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.