visa done. I doubt that the school will offer you the money without a fight, and even after a fight they are quite as likely to say no anyway.

I don't think that they deliberately intended to deceive so that they could save two weeks pay by having you do the visa run now. In my experience most Chinese people are not so far sighted. I believe that your school is incompetent but not necessarily dishonest.

I would seriously consider if I wanted to stay at that school if I were you as there seem to be a lot of warning signs that might suggest that you could be better off elsewhere.

[7969]

thank you for the constructive posts.

as a post script, a colleague just showed up at my doorstep with RMB3000, a portion of my monthly salary. however, it was RMB3000 out of his own pocket (not sure if this really is a salary advance or a loan now). i had made a request for an advance more than a week ago, and it should have been a relatively straightforward thing to accomplish. as usual, the school has come through (in a way) in the end, but not without a lot of nagging on my part.

you're right clark, they're likely just incompetent, not dishonest.

if they could get things done in a timely fashion, this wouldnt be a bad place to work and relations with them would be so much easier.

in the meantime, i'll be looking for a new job over the 7 weeks i'm off just in case i decide not to work here for the next term.

[Roger]

I wish you the very best luck in Hong Kong, 7989; in my opinion you deserve it! Unfortunately, 3000 yuan will not tide you over such a long period of time! HK is exorbitantly expensive - read that other thread in the CHina Off forum!

I hope your employers succeed in sorting out this dilemma! You should be paid for every day you have been on their payroll and throughout your imposed holiday season! BUt "should" doesn't mean "will".

If you need a postal address in HK - for your invitation letter - use the G.P.O. in HK Island, Connaught Rd.!

[7969]

hi roger.... the RMB3000 was/is/supposed to be an advance on part of my next months salary. i do have enough money to get thru the holidays (extendedas they may be) but my aim was to see if the school would be willing to pay me despite me leaving early since the decision to go to HK so late was theirs, not mine.

i wont be staying in HK. in fact will only be there long enough to get the Z visa. the rest of the 7 weeks will be spent in thailand, shenzhen, and sichuan.

thanks again. 7969

[vikdk]

going to sunny Thailand - I don't feel sorry for you anymore

[7969]

[kev7161]

I think it's easy for us to say that if the OP has been silly enough to stay in this situation, then he gets what he deserves. However, it's not always easy to just pick up and move when our noses get out of joint. At some point, we just simply have to trust that our school will take care of us, especially when it comes to visas and the myriad paperwork. Now, I think it is encumbent for the OP and anyone else in this situation to bug your FAO daily until what you need done gets done. Sometimes, these Chinese bureaucrats need a good boot planted firmly in their behinds.

By the way, it's not a multi-entry Z visa, it's a multi-entry residence permit that is now the norm.

[tofuman]

You gentleman who think your employers are not capable of far sighted deviousness are sadly mistaken.

An FAO was quite nervous because it looked like he was going to lose all three of his FTs. This would have been a negative reflection on him and the VP to whom he reported. One FT, abroad at the time, was interested in conducting a summer training session in English at the school, interested enough to return to the school to do it. The FAO conspired with the VP to fraudelently plan a "ghost" summer session to lure the FT back. They were even willing to pay me to hang around two weeks doing nothing, while planting false info with me about the session that they figured I would relay to the FT who was abroad. It took me a while to unravel the plot. By then, the other FT had returned and they were happy to give him whatever he wanted to keep him around. There was never a summer session.

Never underestimate the deviousness of which these people are capable. Unless you have worked in the intelligence community or prison system, you can not even conceive of what is for them, business as usual.

[Roger]

7969,

my apologies for mistyping your name...
Secundo, I wish you a pleasant journey in Siam; I may be headed that way too but at the moment am not sure when I will arrive.

To come back to your particular worries;
You stated you are going to get your work visa, that is, a VISA, in Hong Kong; make sure your employer can convert it into a residence's permit this time.
They must take your passport to the PSB. You will have only a limited period of time to do this - I think it's one month!
So, don't return from Thailand TOO EARLY; come back when those paperpushers are supposed to be at work in their offices!

My very best wishes,

Roger