Foxy
- 2010-10-16
I am glad you got your visa back, but the way you went about it was wrong. I can't imagine someone letting themselves be bullied so much.
It all depends on the individual foreign teacher as well as the unique situation there. One cannot make hard and fast rules. If said teacher can continue working there until his (or her) contract is up, and if deciding to leave or being discarded by the employer, at that point in time, gets a satisfactory release letter allowing him (or her) to move on unhindered, mission accomplished, I say. Treating the school waiban and his immediate family to a good dinner once a month can have astounding results - I observed an FT who tried his best to teach, but couldn't, continue his employment in China through this cunning approach while one of his fellow FT's, a meanie and deemed a troublemaker by said waiban for being 'too forceful', sic, though an excellent teacher, got a bad release letter.
The end result is what counts. Achieve it immorally, if you like, but succeed, whatever strategy you employ! Remember that Chinese culture is diametrically opposite western culture in some ways. Things work here that couldn't work in the west. Use them when and if necessary. Of that, be aware!
Sanguine
- 2010-10-16
I am glad you got your visa back, but the way you went about it was wrong. I can't imagine someone letting themselves be bullied so much.
The moral here is that you need to be a lot more forceful, and not let the Chinese "shine" you on, as they are famous for doing. They will tell you again and again "soon, soon, be patient" while what they are really doing is just stalling indefinitely. Though the outcome here was positive, it's just as likely that the outcome could have been bad, such as getting back an F visa that expires in a week, or an already expired L visa, or something along those lines. Who do you think will be held responsible if this happens? Not the school, but you.
Don't let Chinese bosses give you the proverbial run around, be a lot more forceful then this fellow was, threatening letters don't mean much to these people, and he's lucky the outcome here was good, it could have just as easily been much, much worse.
To those who keep track of who says what on here, I reported some weeks ago that my employer was giving me the run-around over the inordinate amount of time it was taking to return my passport and new residence visa. I handed the passport to them in the first week of July and by mid September despite many requests and spurious promises from various people in management, I had still not been given my passport and new visa.
I wrote them a formal letter on September 22nd giving them 7 days to return my passport with a new residence visa applied therein, or I would take legal action in Court if necessary, to force them to return it. I was first assured by an English-speaking Chinese lawyer that my employer (a public university) was not merely in breach of contract but were also breaking the law. So I sent the letter. No response was received. So I sat quietly waiting for September 30th and prepared to take immediate legal action after the National Day Holiday.
At 6.30pm on the evening of September 30th I was given my passport and new visa. I have no doubt whatsoever that my letter brought about an earlier return than would otherwise have been the case.
Moral? If you are dead in the right and your employer is dead in the wrong, then do all you can to achieve a favourable outcome amicably but if it fails then threaten them and have a lawyer standing by to go straight into Court if need be. Once you mention legal action, the employer cannot terminate your employment without facing the risk of having to pay you compensation at the instruction of the Court.
Do not be scared of these Chinese self-proclaimed potentates, for when it comes to the push and the shove, most of them are cowards.
Dave