Turino
- 2009-06-30
Maybe you needn't return to your homeland for a Z.Check Raoul's Saloon.Someone there in Beijing has identified an 'indirect' way to get a Z from HK via a work permit through a company.Others who are colleagues of FT posters on there are waiting to do the same kind of thing at at least two distinct educational establishments.
Of course,your 1st priority is your release paper.You should deal with that before anything else.
My recruiter swears blind FT's with L visas can convert their L's to Z's in HK, or at other Chinese visa offices in neighbouring countries of China.Get in touch with some recruiters and visa agents,they're not all bottom feeders.The smaller ones know more about that kind of thing.Of course,there's always Shanxi,Yuncheng on an F.Google the net,good luck!
meipang
- 2009-06-30
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."
Turino
- 2009-06-29
All except one,a Filipino resigned.I take it that means the teachers who left left before their contracts were up after negotiating the cessation of their contracts with the school director.How very kind he was! Even more unusual than you have stated,given the content of the standard contract here!
By the way,what kind of Mickey-Mouse contract was on offer there that could be cast aside so easily,even though a British academic director was in place there?Couldn't have been the standard one!
I thought your posts were rather amusing,but I took them more than a grain of salt!It's not the first time that posters on here have posted about weird things,later never to post again!The biggest laugh I got was contrasting resigned with re-signed.Maybe after resigning,some of your former colleagues will re-sign...lol!Of course the Filipino 'woman' doesn't even deserve a 2nd mention,not surprising really,given the tone of your posts!What has been posted by you would be suitable headline trash for the gutter press in the UK,not accurate and based on innuendo!
Turino
- 2009-06-28
Meipang,don't forget to name and shame your former 'school' in the 'School and Recruiters Section' of the board once you've managed to resolve your 'release letter' issue.Board readers will then be able to make an informed decision whether to apply for a post there or whether to accept a job offer from there.
I reckon the Filipino lady has decided to remain there because it's hard for Filipinos to get teaching jobs in China.
meipang
- 2009-06-28
This situation has gotten beyond weird. I chatted on QQ with a Chinese ex-colleague from my former school today. The term just ended at the school and, amazingly, every Western teacher AND the principal, ALL resigned. Every last one of them. Only one Filipino woman, who teaches math, remains. I knew the place was bad but I had no idea it was THAT bad. This is the second term in a row that the entire Western faculty resigned but this time some Chinese staff resigned as well. You can understand why I left the place. To say the place is in disarray is quite an understatement. I'll attempt to answer the questions posed:
I have no idea if my former employer knows I'm still here but if I had to hazard a guess I'd say yes. I've been in touch with former colleagues and it's small place and I made no effort to hide. I don't know if they returned my FEC or not. I never had a copy of it. My former school does not have my present address or phone number. I attempted to call the British principal today before I discovered he'd resigned along with everyone else. We would have been able to speak without acrimony. But I have no idea where he is now. I'm definitely able to be honest with the former school about seeking a new position if I can figure out whom the heck to talk to. There is nobody left there who speaks English. I could attempt it in Chinese but it's hard for me to do such complicated stuff in the language. As far as a reference, I honestly don't know. The school that wants to hire me hasn't asked for one and once they find out EVERY teacher at the former school quit I doubt they'd take a negative reference from the place too seriously. I do have a reference from the school I worked at before that one. I discussed my intention to leave with the British principal well before I left and he is a decent guy, understood and swore there was no problem. Like I said, they had a replacement for me within a few days. Of course with the British principal now out of the picture I have no idea what will happen. The new school would like to call the old one but I'm having trouble even telling them who to call.
This might be overly logical but it seems to me the former school has a lot on its plate right now and would be nuts to give itself yet another headache by fighting my being hired by another school. It never paid my last month's salary and I paid for my own medical exam. They had me replaced in no time and took no financial hit from my departure. Before the new term begins in September they are going to need to hire an entire faculty and get them all processed for visas, work permits, etc. I'll bet every government office is tired of hearing from them and will hardly take them seriously if they claim I somehow wronged them. The entire foreign faculty resigned two terms in a row! If that doesn't say problem school then what the heck does?
I'm being honest with my new school. It certainly can't hurt.