Shit went downhill fast -_-

Whoa there.

You don't go to any police station.  You need the Entry/Exit police station here:

Daqing City:
Foreigners’ Exit&Entry Admin Division Daqing Public Security Bureau
Tel No: 0459-636-0106
Address: No. 2, Wei Er RD., Dong Feng Xin Cun, Daqing City

(from here http://shenyang.usembassy-china.org.cn/lost_passports.html - dude, Google is your friend)

The school are probably telling you the truth about where your passport is because that's how the system works - it is quite normal for the boss/deputy boss to take your stuff up to the SAFEA head office because he wants to get drunk with some folk there and generally improve his standing.

Nothing you have posted about your contract would cause the PSB to give a fart by the way.  Sorry but both of those things are not "breach of contract" material.  TBQH it sounds like you just don't like what you have found in China.

Wait and talk to the principal. She probably does have your passport on her. (I'm not entirely sure of the ins and outs of FECs. Actually I thought schools got the FEC with the invitation letter).

Can I check something? Did you enter on a Z visa?

If the principal has your passport, then there's no point going to the Police until she comes back anyway. I don't know the geography to understand the Harbin thing.

The cold water thing sucks. One of the teachers at my school went without hot water for about 2 months (during winter) and I was furious when I found out. Completely out of order. But it's not winter now,  Wait a couple of days. Talk to people instead of doing the email thing. I think cooling the situation down a bit may result in slight improvements to your current situation.

Ya, I'm here on a Z visa. I'm hoping the embassy contacting them will help. I feel really bad about this. Because a lot of the teachers are sweethearts and all the chinese kids are really cute, but it's not going to work and I don't waste any more of mine or their time.

Whoa there.

You don't go to any police station.  You need the Entry/Exit police station here:

Daqing City:
Foreigners’ Exit&Entry Admin Division Daqing Public Security Bureau
Tel No: 0459-636-0106
Address: No. 2, Wei Er RD., Dong Feng Xin Cun, Daqing City

(from here http://shenyang.usembassy-china.org.cn/lost_passports.html - dude, Google is your friend)

The school are probably telling you the truth about where your passport is because that's how the system works - it is quite normal for the boss/deputy boss to take your stuff up to the SAFEA head office because he wants to get drunk with some folk there and genrally improve his standing.

Nothing you have posted about your contract would cause the PSB to give a fart by the way.  Sorry but both of those things are not "breach of contract" material.  TBQH it sounds like you just don't like what you have found in China.

Thanks. And ya you're right, it's not what I was expecting, but those things sure haven't helped. But the truth is this is not for me and won't work and keeping me here is just counter-productive for everyone.

Is this the correct Chinese translation of that address: 卫二路2号，东风新村，大庆市 ?

Google map Daqing and you'll see the street and the PSB office. 

It is in the middle of town and Google maps carries the pinyin transliteration.

Google map Daqing and you'll see the street and the PSB office. 

It is in the middle of town and Google maps carries the pinyin transliteration.

Thanks

I can certainly understand your not wanting to stay.  But, your not wasting THEIR time by teaching for awhile until they can adjust.

Be cool. You're not in any danger. Stay calm and don't escalate. It's not unusual for a first teaching job in China to not work out. You'll get your passport and be on your way pretty quick.

I would be really surprised if the PSB did anything to get involved other than just telling each side to work it out, but if the school did give them your passport, I'm sure they'd give it to you straight away. Whatever happens, the passport is yours/US govt property. You don't need to agree to anything or sign anything to get it back into your possession, but you can know this confidently without having to say it loudly. Everyone else knows it, so if you sit still, it will pretty much come your way.

Maybe there's something you can do to make a graceful exit that will be good for all, and I wouldn't be too hasty about leaving China. Why not look for another job? It takes a while to get used to the place, so don't worry about a difficult time on your first go and there's no need to necessarily run off to Beijing. You might find another job in the same city or Harbin, or wherever.

For someone coming to and teaching in China for the very first time, I don't think it's at all surprising to have some problems like this. The school should understand your adjustment period even if they don't want to admit it, but you can probably also understand the school's interest in this. Their demanding money is just like someone already said, it's saving face and also a bargaining position to have an advantage in case anyone wants to take sides or lay blame.

Be cool. You're not in any danger. Stay calm and don't escalate. It's not unusual for a first teaching job in China to not work out. You'll get your passport and be on your way pretty quick.

I would be really surprised if the PSB did anything to get involved other than just telling each side to work it out, but if the school did give them your passport, I'm sure they'd give it to you straight away. Whatever happens, the passport is yours/US govt property. You don't need to agree to anything or sign anything to get it back into your possession, but you can know this confidently without having to say it loudly. Everyone else knows it, so if you sit still, it will pretty much come your way.

Maybe there's something you can do to make a graceful exit that will be good for all, and I wouldn't be too hasty about leaving China. Why not look for another job? It takes a while to get used to the place, so don't worry about a difficult time on your first go and there's no need to necessarily run off to Beijing. You might find another job in the same city or Harbin, or wherever.

For someone coming to and teaching in China for the very first time, I don't think it's at all surprising to have some problems like this. The school should understand your adjustment period even if they don't want to admit it, but you can probably also understand the school's interest in this. Their demanding money is just like someone already said, it's saving face and also a bargaining position to have an advantage in case anyone wants to take sides or lay blame.

Thanks. Ya my stepdad was saying he knows someone in Beijing that could maybe get me a job, but isn't my visa only good for the school that sponsored it? Regardless, I'm headed to Beijing as soon as I get it my pp and staying there for atleast a week or 2, then most likely headed home. I'd definitely consider other work, because China is pretty cool and I don't mind being here. I'm just not cut out for the teaching thing, or atleast not in this context I've landed myself in.

Unless you get a release letter from your current school, (which will  be highly unlikely) you can't get another job in China. 

I am sorry that things didn't work out for you in China. 

Yeah, that's what I'm wondering OP. You only just got here. Don't give up on China just yet.

I am not surprised this school didn't work out (and no one here has yet said "I told you so!" so I'm going to take the opportunity to do so -- you were told that there were red flags with this place!), but that doesn't mean there aren't good schools here and that you couldn't find a better job. Whether or not you can get a new visa depends on how far along they are in the visa process I suppose, and whether or not your school is going to be vindictive about a release letter.

I think gzwriter gives good advice. Keep a cool head, don't do anything hasty, don't lose your cool. Don't be that foreigner because it won't endear you to anyone -- you know, the guy who comes in blustering about his rights and the embassy and making demands. Calm and collected will get you much further and the PSB will be much more likely to help you out if you're not making an ass of yourself.

Good luck OP, hope this isn't the end of the road in China for you.

There are lots of different types of teaching jobs in China, different kinds of schools, different kinds of students, and different performance levels expected of teachers. Before you go, you could visit schools as a prospective teacher on interviews and see how some of them are run if you have any interest at all in teaching English abroad.

My first job had too many screaming kids, couldn't handle it, so I found a very lax place for the next job. Got adjusted to things for a while and then moved on to higher paying jobs once I was ready for it.

You could be in Beijing and go on interviews and be straight with them, just say you're new to China, new to teaching, and you need to see a typical class to have an idea if it's for you.

There are some training schools that are discussed on the forum that are mainly older teens and college age people looking for extra help who take lessons for a few months or so. The 20-something foreign teachers who work there usually have a ball getting to know China through friendships with those kinds of students.

Take advantage of learning opportunities about ESL teaching before you leave if you're going back in just a couple of weeks. Maybe China's not for you, but there are other countries that might be better. If so, you've gotta go through the culture shock and teacher shock learning curve eventually

Great advice. I'll update this thread as things materialize. This thread will be good for future reference to people in similar situations as well.

Quote from: gzwriter on June 05, 2013, 03:59:48 AM

Be cool. You're not in any danger. Stay calm and don't escalate. It's not unusual for a first teaching job in China to not work out. You'll get your passport and be on your way pretty quick.

I would be really surprised if the PSB did anything to get involved other than just telling each side to work it out, but if the school did give them your passport, I'm sure they'd give it to you straight away. Whatever happens, the passport is yours/US govt property. You don't need to agree to anything or sign anything to get it back into your possession, but you can know this confidently without having to say it loudly. Everyone else knows it, so if you sit still, it will pretty much come your way.

Maybe there's something you can do to make a graceful exit that will be good for all, and I wouldn't be too hasty about leaving China. Why not look for another job? It takes a while to get used to the place, so don't worry about a difficult time on your first go and there's no need to necessarily run off to Beijing. You might find another job in the same city or Harbin, or wherever.

For someone coming to and teaching in China for the very first time, I don't think it's at all surprising to have some problems like this. The school should understand your adjustment period even if they don't want to admit it, but you can probably also understand the school's interest in this. Their demanding money is just like someone already said, it's saving face and also a bargaining position to have an advantage in case anyone wants to take sides or lay blame.

Thanks. Ya my stepdad was saying he knows someone in Beijing that could maybe get me a job, but isn't my visa only good for the school that sponsored it? Regardless, I'm headed to Beijing as soon as I get it my pp and staying there for atleast a week or 2, then most likely headed home. I'd definitely consider other work, because China is pretty cool and I don't mind being here. I'm just not cut out for the teaching thing, or atleast not in this context I've landed myself in.

Keep in mind that the z-visa you entered on is good for 30 days from the day you entered.  In the duration field it says "000" but there should be a stapled note warning you to get sorted within 30 days.  At any rate, you could be facing a fine of, I believe, 500 RMB for every day over the limit.  

Good point about the Z visa limit. If you only have the Z visa and you see that time limit approaching that is 30 days from when you entered the country, just remember that only the Chinese PSB can do anything about it. Notes from the US embassy about why you might have overstayed your visa are generally worthless.

Thanks, so I should have about 3 weeks left then.