I KNEW I would hear from you eventually. I'm telling you that everything I said was true, as strange as it sounds and I, unlike some of the other posters here, have more important things to do than tell a story here and waste my and others' time. The only reason I don't name names is that I still need something from the school and don't want to risk its wrath. (Though this is admittedly slightly paranoid since nobody who reads English decently is still there, apparently.) I have just now exchanged messages with another Chinese ex- colleague and she told me that calling the school's "office" at this point would be useless because there is simply nobody there. I tried to call the British "principal" only to find his phone number has been deactivated. I suspect he has left the country. I chatted with another American guy who was there when I left and he told me that he, too, left not long after I did. The school is in Shenzhen where there are always foreigners looking for work so it was never extraordinarily difficult for the administration to rope in another foreign body to throw in front of the class. These teachers who resigned
(meaning quit) ALL had contracts. I really don't know if their quitting constituted a contract breach or not and I frankly don't care. I'm concerned only about my own situation at this juncture. I was replaced when I left, as was the other American when he left. We both taught "ESL" so we were easily replaced. The Filipinos taught math and science and were slightly harder to hire replacements for, though hardly impossible. None of them left in the middle of the term, however. 2 of the 3 resigned at the end of the term. One remains. In addition to the foreigners there are Chinese staff who act as quasi-administrators and Chinese teachers. 2 of 3 of them also resigned (quit). I'm in the process of trying to locate the British principal. My only concern at this point is to get at least a copy of my FEC. YES, it was moronic of me not to get it before I left the place but I'm not sure they even had it at that point. The whole thing is a mess. If the school somehow holds on and reopens in September it will be run by its fourth principal in 3 years. So far they've had an Aussie, a Canadian, and a British. Perhaps they'll go for a sweep and hire an American this time.

The biggest concern I have is that I'll need to go home to get another "Z" visa and begin this whole horrible process all over again, something I strongly don't want to do. I just don't have the funds to do that right now.

Again, PLEASE, no lectures or posts questioning my sincerity or sanity. I'm telling you this is all true and I have no reason to make any of this up. The truth is weird enough as it is. Once I have exhausted any possibility of getting a copy of my FEC from these folks I'll "name and shame."