Let this be a warning to those intending to change schools, get all your stuff together and
don't let your existing school be tardy. I am sure it is going to cause frustration and
headaches for many others this summer.

Even if you had fielded your offers in February, if your current school is unwilling to provide the paperwork until June, it would make little difference.
The only ways I can think of to prevent this situation is:
1) require that your new employer provides a contract/residency permit that ends the following August.
2) seek positions in the same province; if you change provinces make sure the new employer is prestigious.
3) as previously suggested, subtly refuse to continue to teach and do grades if your current school doesn't provide the documentation in May.

The unfortunate reality is:
1) your current school has no incentive to support FTs leaving; the better a teacher you are, the less they want you to leave.
2) every school has the power to hold you hostage with the release documentation.
3) current regulations make the ability to change schools much more difficult; the government has no interest is promoting turnover and relocation in China: it makes keeping track of FTs more difficult for them.

If your new employer is a major provincial university, they have the ability to convince your current school to be compliant. For the record, in the past 5 years I have successfully changed universities 3 times in 3 provinces. It was an annoying process, but it was done given the influence and proactive effort of my new employers, both were '1st level' universities. I can not speak to the situation at High Schools and private schools.
I hope that your new residency permit does not end on June 30 or you may relive this nightmare. Once you have left, I hope you publish the name of your current employer; they need to be avoided.

Hi Taffy!!!

Japanese are more popular, in both Bangkok and Pattaya, they have fat wallets, but in Pattaya the white man still rules. A Pattaya girl will always take a white guy first as a boyfriend.

Not sure about the Chinese, mainlanders are generally despised, in the Chonburi area anyway.

Sounds like way too much of a hassle to me, and a bit of GW type behavior. Anyway, I'm going shopping, off to buy a brand new pair of Birkenstock sandals and a very expensive Seiko or Citizen watch. I've been hearing that men who wear expensive sandals and watches attract the best Asian bar girls.

Only the best for me, hehe!

My new school contacted my present school this morning and they told me that they said they can cancel the FEC online but they still need to go to the provincial HQ to get the document which I need. This is a six hour train ride away so will involve the HR staying overnight. Reading between the lines they seem to want to do this only when they are sure of who is leaving or not to avoid several trips. Apparently this official letter is fundamental and the transfer will not go through without it.

They seem to be sticking by their guns and won't give us this letter until our contract is finished and we turn our keys in etc. One of my colleagues who renewed last year said it was the same situation last year so I am at a loss now as to how to speed up the process. Existing RP expires June 26th and the new school say they need to start this process before the end of this month.

I'm really hell bent on not having to go home to sort out something that can be solved seemingly by someone getting on a train. Would it be possible for me to procure this letter myself or would I have no hope?

Any ideas?

My new intended job was not in a university. They work all year.

I called them this morning and they said it is nothing to do with that. They said the PSB in Jiangsu where I intended going have really tightened up and they need a full month to process all the things.

I asked my current school and intended one about the RP expiry and they said that from this year, they will match the contract expiry exactly. No deviation. All my colleagues here have the same situation, our RP expires the day after our contract.

My school are at present not willing to give me the cancellation letter until I have returned the keys to my apartment and all my work is completed. They said that this is standard procedure.

I have asked the new school to speak to the HR here to try to sort things out between them, whether they will is another matter. The strange thing is that the new school advised me against getting a stay permit for 30 days as they have had trouble transferring this in the past. I mentioned travelling there in advance and while they did not say yes or no, they implied it might not be possible as they can't even progress the application at the moment as I am blocked without the cancellation letter. The system tells them that I currently have an active FEC. They sent me some screenshot in Chinese which a colleague told me means, 'application cannot continue. applicant has an active file in another jurisdiction'.

The whole thing seems to be getting more troublesome all the time. I will wait and see if the new school can get any joy out of my present school.

Anybody else had to deal with this? How did you deal with it?

Thanks.

I already signed a contract for a new gig in another province. No they are telling me the deal is off because they wanted to take care of my visa before their summer break at the end of June and now there's no time and that unless one is in the same province as this past year it's going to be difficult to get a new Z visa from June onward. Does anyone else know anything about this? And can you think of an easy way to change jobs and provinces without leaving the country?

Universities with 10 month contracts design them so they do not have to pay new or leaving FTs for the summer months when they are not teaching.

The contract itself is not the issue, it is the residency permit. The university who 'sponsors' the residency permit is responsible for the FTs behavior and location during the duration of the permit. In the event that you acquire a new employer, the issue is: Who takes responsibility for you during the month or two prior to your arrival at the new University? The residency permit is supposed to conform to the dates on your contract, but I have seen provinces provide RPs that extend beyond the contract dates, bridging the summer months in case the university elects to extend your contract.

Your new university has a vested interest in you arriving to teach. Have their FAO dept contact your current FAO dept to arrange for a 30 day extension (which is common) from the end date of your current RP and/or the new university can date your new contract from August 1 with a contract amendment which specifies that August is an "unpaid orientation period", salary begins at the date of your first class.

Requiring you to fly home and start a new Z-visa process is inane. If your new university refuses to make the adjustments above, find another employer.

I have a new job in a new province for late August. Like so many universities, mine has a 10 month contract, with RP ending in July. The new school just recently said they think I have to return to my home country and apply for a whole new Z visa there before I can start working for them. This seems wrong to me, given I already applied for a Z once and got it there last year.

Lots of people switch jobs every year, lots on 10 month contracts, and they don't have to do that. What am I missing? Do others have 10 month contracts but 12 month visas? Is there anything I can do aside from that (the plane rides and expense are pretty horrifying to contemplate?). I heard you can use L tourist visas as a bridge, but that would only work if they would give me a Z/new WP here in country.

If anyone can shed some light on this, please let me know. It's giving me a huge headache right when I thought I had everything sorted out...