I have been teaching in China since January 2010. I signed a contract for a year to the end of January 2011, along with 5 other teachers who came with me. There was some complication about visas which was never explained to us, but in May 2010 our employer asked us to sign another contract which we were told was required so they could apply for a work permit, which we finally got in August, followed by a residence permit in October. The new contract was never explained to us and we were given only a few minutes to sign it. We were never given a copy of either contract despite numerous requests (we were told they didn't have a copy!). When I reminded them in December that I would be leaving at the end of January I was told I couldn't because I had signed a second contract to the end of May 2011 and produced a copy as proof. Eventually they agreed and a week ago gave me a letter confirming cancellation of the contract and saying they would also cancel my residence permit. I have since been offered a job by another employer and on visiting the local police station it was confirmed that my present employer couldn't cancel the residence permit, which remains valid until the end of May 2011. However i am concerned in replies to Mr Julius that they can cancel my Foreign Expert Certificate, which they have kept. Does this mean I will have to apply for a new residence permit, or just a new Foreign Expert Certificate - or both? Is the second contract valid, as we were never given the opportunity to question it?