Job Discussion Forums

[anjinholuis]

HELLO GOOD PEOPLE

APOLOGIES for returning to the topic, I've looked at some threads but they got me a bit confused

Here's the deal:
Been in Shandong Province for the past 2 weeks teaching at a Normal Uni.

The FAO an I have been to the local police office to resister and they got copies of my passport. I assume this is for obtaining the RP.

There's been no mention of a medical examination.

IS THIS REGULAR PROCEDURE FOR OBTAINING THE RP AND FEC

Planning on travelling to Thailand and Vietnam for the Xmas period but am not sure if I should pressure the FAO in order to be OK for reentering China!

Would you please have the patience and post some info (again ) on the whole procedure RP and FEC

Look forward to your wisdom and many thanks for your advice so far.

CHEERS

[LanGuTou]

What do you mean by "got copies of my passport"? To issue a residence permit, they would have to hold your passport and insert it on a blank page. This normally takes five days.

Since coming to Shandong, I have never had a medical. I used to teach in Inner Mongolia where the PSB insisted on medical clearance every year. Like everything in China, it is down to local interpretation. As long as you are issued with the RP, it is not your problem.

[anjinholuis]

THANK YOU LanGuTou

Do you know what comes first?

Is it the RP or the FEC

[LanGuTou]

You will probably need the FEC when applying for the RP. The PSB where I am asks for the FEC.

[anjinholuis]

I'm embarrassed now, to ask possibly a stupid question

BUT, did the school where you are at, arrange for the FEC

How do I go about getting it

I obviously need to get it before I submit the passport at the PSB.

Cheers.

[LanGuTou]

Everything from here in should be arranged for you. Just sit back and enjoy your teaching. At some point, you will be dragged off to the PSB for a photograph. In the past, this was not even necessary. The school should arrange your FEC and RP themselves (and pay for it!).

[Hansen]

Mr. ...Luis,

Your situation sounds a bit dodgy. You are working, illegally, for a university which is apparently trying to get you a residence permit and FEC. You need the FEC in order to get the RP. The PSB provides the RP. The FAO of the province provides the FEC.

It sounds as if your trip to the local police station was to register your residence, a necessary step in the process. The local police are not the PSB who issue residence permits.

Your school must be properly registered to legally employ you. If they are not, they can get registered. In order to get a residence permit, you must have the FEC. The FEC is based upon your qualifications. For instance, in some provinces, you can not get an FEC to teach at the university level without a bachelor's degree. No FEC=no RP.

It is the responsibility of your FAO to secure the documents. The school did not hire you to provide travel opportunities in China. They hired you to teach. If your papers are not in order, it would be very foolish of you to leave China. You will have to turn in your passport to get the RP. It is very possible that you will not have your passport during Christmas. No Passport=No travel outside the country

A more realistic goal for you would be to travel during the New Year period. That may begin in mid January and may extend to March, depending on your school.

[anjinholuis]

Much appreciated Hansen

Your information is most valuable.

The FAO is new at her job, so I will enquire about the developments of my FEC and RP application in the coming week.

Looks like I'll have to hold on travel.

CHEERS.

[LanGuTou]

To the OP:

I later recalled it was you that posted a thread related to the rights and wrongs of working on a F Visa:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=76719

Did you come to China on a F Visa?

If so, you may never see your FEC and RP. You may have put yourself in a difficult situation.

Yes, you would go to the local police station and they would photocopy your passport and visa for residence purposes. But they would do this for any long stay foreign national (even Chinese nationals have to go through this process but their ID card details are retained rather than the passport).

That is NOT the same as obtaining a residence permit. The RP also acts as a multi entry visa if you exit China. If you have come on a one entry F Visa, you will obviously have to get a new visa to re-enter China Mainland.

You are the best judge of your own situation.

Do you have a Z Visa or F Visa? If you have a Z Visa, the process should be relatively straightforward and the university should arrange everything. If you have been cajouled into entering on a F Visa, the process will be significantly more difficult!

[Chris_Crossley]

[LanGuTou]

[Chris_Crossley]

[Hansen]

There are ways around these problems. The best way, perhaps, is to have the denied benefits structured into your salary. No airline reimbursement, then 1000RMB raise in pay.

The one insurmountable problem is a recalcitrant school administration. Sometimes they just say NO. For instance, in my SAFEA contract, there is a clause which says I can't work outside without permission from the school.

I was stunned when permission was denied. I really couldn't believe it. When I found that out, at renewal time, I insisted on either a substantial raise or permission to work outside the school. They gave me the raise. For some reason, they didn't want me working outside.

There is nothing in the SAFEA contract that prevents or allows ticket reimbursement or vacation pay. That is in the appendix, a document which is tailored to the school's desires. Schools claim that they need a ticket receipt to get reimbursed from the government; however, they also claim that the gov't doesn't reimburse them. LIES LIES LIES. It can't be both ways, unless they get reimbursed for our airfare but not our salary.

I believe, although I can't prove, that schools receive a flat fee from the government to cover the costs of an FT. Whatever we don't get goes into the school's budget or into someone's pocket. I estimate that is about 100,000RMB per year in the case of my school. That's just a guess, however.

A favorite management technique is simply to LIE: "Oh, you can't travel because the government doesn't allow it." LIE! "Oh, you can't live outside the school because the government doesn't allow it. " LIE!
"You can't receive your travel reimbursement unless you actually return home. The government doesn't allow it." LIE! The government only reimburses the school for your teaching during the school year; therefore, we can't pay you during the holiday. LIE! You have a crap internet connection because of the "wire." LIE! "The internet connection in the entire city is slow." LIE! "You can't have your gf in your flat because China is a moral country." LIE! On and on and on....!

"The poison of asps is under their tongue."

[anjinholuis]

HELLO MY FRIENDS

Many thanks for the info on the perils of working on a F Visa.

All is well though. I am being very well treated at Linyi Normal Uni and I did come to China on an Z Visa!

Accomms are very good and I've even been paid for December after starting work on the 30th of November. NICE ONE.

I did contemplate the alternatives at the time, of coming on an F Visa due to being a NEWBIE and possibly needing a Plan B.

I will contact the FAO tomorrow in hopes that with all the info you have so generously supplied, I will be able to get the ball rolling.

I have also been informed that I will NEED proof of MEDICAL INSURANCE in order to have the FEC and RP issued.

My contract DOES NOT stipulate MI, so would you be able to recommend, HOW TO GO ABOUT obtaining this, of course, having value for money in mind (A.K.A. cheap)

MANY THANKS for your pearls of wisdom.

[Chris_Crossley]