For all expats, regardless of nationality and occupation, it is the nightmare scenario – hearing news of a bereavement, an accident or an emergency at home. It is a truly chilling situation. Suddenly, you are faced with problem that hits dramatically close to the heart, yet you are situated thousands of miles and countless hours of travel away. Typically, for those unfortunate enough to be trapped by such a predicament, it engenders feelings of helplessness, dislocation and despair.

Photo: lotopspin

When living overseas, the prospect of bad news is always something that lingers somewhere in the back of your mind. In moments of quiet contemplation, many expats will no doubt wonder exactly what they would do if the worst actually did come to the worst. This is usually a pretty grim experience. To combat the waves of emotion that dealing with such thoughts can create, many reassure themselves with strong, dynamic statements. These are often along the lines of, “I will be on the first plane home”, “Nothing could stop me going back.”

The problem with such sweeping statements is that the reality rarely works in that way. Having lived in China for almost four years, I have seen friends and colleagues find themselves in this situation and have even experienced it first hand. In almost every case I have seen, the whole experience is characterised by an agonizing split in your thought process. On the one hand, there is the clarity and certainty that drives the desire to get home as quickly as possible. On the other are the hundreds of questions spinning through your head - “How fast can I get back?” “What about work?” “When do I return to China?” “Are things so serious that I need to relocate back home?” “Can I afford to be flying back and forth across the globe?”

This split is at its most acute after first hearing the news of problems at home. All you want to do is book a ticket and be on the flight home. But, here in China, it is never that simple. Almost everyone involved in such an emergency quickly learns that getting the first flight out is nigh-on impossible. Issues like work, flight times and visas suddenly jump in the way to make getting home a nagging and frustratingly slow process. You need to get time off (about which there will be more later), find a flight at the right time and right price, and deal with countless loose-ends. Even in the best of circumstances, expats face a brief period – in a good case a day, but sometimes a couple – before they can actually leave. This interlude is perhaps the hardest part of the whole process. Things can seem less distressing whilst you are calling work, booking flights and generally keeping busy – the activity comes as a welcome distraction. However, once that is all sorted, you are left with a feeling of crippling inactivity and helplessness. There is nothing left to do but dwell on the unpleasant nature of the situation

Thus far, I have dealt with things on a predominantly emotional level, but what of the practical side of things? What about work, and, what about your future in China? These are issues that can have wide-ranging implications for different expats. For example, for those expats employed by major foreign companies, that have global HR standards and best practices, there may well be a policy in place to help deal with such an eventuality. Some companies will include a clause for compassionate leave in their contracts. Others may not have such flexible terms, but may follow western standards on annual leave and will offer more vacation time than most domestic companies. For example, whereas in China 10 days is a standard – perhaps even liberal – allowance, companies from countries in the EU are likely to offer a figure closer to the 20 or 25 day mark. This means that the expat in question can take annual leave days if emergency strikes. Other companies have been known to offer flexible solutions, such as allowing employees to use sick days to cover the time away. Salaries in this type of role are also large enough to ensure that a flight home is not a crippling expense. This means that, in all but the most severe of emergencies, the expat has every chance – if they so choose – to return to China and resume their life here.

Those expats who can utilize their company's employment practices are the lucky ones. For others, specifically the hordes of English teachers currently working in the Middle Kingdom, the situation might not be so rosy. Those working at private language companies – English First, Wall Street, Web – are probably in the better situation here. This type of company tends to offer better salaries than the majority of state schools and universities, which means the teacher is in a position to be able to afford to go back without too much trouble – this is true for experienced teachers at least. In addition, as they are not bound by term times, teachers can take their annual leave at a time of their choosing – this is not always a huge amount and is often subject to restrictions, but does provide some flexibility. With the added prospect of a contract completion bonus, there is a good chance that teachers in these jobs will find their way back to China, even if the whole situation may have strong financial as well as emotional implications.

For those working at state schools and universities, the situation is much starker. It is from this section of the overseas community that we are likely to find the majority of expats who will not return to China. In such roles, sick leave and compassionate leave are alien concepts. Holidays also tend toward extremely regimented. They will get the standard Golden Week periods and, if they stay for longer than a semester, a break in the summer and the winter. It is rare for them to receive any holidays to take at their discretion. Salaries in this area are also lower, which means a flight home becomes a far larger outlay. This means that, in a best case scenario, they will lose pay. In the worse case, the most practical option is simply to pack up and leave for home.
 

Related Links
What to Do If You Have an Emergency in Beijing
Cold to Death: Surviving the Winter in China

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.