Release Letter

I have searched the site but have not found any recent topics that address the issue of the release letter that is supposed to be obtained from the previous employer.  It seems like it's not too big of an issue, but as we all know the situation can change. 
So, what if a teacher broke their previous contract by just leaving one day and now that teacher is back in his home country but now wants to return to China?  My understanding is that if you are coming from your home country, and not "transferring" jobs within China, then it is not relevant.  However, one potential employer I was communicating with seems to now want nothing to do with me after I told them that I had to leave before my last contract expired.  I understand that it was a violation of the contract, but if we are going to get technical then I could point out some things on their end.  In my situation I was the only foreign teacher at a college in a "small" city, and the isolation was killing me after being there for 2.5 years, so I just left one day.  Perhaps I could have handled it better, but it's history now.  So, the question is, do I need to worry about this, and how it is going to affect my employment opportunities? 

Yes, it can still affect you. You have done the thing that they are most afraid of us doing... So I guess proven that you will leave without notice... So if you either tell them about it OR they contact your previous employer to get a reference (even without needing the release letter... I am not looking into the finer points of that right now) and they tell them what happened then ... a new employer will probably at least be hesitant to employ you (if the new employer is a good one) because you would represent too great a risk. That is simply the reality that you face. It is better to try and leave even a "bad" place well and cleanly (even if it means using a face saving reason like an emergency at home) than just to suddenly leave one day. There are consequences if you do that as you are now seeing. 

Yes, you do. If you had up and left due to an emergency at home it would be different, but just leaving because the isolation was bothering you is not going to make any prospective Chinese employer eager to hire you.

This is a joke right?

It is not a joke.  After re-reading my first post I can now see that my attitude comes off as a bit too casual.  However those are basically the facts, although I did tell them that I had to take a leave of absence to return home at once, and that I was not sure when I could return.  I didn't tell them I felt "isolated."  Of course, I can understand that I now look irresponsible, so I guess I'm just wondering how bad it is.  Of course it is true that the biggest thing about most of these jobs is actually being there and not leaving.  I think my problem was just being bored out of my mind with nothing to do in the middle of nowhere.  And it was my 3rd year in that place.

How long ago was it?

last year

No matter what the reason, any Chinese employer would be, and I hope you realize this would be a justifiable opinion on their part, skittish about hiring someone who has proven to appear, as you yourself say, unreliable in the past. Three years in the same place and yet you could not stick out the remainder of the contract?? How can you convince any prospective new employer that you will not also leave them hanging high and dry, causing great inconvenience to the school and, much more importantly, great and unwarranted problems for your students. I am sorry to tell you this, but you do not just come off as irresponsible, you did behave enormously irresponsible. I stayed three years uni in a small, one-lame-horse town and halfway through the third year I was bored, but I waited to leave until the contract ended. Any Chinese employer would naturally question whether or not you would feel better in another city...how can they be sure that you won't find Beijing too busy, Shanghai too expensive, Xian too touristed, Ningbo too riddled with seafood...Not trying to attack you here, but you have, with your own acts, landed yourself in a situation where any future Chinese employer would be more than merited to follow the old adage: Once bitten, twice shy....

Ningbo too riddled with seafood.....

 

Yip. Swarms of aggressive crustaceans are a real hazard back in NB. Can't walk to the shops without being nipped.

Ningbo Welcomes You DECENT Crustaceans.

  I know I know 

on a more serious note, how likely are they to check references?

I understand that it appears very irresponsible, but I also know that I'm more reliable than most of the teachers I have met in China as far as showing up on time and sober, providing a good lesson, and not complaining (too much).  But I have been known to up and leave.  This is the dilemma, and I understand the way they see it.  I think most of the people at the school I was at were surprised that I lasted as long as I did
Anyway, I am sorry to have turned this into something about me, but I'm sure I'm not the first or last person to find themselves in this situation.  My main question still stands - what is the deal with the release letter?     

If you're coming from your home country then you don't need a release letter. You'll be starting fresh. It's be a good idea if you didn't tell people that you ran out on your last job. Just put down 2 years on your CV and hope they don't check the reference. Depending on the standard of the place you're applying to, they most likely won't.

And yes, people run out on jobs for all sorts of reasons, perhaps people here have been a little quick to judge.

The release letter is necessary to transfer a Residence Permit sponsorship from one company to another, whether within the same city or in the opposite end of China. It keeps you and your new employer from having to go through the hassle and expense of getting a new Permit.

So if you're trying to change employers on the same Permit, the release letter is absolutely required. If you're starting over with a new visa and Permit, you won't need the letter. Your current location- home or China- won't alter this.

Most Chinese schools don't seem to bother checking references...however, there are some who do. It's just luck of the draw on whether a new employer will check them or not.

It'll help a lot if your new job is in a different province from your old one. It's much easier for an employer, and the relevant authorities, to find info on you within one province.

Raoul has summed it up. My thoughts are:

Honesty may be the best policy - perhaps, with some embellishment given as to the reasons you had to leave in a hurry - even if the job search takes longer. That would save having to come up with other stories ... eg your CV details for the last 3 years.

If you do go down the other road:

1. As the provinces act independently it is most probably best to look at a position in another province

2. Your passport, most probably, has more than one Residence Permit showing. It might be an idea to get it replaced to avoid questions arising when you hand it over at the new position.

3. Good luck!

Some places are getting strict about having 2 years teaching experience. I know that this is the case in Suzhou so you may have trouble proving the 2 years experience without mentioning your previous job.