the F visa is in fact an alarming trend. it really looks like it's about the responsibilities on the part of some chinese employers. offering the job and then taking it away from you based on their own evaluation system might as well be one of the reasons there. chinese officials and some of these employers are getting increasingly worried about how we teach and what we teach. if your lessons aren't agreeable, even though they are academicly pro and greatly helpful for students, you are out of the door on that F visa quite a bit easier than on the appropriate work permit. and, they are kinda off the hook on any reimbursements such as flights, bonuses etc.

now, i too have been on mainland for quite a few years and have worked on the appropriate work permit and i too am seeing the same kinda trend as our OP. having worked on Z/RP, i do actually not feel as comfortable with it anymore. i'd prefer to work on either F or spousal L (i am married in china) coz of so many unpro contractual agreements offered. chinese employers seem to want to own us as well as mislead us with their ambiguous wording of some clauses in. moreover, if you have to sign the SAFEA contract, you'll more likely will have to also sign another, the employer's contract as well which is in many respects contradictive to the SAFEA one. then, there are more and more SAFEA officials cooperating with the local employers more than with us. therefore, why would one want to bother? well, the main reason is to protect ourselves against being deported as on either L or F we could. however, if you are married, it's interesting. i'd love to see any chinese officials booting me, the only family provider, out of this country and leaving my son and wife to dry.

the bottom line is that the chinese foreign employment regulations and the work permits are unreasonable as your Z/RP is tied to one only employer that in fact enjoys "owning" you. it's the chinese way where you've got to show your loyalty to the employer that's paying you. it would really work a bit better if these employers were more educated, better qualified or experienced. then, if the SAFEA was to look after our interests more than it does, it'd also work better. just imagine that you quit in a pro manner and the employer you've got your work permit decides that you are "UNSUITABLE FOR WORK IN CHINA". currently, with this unreasonable system around, you face an uphill battle applying for your future work permits in many other places around the country. more and more chinese employers are aware of how much they could hurt you if you do not agree with their standards/practices.

cheers and beers to our F or L visas as well as our skills to stay away from troubles on these visas :)