Breaking Your Contract in China: New Consequences for Pulling a “Midnight Run”

Breaking Your Contract in China: New Consequences for Pulling a “Midnight Run”
Jan 02, 2017 By Trey Archer , eChinacities.com

Anyone who has lived in China, especially those in the ESL field, might recognize this scenario: You show up to work ready to start the day but notice your boss in a frenzy, frantically dialing digits on the phone hoping to get a response from your co-worker who just so happens did not show up that day or provide anyone with a valid absence excuse. After a day or two of being MIA, it’s a safe bet that you’ll most likely never see your disappeared colleague ever again, because he or she probably pulled the infamous “midnight run”—grabbing your paycheck and leaving the company before the contract ends without telling a soul. While breaking your contract in China had very few repercussions in the past, times have changed and the government has now issued new measures to dissuade foreigners from breaking contracts and punishing those that do. Before you or someone you know decides to pull a midnight run, here is some information you should know concerning the edicts of breaching your employment contract in China.

midnight run
Source: goodfilmguide.co.uk

Consequences for expats breaching their contracts

There are some new rules to the game that you should take into consideration before breaking your contract via midnight run. As of February 1, 2013, the State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs (SAFEA) now has an online database where companies can put the personal information (including nationality and passport number) of foreign employees who’ve breached their contracts. (Click here to see a sample list of midnight running expats). Major breaches of privacy aside, having your information on this list will also red flag your name with other companies looking to hire you and seriously damage your credibility. Furthermore, if the company reports you, they can have you blacklisted from China for three years or more if they’re really looking to seek revenge. In the worst-case scenario, which might be more prevalent with major corporations rather than ESL institutions, a lawsuit can be filed. Though law suits are much less common in China than they are in the West, they’re definitely the last place a foreigner wants to be since, as China Law Blog warns, foreigners tend to do “poorly” in Chinese courts when facing contract disputes.

How to switch from one company to another

The good news is switching companies within China, even if it means leaving your contract early, is possible and relatively hassle-free as long as you didn’t burn any bridges. According to TeachAbroadChina.com, to switch ESL jobs you need a letter from your previous company stating that you no longer work there anymore (aka “release letter”), your personal medical examination results and the foreign expert certificate; all of which your ex-boss should have and lawfully provide. Once your new company has these documents, they should be able to do the rest to maintain your Z Visa and keep you in the country legally. However, if you leave on bad terms your old company can very well refuse, delay the transfer and/or “accidently lose” any of these vital documents. If this occurs, it will be very difficult for you to get a new Z Visa and hypothetically hinder your employment status at your new job. It could also be expensive by forcing you to pay for a new medical examination and make another visa trip to Hong Kong or your home country.

How to professionally quit your job

There are a number of reasons people decide to break their contract. Some of the most obvious range from personal health issues to family emergencies back home. Reasons like these should be deemed as tolerable excuses since your boss should understand the inevitable misfortunes life throws at us. On the other hand, while majority of companies/schools are reputable, there are shady operations out there that can make your life a living hell. Those trapped in this unfortunate circumstance have an eternal list of grievances and will do anything it takes to escape before things get too ugly. But no matter what your excuse is, by leaving you’re still breaching your contract and technically breaking the law. If you must resign, there are a few things you can do to help soften the crash landing.

First re-read the contract you signed because leaving might be a lot easier than you think. Some contracts, especially for certain ESL schools, have three-month trial periods for the teacher to see if he or she is a good fit for the school, making it easy to get out of the contract with little repercussions during that timeframe. My work contract, for example, also says that even though the employee should complete the term of the contract, it is possible to leave simply by giving a 30-day notice. Second, don’t lose your cool. Emotions can run high on both sides of the table when addressing this sensitive issue, but just remember that losing your temper can create a mountain of problems that could screw you over in the long run; especially if you need the paper work for another job within China as mentioned in the “switching job” section. Lastly, since every situation/company/contract is different, ask some of the others at your work about people who’ve quit in the past. They can most certainly give you better advice on the issue since they have seen it with their own eyes and possess a certain “insider” knowledge.

Use your best judgment

In conclusion, it’s always best to finish up your time accordingly, which shouldn’t be too difficult since most out there have only signed one-year contracts. While this may seem long at first, it’s really not. Instead of jumping the gun and escaping to the airport in the middle of the night, give it a chance—you may even discover that it’s not as bad as you thought. When I first moved to China, I was disappointed and considered leaving. But over time, it grew on me and I’ve been very content with my life here ever since. In the unfortunate incident that you do get stuck within an “evil” company who’s treating you poorly and truly believe negotiating or rationalizing with the boss will only make matters worse, then by all means tough times call for tough measures. Just make sure that you are fully aware of and willing to accept the consequences before taking off on a midnight run. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

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Keywords: pulling a midnight run breaking your contract breaching your contract

40 Comments

All comments are subject to moderation by eChinacities.com staff. Because we wish to encourage healthy and productive dialogue we ask that all comments remain polite, free of profanity or name calling, and relevant to the original post and subsequent discussion. Comments will not be deleted because of the viewpoints they express, only if the mode of expression itself is inappropriate.

Guest16307052

I was on holiday outside China when COVID became serious. I refused to return and the university was upset with me, but I still refused to return. This was a military institution. Is it possible I am blacklisted...or there's a flag on my passport in some database somewhere? I'm just concerned about returning to work there and don't want to have trouble at the airport.

Jul 04, 2023 08:29 Report Abuse

Guest19554984

“[A]s China Law Blog warns, foreigners tend to do ‘poorly’ in Chinese courts when facing contract disputes.” In other words, don’t even bother going. If you’re already warned that you’re going to be screw in any dispute, it’s a definite warning sign. But, hey, now it’s 2022. Nobody’s coming, anyway. (Shrug)

Mar 10, 2022 15:49 Report Abuse

Guest16482528

Hi is it normal for a contract to contain the clause of one months pay being held if the employee terminates the contract before leaving date? Thank you

Jun 10, 2019 20:23 Report Abuse

Guest15152594

What happens when you are foreign, you signed a contract outside China and you have the work permit? If you refuse, can you go to blacklist?

Aug 23, 2018 19:46 Report Abuse

Guest15422450

So what do we do if the school breaches contract? Mine did and I want to leave but they are trying to get me for breach of contract instead..

Feb 27, 2018 21:26 Report Abuse

pkr

Enjoying the post and getting used to

Sep 15, 2017 15:37 Report Abuse

pkr

Good information

Sep 15, 2017 14:55 Report Abuse

donnie3857

If any part of the contract is illegal then the whole contract doesn't exist and is without force. The schools and the recruiters know this. Some probation clauses in some contracts are entirely one sided. Almost like they don't have to pay you even if you worked 5 weeks. If the school can't get you an FEC, it's because SAFEA didn't issue an FEC (might have been forged by ...)However; this can no longer be done with SAFEA's new enforcement procedure. So if you are one of those people who have a questionable contract. Don't worry about the midnight run. nobody will go after you because nobody wants to get caught. Besides, nobody has to pay you once you leave.

Feb 01, 2017 10:48 Report Abuse

retiredinchina

most midnight runners never plan to return to China, so this is useless, and anybody can say a passport is lost and come in under a new passport number and start over, this happens all the time. they could use technology and facial recognition, but spending the money for tracking some underpaid useless english teachers is not efficient and chinese are so cheap that the four biggest banks still use windows xp, so good luck with your dreams of punishment.

Jan 23, 2017 13:13 Report Abuse

Dsim

I may have to break my contract this summer, but I will know if I have to BEFORE I start working there, as some personal and professional things have changed, but the school will have already got a new work visa for me, so what kind of trouble will I be in? I repeat, by the time I know if I will have to break the contract the school will have already gotten me a new work visa but I won't have actually worked for them yet.

Jul 03, 2015 12:40 Report Abuse

Guest14256348

Hey! Any ideas how letter of resignation should looks like? I have 30 working days in my contract. Is it normal letter like in other country or something special should be included? Thanks!

Jun 26, 2015 11:17 Report Abuse

shaunw

I am due to start work on Feb 25 as stated in my contract so far the promises made by the school have not materalised .To that end I am looking for a new position with another school if I get one what problems do I face .I have never seen a work permit or this FEC in fact the only doc I've seen is the contract I signed

Feb 17, 2015 22:17 Report Abuse

Guest2620512

If you pull a midnight run in hong Kong, would that be problematic if you find employment in mainland China?

Jan 20, 2015 23:18 Report Abuse

VinaMB

I've already signed the contract but haven't left for China yet, nor have i applied for the Visa but received (by airmail) a Work Permit and a Letter of Invitation. Is it too late to change the contract? They have a copy of only the signed section of the contract.

Dec 16, 2014 15:48 Report Abuse

Almost

You can legally break a contract without having to do a midnight run. See this link for details: http://eslwatch.info/china-2/about-the-law-china/12172-cftu-china-law-update-how-to-legally-break-your-china-foreign-teacher-contract-without-penalty-loss-of-visa-nor-pay.html

Sep 18, 2014 13:06 Report Abuse

ChinaAibo

Here are some links for the 外国文教专家或外籍专业人员推荐信 (Release Letter) in case others are searching for it: http://www.sdwh.lss.gov.cn/news_details.asp?ArticleID=2226 http://www.chengdu.gov.cn/uploadfiles/0833190505/2014128154745.doc

Sep 03, 2014 15:14 Report Abuse

Guest494968

There is still not much info on this list anywhere on the internet, including the SAFEA site. Is this actually for real? How does the process work? Is there due process or just a one sided reporting scheme that companies can use to try to further control teachers?

Jul 27, 2013 07:28 Report Abuse

Guest2227792

Wish any of this was applicable to the Chinese employees - they are the ones that cause us all of the real headaches....The Foreign employees generally work just fine as long as you keep it clear and pay them. Despite these basics, we still have Chinese employees that can't be bothered to honor a basic contract or even give notice when changing jobs.

Apr 19, 2013 15:56 Report Abuse

Guest972668

One has to be very careful about trusting these articles. They are usually written with a bias. Often they are written by Chinese employers (or authors paid by Chinese employers) to discourage foreign workers to run away from their poorly managed companies. Most of these sites are loaded with fear and misinformation to push a specific end. Losing a foreign worker is bad news for a Chinese company. They are meant to protect them and keep track of them. When one of their worker's disappear, they look bad. Especially if it has happened more than once. Blacklisting is also very, very rare. China is such a large bureaucracy and has such a large population that maintaining any sort of national blacklist for hiring is completely non-feasible. If they blacklisted every ex-pat that had a problem with their company, there would be about 6 people left to hire. Most ESL schools are willing to hire the dregs of society to teach because of such a high demand and short supply. They aren't going to continue to decrease that supply. And the idea that they could potentially keep you out of China for three years is beyond absurd. Could you imagine the paperwork needed to have someone banned from a country for three years? And lawsuits? Perhaps if you are running a large corporation, and you try and skip out with millions of dollars hidden in your briefcase. The average ESL school doesn't have the time or the money to pursue a lawsuit against you. If every Chinese company sued their foreign workers, then there would be no lawyers, judges, or courts for any other issues in China.

Apr 17, 2013 20:29 Report Abuse

Tabby23

I have a question. If there are labor disputes between the foreign teacher and school, which department can mediate? Are foreign teacher's contracts covered by the labor department? Or by foreign experts' bureau?

Mar 28, 2013 18:27 Report Abuse

Guest972668

There are places, theoretically, but they won't actually help you. What you will probably get is a run around, which is where one person or department will send you to another department, until you realize no-one is going to help you. And you will only be able to participate in this pointless run-around if you have a Chinese national to speak for you.

Apr 17, 2013 20:13 Report Abuse

Guest248882

After five years with the same school as a foreign expert ending in 2009, I was told I needed a release letter, but the school wouldn't give me one. Even when I had the immigration dept and the labor dept phone them to inform them they were required to do this, they still stalled. To this day, years later, it is stilled not received, affecting my future, to say the least. Strange thing is that we left on good terms. School said if anyone phoned to ask about me, they would say good things. The main three reasons they gave for no 'release letter' were 1. That they had already given it to me--not true; 2. They didn't know how to compose it, they said--I offered to write it for them; 3. Finally, they had the tenacity to say that I was the one who was suppose to give them a letter. Although it has affected my future teaching in China, I never went beyond writing a complaint to the Eductation Department in English, which I never sent (I was afraid no one would understand). Didn't want to make trouble for the school where there were many young children present. I think the real reason was the school was trying to hide something to do with tax, as contracts fail to stipulate many details such as how many months a year one will be working, before or after tax salary, etc.

Mar 28, 2013 16:24 Report Abuse

Tabby23

What exactly is a release letter? Is that the same as notice of termination?

Mar 28, 2013 18:20 Report Abuse

WCG

A release letter is simply a document that tells the government that you no longer work for your employer. Sometimes it is referred to as a recommendation letter. However, it is not a recommendation letter that offers praise or criticism. Actually, each province has a different format of what is accepted, but usually it is just a written letter that specifies that the contract has ended either prematurely or upon dissolution. The letter should contain the original contract dates, the names of the parties, your passport number, a statement regarding the intent to vacate, any outstanding payments or penalties have been satisfied, signatures and a red company stamp. That's it. No employee evaluation is required. I had this issue with my current employer. They gave me this form and told me that my last employer needed to fill it out, including employer comments. I tried to tell them that the gov't would reject their form and sure enough the gov't did. Luckily, I had already written a release letter myself and had the last company stamp it. It worked! Usually just a paragraph with the above info works just fine. Hell, if worse comes to worse, just Photoshop the damn company stamp from your contract onto a letter yourself. The guy down at the gov't bureau doesn't have the motivation to verify that it's real. Nobody, and I am 100% convinced of this, NOBODY plays by the rules here. Why should you?

Apr 05, 2013 20:18 Report Abuse

ironman510

haha BS. heard this same sh*t for years now

Mar 27, 2013 11:44 Report Abuse