Stay away from Guangdong Baiyun Univeristy!!

I have been at this school for 1 term and it is truely horrible. 

They violated the contract the 1st week.

They never gave out any rules or regulations at the beginning. Then 1 day I accidentally let my class out 5 minutes early and they charged the department a penalty of 5,000rmb.  Without any warning!

It just goes fro bad to worse!  Suffice to stay, do not come here to work.  The kids are great but the administration is the problem.  It is all about money.... not education.  I know that is pretty standard in places (even China) but this exceeds all notions.  The school has a revolving door on it when it comes to foreign teachers.

The list of problems and violations is long and I will not bore you with the entire list, just take my word for it..... do not go there to teach.  You will end up regretting it!

 

Guangdong Baiyun University (previously Guangdong Baiyun Vocational Technical College), , founded in 1989, is one of the first two private higher education institutions of Guangdong Province approved by the National Ministry of Education to award Bachelor Degrees.

I taught there for one year when it was BVTC and I am not surprised that it has not not changed.

The warning you are giving is one that I have been giving for years.

I could write a book about the contract negotiations they held with 4 foreign teachers over a period of 3 months - and all the tricks they employed.

In the meantime I just have one question. Do they still have a Timeclock for teachers to punch before starting duties? It was there in my time to underpin a financially crippling punishment system for Chinese teachers who were late. A member of the Teaching Office was posted there to ensure teachers did not clock others in.

The sight of teachers sprinting 150 metres from the gate to the clock (located on the wall of the Admin Building) would have to be one of the most demeaning sights I have seen teaching anywhere.

Hey Warrior...
They still have the timeclock but it is not for foreign teachers, only for the Chinese.  It makes them crazy.....
I sad and happy to know that someone else shares my troubles, but I am curious where to go for serious trouble.  I am afraid they will not pay the final pay or anything else.....
I get emails from the Dean which are mean and not necessary.

Anyone know whom to contact for government help?  This school is really being horrible.

 

I do not think you will have any problem with payment at the end of the contract. The only challenge is making it to the end of the contract!

I was one of 5 foreign teachers hired in the start-up of their commercial operation to get students overseas qualifications. For 3 of them it went something like:

1. the Canadian guy, with an MA in Linguistics, was fired after one month. They had started him on 3x my salary but did not get the enrolments expected so someone had to go. He was given 2 weeks to leave but was unable to find another place at short notice.
When that time expired he was locked out at the gates by security guards acting on the orders of the FAO. I managed to get them to agree to let him in and grant another weeks stay.

2. the Arab guy lasted 2 weeks. A young female foreign teacher rang the FAO to express her concerns about his attempts to hit on female students. He was given 2 hours to pack and leave the campus.

3. the Scot had such a strong acccent that he was removed from all teaching duties. He remained on full pay for the last 3 months of his contract. I found out later he was on 2x my salary.

The Foreign Expert Bureau would be the obvious place to turn to if you have a major problem but I do not think they will be much help. The 'owner', a man from Sichuan, is totally ruthless (he fires his own staff on any whim) and has connections in all high places.

Best thing to do is quietly get on with the job and ... make sure you do nothing to get the attention of the Teaching Office. 

Sounds horrible.
Sorry I can't offer any advice.

Is it not possible to leave legally and keep your visa because the employer has broken the contract? I guess that means proving the employer has done so which is probably too hard.

Hey Sid....
I have proof of the contract violation...and I will finish the contract next week.... my concern is the final pay.  I hold an F visa so I am not worried about that...
Thanks for the concern though.... it is nice to know someone care...    

I hold an F visa so I am not worried about that...

How did you manage to swing a contract, and get FEC/Res Permit, on an F visa?

They provide an F Visa until a Z visa can be confirmed at their expense.  Their excuse was lame but I am still protcted.  They do not want to complete the Z visa unless they know they want to keep you. The did the same thing to another current teacher.   

That doesn't make sense to me. A Z visa is simply an entry visa allowing you to enter the country and has no validity after that. You need to convert it to a Residency Permit within 30 days of entering the country.

Basically they could not convert the F to the Z.  I was also consfused by their excuse, but at this point could care less.
Regardless my next school can.  It will cost me, but well worht the expense.  Yes after the conversion the Gvt will issue the documents for experts cert and etc.
I am just warning anyone who might fall trap into their systems of lies.   

Time to have a chat with SAFEA and the Labor Bureau.

So far, my only connection to that school was bungee jumping off of Baiyun Shan to impress a very lovely girl who was enrolled there.

Basically they could not convert the F to the Z.  I was also consfused by their excuse, but at this point could care less.
Regardless my next school can.  It will cost me, but well worht the expense.  Yes after the conversion the Gvt will issue the documents for experts cert and etc.

Are you sure your next school can convert an F to a Z visa? From the Middle Kingdom Life website, The Z Visa Debate -
 
"According to the strictest letter of the law, you need to arrive in China with a Z-visa in your passport in order to work legally. Only schools licensed by the SAFEA (State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs) are authorized to hire foreign experts and this license is not easy to come by. Consequently, many schools currently advertising teaching positions are not duly licensed to hire foreign teachers and they will often obscure that fact by encouraging you to travel up to halfway around the world to work on a business or F-visa, assuring you that this is perfectly legal, customary and acceptable.

In at least one province that I am personally aware of, Hainan Province, government officials see no legal contradiction or prohibition in converting a tourist visa into a Z-visa. In fact, I was told this directly by the director of the Haikou municipal PSB. In the vast majority of provinces, however—barring a few select private schools with enough clout to pull the right strings—the only way you will be able to obtain employment is if you return back to your native country and reenter China with a Z-visa in hand, as is the case in Guangdong, as well as many other provinces."

It also seems they have closed the option of doing a 'visa run' to Hong Kong.

"According to the strictest letter of the law, you need to arrive in China with a Z-visa in your passport in order to work legally. Only schools licensed by the SAFEA (State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs) are authorized to hire foreign experts and this license is not easy to come by.

True!

The only good way to enter China to teach is on Z-visa issued in your own country.
1. you know you have legal status to live and work in your school for a period of 30 dayys while arrangements are made for your FEC and Residence Permit
2. you know that your employer has legal authority to employ a foreign teacher

If you find yourself in a dumb visa situation Hong Kong is sometimes an option for getting a Z-visa
This option comes and goes according to the whim of the authorities; any national event (2008 Olympic Games/2011 Universade) is likely to result in a tightening of the system requirements, or even its closure as an option. In any case:
1. only citizens of certain countries can use this option
2. you still need the 2 legal documents from your employer to show that yours is a valid application
Note: It is possible at this time to get a Z-visa in Hong Kong. At the end of 2010 I was issued a Z-visa after submitting all the required documents.

If you teach in China on an L or F visa you are playing Russian Roulette and will always be at risk of getting expelled from China
While some people can live with that scenario it is not a good option for anyone who is here for the long haul.
If you end up in a job that does not deliver an FEC and Residence Permit I suggest:
1. stop reading stories about how an employer used guanxi to get a foreign teacher a visa
2. stop looking for loopholes in a system that is not administered rationally
3. get out of the job and into one that can get you legal authority to teach in China
4. if this is not possible then bite the bullet; go home and apply for a job that will give you a Z-visa to enter China legally

I wish people would stop using the word 'convert' in relation to visas. There is no such thing as conversion of visas - you either have one or you have another.
If you decide to change to another visa category the process goes something like:
1. they cancel the old visa
2. they issue a new visa ... if you meet the criteria of of the new category

Even a Z-visa does not convert into a Residence Permit. It just gives you 30 days to make the arrangements required for an application - Medical Examination, issuance of FEC, employers authority documentation, etc           
 

Having a HK ID helps to get a visa in HK, if you can get your grubby paws on that then it should make the process easier.

How does one get one's grubby paws on a genuine HK ID?