Blacklist

[luke19861999]

So I'm looking for some information about the blacklist if anyone here can help?

 

I've been in China now for 3 years most of the time very happy at another school who I had no problems with and never recieved any problems from them. I have always worked in CHina legally on a z visa and as far as I'm aware have obeyed the rules.  The local PSB also know me and have somewhat of a friendly casual relationship with them. The main guy there is actually really good friends with my old schools owner and told me I should have stayed at that school when I got my residency permit stamped.   . He is aware I have always been a good employee and also knows I dont want to see this contract out but advised me I should.

 

However my current school who I have now been at for 6 months (if anyone is thinking about time discrepencies on visas it's because I had passport issues and had to go home at one point) have recently threatened to blacklist me simply because I am not happy there and want to terminate my contract.

 

I don't want to go into to many details but its the usual story, not fullfilling the contract, mismatched expectations and to throw in another thing my girlfriend also went there with me and the way he treats the chinese staff is just revolting. I have been here long enough to know it isnt the same here as back home in terms of workers rights (that's putting it politely) but he is just the worst vile bully I have ever come across. 

 

I know the owner has guan xi locally but not much outside of the city. If he does go and blacklist me will I be blacklisted from the whole of China or is it  just a local thing? If I cancel my z visa now and go home can he still blacklist me?  I haven't in my opinion done anything that deserves blacklisting? I know  in China guan xi is more important than the rights or wrongs of anything but are there any steps I can take to stop it from happening other than doing everything this man wants for the next 6 months of my life which will kill me. 

 

Thanks for any help 

[Angelina]

If you haven't done anything illegal, you have no reason to worry.

Leave that company and feel free to do whatever you want. If you were initially planning to continue working in the same city, do it, don't feel threatened.

Now, if he does try to interfere with you getting a new visa, and this proves to be more than a bluff, talk to your embassy, lawyers, and human rights organizations. Maybe you should talk to them now and see what they think.

Whatever you do, do not let him control you in any way.

[imron]

Sorry Angelina, but that is terrible advice if the OP wants to actually keep working in China after he leaves his current employer.

 

Embassies, lawyers and especially human rights organizations will not be able to help one iota with this.

 

The reality of the situation is, there probably isn't any sort of blacklist, however if you are working on a Z-visa you do need a 'release letter' from your employer stating that your employment has finished before you can get a Z-visa from a new company - this applies even if you leave the country and have a span of potentially years outside the country.

 

Note also that your residence permit is tied to your employer and they can potentially revoke it, meaning you have to leave China if you can't get the release letter and new employment in time.

 

Anyway, if you do leave, make sure you get the Release Letter if you want to be able to get work elsewhere.

[anonymoose]

As Imron said, you'll find it difficult to get another Z-visa if you don't have a "release letter". So, yes, it looks like you'll have to be the owner's bitch for the next six months. Start collecting any dirt on the owner and school that you can, so at least you have some leverage if need be.

[ChTTay]

If the OP leaves China, cancels his residence permit etc ... then reapplies for Z with another employer (starts 'from the begining' essentially) then, in this case, they wouldn't need the release letter. Right? I didn't think this applied for a span of years. If the person leaves the country and the residence permit expires or is cancelled then they cannot be working for that company any more.

 

If you'd like to go home for a bit then come back and try again with another employer then I think you'd be fine. It's only if you want to stay in China and transfer your residence permit from the current company to another one where you'd need the release letter.

 

As for a blacklist, there is always some talk of this kind of thing flying around the internet. Almost certainly doesn't exit. The only thing that could happen would be your boss, if he really did have major connections at the local PSB, put pressure on them to deny you. However, if the school you were going to work for had their own connections then it might not matter. It would also depend where you are. The real kicker would be the release letter you need. I have heard of some cases where they've looked the other way with this but don't count on it.

 

English teachers break their contracts all the time so I wouldn't pull your hair out of this.

 

If you can arrange some kind of deal to leave on good terms and then get a release letter it would mean you could find a job right now in China and transfer. If you can't do that, just leave and go home for a bit then come back - although if Imron is right then your only option is to try find a resolution.

 

I would say though that Chinese staff and teachers in private language schools can often be treated quite badly. My first school was generally okay but the own often made arbitrary decisions and rules seemingly just to make money off the teachers (by giving fines) or just to mess with them.

[imron]

It's only if you want to stay in China and transfer your residence permit from the current company to another one where you'd need the release letter.

I'm pretty sure you also need it if you leave the country and reapply.   I seem to recall previous threads where the OP had run in to that issue and wasn't able to get a z-visa due to not having a release letter.

[anonymoose]

And by the way, even if you do see out the contract, you will still need a release letter.