how to change employers.

Question

I'm an ESL teacher contracted till 28 Feb 2016. I came on a z type and have a residency permit valid till October 2015. My girlfriend works for the same company, however, because she is an ABC they would not give her a contract. We want to leave the company and work somewhere else. The contract states that I must give 3 months notice or pay a fine of 5000 rmb to leave them immediately. I'm not sure how they got us Z types in the first place because I do not have a degree in anything. The company has been very secretive about the whole application process for the visa, residency, and expert certificate.  These are my questions.1. If we leave before my contract is up and and before my permit expires, can I simply stay in China and find other employers, or do we have to leave and come back on new Z types?2. What exactly must we do to renew our residency permits with a new employer. Do we have to go through the while application process again or do we simply show the old Z types, permit and expert certificate to the authorities and ask for a renewal/extension?3. What is an expert certificate, why do I need it, and, do I need a new one for each company?4. Can someone give me step by step instructions on how to change companies?

Fanny · Answer

1. Len, if you leave the company before your contract is up and don’t pay for the fine, I’m afraid the company will immediately cancel your foreign expert certificate and won’t issue you a release letter. Without the release letter, you can’t get a new work permit, which means you cannot work legally. So you are suggested to resign in a peaceful way and get this release letter. After get it, you should hunt for another job. Then you can go to the foreign expert bureau to apply for another certificate and renew your residence permit.2. You don’t need to go through the whole application process. You can just renew the information on the residence permit by providing the new work certificate and other required documents, such as photos, passport, release letter, proofs provided by the new company, etc.3. The expert certificate functions as an identity proof for you. It allows you to work in China. If you don’t have it or the work permit, you cannot work here, that is why you need it. You do need a new one for each company.

How to change employers.

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