Jim, this is THE TOPIC for fts on mainland. I'd rephrase your words from "before your visa expires" to "before your contract expires". Many Chinese employers believe they are the gods and fts get the taste of the local pro culture. There's a relevant topic to this on the SAFEA blacklist where RedCatXia claims she's won some arbitration. She's even encouraged readers to email her to njeg@hotmail.com. Her email address says she is Sandy Li, but she presents herself as Alisha. After I exchanged a couple emails with her, or him, I realized the pros and cons of internet. :)

On the fine topic, I would be really careful what job I'd accept these days and that's my advice. Once, you get your legal work permit with an employer, you're quite in his/her hands. I mean your existance on mainland. Well, unless you own a home or have a local spouse which may provide you with reasons to extand your legal stay in the country. China's changed and so have the local employers.

Cheers and beers to our sixth sense and the internet