T2D
- 2009-06-30
My original plan was to hang about this city where I now find myself until my present RP expires and then maybe stay here on a series of F visas. I know this city well and working on any type of visa, as long as it's real and current, is never a problem here.
Can you get an "F" visa for Guangdong province without taking a medical examination?
Helper
- 2009-06-28
Schools in Guangzhou (I cant speak for other cities in Guangdong) are very particular about obtaining a copy of the last applicable F.E.C. of any foreign teacher who has previously worked in China. After becoming aware of this, I made it a habit to always obtain a photocopy of my F.E.C.s (schools insist on retaining the originals).
Anyway, I went through a similar situation to you except that I actually began working at the new school before they asked for a copy of my F.E.C.. My new school asked for it within 3 or 4 days of me starting work.
I told the school that my former school had obtained an F.E.C. for me but I was never given a copy. My new school contacted my old school to ask for a copy. The latter told the former that I had breached by contract and therefore they would not cooperate.
My new school went ahead and applied for a new F.E.C. for me with the Foreign Experts Bureau, and got one. The F.E.B. obviously saw my passport (I seem to recall that they had it for 3 to 4 days), which contained an unexpired Residence Permit naming my former school as my employer.
With a new F.E.C., I thought everything was resolved. However, when my new school went to the PSB to have my R.P. changed over, the PSB requested a release letter from my old school. The PSB held my passport pending receipt of a Release Letter.
My new school requested the said letter from my old school but they refused. My new school then went back to the F.E.B. who contacted my old school. The F.E.B. later directed my new school to pay a 4,000 RMB breach of contract penalty to the old school. The F.E.B. said that if the old school did not provide a Release Letter within 7 days of payment being made, my new school should revert back to the F.E.B.
Payment was made, a letter was provided within 3 days, the letter was taken to the PSB and my passport, containing a replacement R.P. was returned.
The FAO at my new school told me that the PSB told him, having successfully obtained a new F.E.C., I should have gone to Hong Kong to get a new Z visa which would have been converted to a new RP without reference to my former school.
Tell your prospective new school that your old school has / had an F.E.C. but you were never given a copy. Your new school will contact your old school to ask for a copy. Maybe the old school will cooperate in which case you wont have a problem. If your old school wont cooperate, you will have to deal with them yourself and try to resolve the issue.
Not much else you can do whilst your RP remains current.
Let me begin by saying that this is simply a request for advice and I do not want to wade through rantings of those who want to question my sense of morality, professionalism or anything else. Please, if you want to give me advice please do so and it will be appreciated. If you want to lecture me, well, please don't. The serial lecturers, and those of us who are weary of their lectures, will know what I'm talking about.
This is a question about China.
In January of this year, less than two weeks before my Residence Permit was set to expire, I very suddenly found myself without a job. A lengthy explanation is not necessary for the purposes of this post. Against my instincts, but with very little choice, I accepted a job with a school in another city that I KNEW at the time had a somewhat dodgy reputation. The school did, however, manage to get my RP renewed for another year and got me a new Foreign Expert Certificate. I lasted about 2 months at the school before I got disgusted and left. I didn't do a runner or anything. I let them know I was leaving and they were more or less OK with it. (Let's just say they'd had quite a few FT's come and go and were familiar with the drill.) They hired a replacement within a matter of days. When I initially told them I wanted out I was assured by the principal, who, like me, is a foreigner, that getting a release letter would be no problem. I never did get the actual letter, though, and the school still also has my Foreign Expert Certificate, as far as I know at least. OK...moving along. It is now nearly July. My current RP expires at the end of December. A school in the city where I now live wants to hire me and just now asked me, Do you have a Foreign Expert Certificate? Can we see it please? The request was in an email and not in person so I didn't have to stand there and stammer like an imbecile and think of what to say. My question is: What would be the best way to handle this? I'm SOMEWHAT, but not COMPLETELY sure my former school will not raise a fuss if my present school asks for a copy of the FEC and a release letter. However, if the former school decides to be snotty they might very well turn around, say No dice, let the authorities know where I am, and it could potentially get pretty ugly.
Both the former and present schools are in Guangdong Province, by the way.
My original plan was to hang about this city where I now find myself until my present RP expires and then maybe stay here on a series of F visas. (Please, you folks who feel a pathological need to lecture us who work on F visas, keep your impulses in check. I know this city well and working on any type of visa, as long as it's real and current, is never a problem here.) However, this job offer is tempting and if I can somehow pull it off legally I'd like to take it. Any advice?