English Rose. Don't take this the wrong way, but you sound a bit ignorant in your post. Do you know how to use the internet? You need someone to find an email address or phone number for you??? The fact of the matter is that your chinese company can do anything they want. Neither the PSP nor any other Chinese agency can help you. These places are not in the business to represent foriegners in these types of matters. Your Chinese company does not have to give you any money and they can ask you to pay for your visa; it does not matter how many times you think you have paid for it. Do you know where you are? Wake up. You are in China. Foreign rules do not apply here. The term "illegal" is a relative term in the world of Chinese business practices.

However, in these types of situations, threatening to call the foreign experts bureau or PSP has been known to help. Of course these agencies will not help you, but if your company is like most Chinese companies that hire foreigners, they are trying to stay under the radar and they will do all they can to avoid attention from law enforcement agencies or legal battles. They might be willing to at least compromise. If you are dealing with low level branch management, you will probably need to go higher and deal with the head hancho of the company to maximize the effectiveness of your threats.

Good luck....but I would not set my expectations too high. Just be happy you got the salary you did get and if you cannot resolve the visa issue, just come up with around 5000 rmb and find a visa agency. They will get you another visa.

The actual fee for a working visa is 400 RMB.

You don't know what a residence permit is,how have you managed to live here? It's what the local police office issues you on production of your z-visa and lives inside of your passport!
Not being funny but reading some of your comments I worry about how you find your way home every day,no-one can be so naieve.Pearson is a teaching system,you don't know what you have been teaching?
As Bannoy says,in the eyes of SAFEA you need a bachelor and 2 years post-grad for a z-visa, no if's and no but's,that's the rules.The only way around this rule is to be employed as a foreign expert by a chinese company and quite rightly you have to be able to prove some demonstrable experience in the particular sector.
It is the same with green cards etc,a company has to prove that you can do the work that they cannot reasonably hire a local to do.
If you have a fake then you are certifiably screwed and you are an illegal alien,chances are that the school hired an agent and paid off bungs to get your visa it may well be real and at a price of 10k this could be how you have the said document in your mitt.
Hooky visas can vary enormously in price,depends on the agent,how much work they have to do and how many people involved (palms they have to polish) to get your docs.Don't forget that you live in a hugely corrupt country where trivial things like paperwork can be overlooked for the correct amount of mao's......just the way it is! I am not saying you have to do anything illegal,just the way things work.
You need Bannoys email and get him to check your contract,if your visas fake you may find your contract is too,or in the very least it will be onerous towards the school.
Lesson 1,if you sign a contract and don't speak chinese either ask for a translated copy or get one before you sign for a few mao it can save a lot of pain (as you can see!)
Yes you are in a difficult position,is is common for schools to blame a teacher and tell you that kids have quit classes,it's usually boll*ocks.The way (a lot) of schools operate is to continually recruit teachers to gap-fill,hence why you see so many adverts on here,the demand fluctuates and there is a ready source of willing takers so unfortuantely the less than ethical schools can afford to be quite mercenary,sorry but that's the way they work and by the sound of it this is what you have fallen victim to.
You may be able to get some advice from FESCO as well,they are an outsource HR company for foreign businesses in China, but I have managed to drag information from them before and they have an office in BJ.At least they may be able to point you in the right direction then you may be in a better position at the negotiating table,because without a lawyer this is here you will end up doing damage limitation,it's going to cost you......just the amount will vary.

I have PMed my email. While we are at this, lets lay out some guidelines for anyone signing a contract here in China with an English School.

1.) Does this school seem reputable? Do they have a proper office? If they do - ask to speak to one of their full time teachers. Don't do it directly but just say you need some advice from a foreign perspective on living in Beijing or teaching these type of classes etc and they might be willing to let you speak to one.

2.) Always remember where you are. If there is a chance you may get screwed you probably will, look at the administrative system and see your liability should things take a turn for the worst. Here is my definitive guide of stuff to think about when starting a new full time job. If anyone has anything they would like to add or change please let me know.

Deposits/Holding: does the school hold anything in deposit? Salary, documents etc. If they do then beware.

Delayed pay days: When do they pay? If they pay more than 15 days after the month ends, ditch. Most plays have a delayed pay day to prevent teachers skipping out, but if you are working nearly a month in advance then it is not worth it.

Minimum Hours before pay: A few lame one on one centers operate a policy whereby you must teach a certain number of hours before you can get paid anything that you are earned. If a company says the do this – spit in their eye and steal some stationary on the way out.

Fines: I hate to say it but fines are necessary, a lot of schools don’t use them but I actually think it’s a good idea. A lot of teachers are flakes and that’s just the reality. What you need to watch out for is excessive fines and ambiguous language. I once worked for a company that did RMB1000 for a missed class but another that takes your whole months pay. I was in a bike accident and in hospital for 3 days and missed the class that day. My fine was around RMB14000 as it was the end of the month. Do NOT think it will not happen to you, all of us start a job thinking we are going to do the best job possible, never be late etc. Sh*t happens. If the fines are more than the equivalent of what you would have been paid had you gone then don’t accept. (Someone places offer clients free classes if a teacher skips when they have come for class which I think is fair from a business perspective). Cumulative late fines are not acceptable – 5 mins 100, 10 mins 20 etc (yeah I’m talking to you ABC!!!). A late fine should be a flat fee of a reasonable amount with a reasonable allowance. Furthermore, watch out for bonuses masked as fines (your base is average but with your bonus its good types – YEAH YOU ABC!!!). Many companies will find any reason not to give you a bonus and have you working on a low amount almost permanently. Especially avoid customer satisfaction bonuses unless the base salary is good to start with – if you aren’t good enough then the school should get rid of you, not have you working on a promise then pull the rug out at the end.

Interviews: Straight up rule – if they bring you in on a promise of one thing then it changes in the interview. GET OUT! They did it once, they will do it again. It is a test, if they tried it once they will try again because they know you can be pushed around. Doing it this early is a clear indication of their style. If you tell me one thing on the phone, I get there and its different – you have not only lied to me but wasted my time. I once tried to get someone to pay me an hours salary for wasting my time. It didn’t work of course but I hope it made him think twice before trying again

Part Time Masquerading as Full Time: These places work basically farm you out when work comes but they want to be sure they have teachers so they try to obligate you without giving in return (Berlitz *cough* ABC *cough*). They will give you a really low guaranteed salary or none but tell you that they can give you LOTS more. Its true. They will give you lots more but due to the nature of the industry the times and days are nearly impossible to fix and seeing as you are getting a guaranteed salary you can’t turn them down. Welcome to 6 or 7 days a week, huge gaps in your days and a mediocre salary with crappy work/life balance. ABC will take away your bonus (1/4 of your salary) if you turn down a class, even if it is given with less than 24 hours.

Travel: Any company worth their salt will reimburse you for travel expenses (not your time). If they don’t then it is not worth it. This includes most 1 on 1 tutoring companies. Also be sure to factor travel time into your accept or reject calculations, it adds up. I always hear the argument that the time you travel can’t be used to work so you should not calculate it at the same rate as work time but personally I value my home time especially when you are working many hours. Really good companies will pay you for an 8 hour shift and if you have a class then you travel within that shift and essentially get paid in that time. This of course if fulltime and thus the hourly rate is much better as there is more variety and stability.

Cancellation Policies: I believe in fining teachers for being late and missing class. These companies are businesses and they suffer if teachers mess up. People should take responsibility for their actions. The true works in the reverse, if you tell me that my 4PM class is canceled today then I have made no plans to do anything else. There is an opportunity cost. I should be compensated. As a rule a 24Hour or same day cancellation policy is a must. If a client cancels on the same day then I should still be paid. Many good companies do this but find out how it is administered first, who is the onus on? When I first started I went to ShiJingShan (middle of nowhere) for a class and when I arrived the client forgot and was not there. I called the centre and they just said tough luck try again tomorrow (thanks Goldentran).

Stability and Security: Going Full Time means sacrificing a higher hourly rate for some degree of stability and security. If a company cannot guarantee your salary/hours or whatever for the length of the contract, DO NOT take it. You should be given Holiday pay, insurance (under Chinese regulations it is actually required to issue a Z Visa), and the cost of your VISA reimbursed at minimum. Outright payment of visa is not regular as many people just ditch once its done, so some companies pay it back monthly of the length of the contract but if you leave they cancel it (every business has a set number of slots for Z visas and if someone runs off it makes things difficult). If a company will let you keep a Z visa afterwards then they have gone through an agent. Teachers should not have the whole liability of their VISAs. If a company will not get help you on a Full time contract. Don’t sign.

Work Schedule: Teachers are not machines. Surprised? Many employers are apparently. Work schedules should be fixed at the beginning of the week at least. Of course there are emergencies which teachers as full time employees have an obligation to help out but day before/same day class schedules should not be the norm. Before signing a contract find out how and when work is scheduled. Full time work should be 5 days a week. No more. Weekend work and 2 weekdays off is common and understandable though. If a company offers you few hours a day but on more day then don’t bother. If you want to work 7 days a week get a set job with 5 days a week and add a couple of part time positions to your days off. There are many benefits to this (your Tax liability is spread if you have one and it spreads your risk should things go wrong.

Tax: If you have been here too long (Guilty!) or if you have never worked in your home country then you will probably get upset about having to pay tax. Sorry to break it to you, the good companies charge tax. The good companies also pay more. When considering a job always compare the NET incomes along with the other benefits, and make sure you ask whether advertised salaries are NET or Gross before you go in for an interview to avoid disappointment. It is true however that there are many good companies that don’t charge tax but they are very few and far apart as any company big enough to get a Z visa will charge tax because you are on the books. Oh and the foreigner tax rate operates on a graduated taxation system starting at 4800 (2010 – any new info?) with 5% and then deductions. If it’s a flat rate then they are screwing you.

Part Time Tax: They are liars. Unless your visa comes from them you cannot legally work there and thus cannot be taxed. Always ask NET salaries.

Probation Periods: Its common in contracts for Chinese employees to offer a lower hourly rate for their probation periods. This is NOT the norm in the English teaching market. A probation period should only affect the amount of notice that either party is required to give when they wish to terminate the contract.

Notice: Notice should be equal on both sides, the company should not be able to unilaterally cancel contracts after the probation period with less than (minimum 2 weeks) a months (Recommended) notice.

Late Payment: While this is not normally done at the contract stage I just want to add a suggestion that you clarify with the employer that if they do not pay on the specified day then you will cease to work until paid. Many times I have heard of teachers being strung along with promise of payment essentially getting themselves deeper in the hole until they could not afford to live anymore. A recent example being The Language Key. D*cks

Well that is it, be more careful in the future. Geez that was a long post - sorry guys

Pearson is short for Pearson Longman, one of the largest education publishers in the world. You use their books like many companies in China - New Oriental/Dell/ and their own centers.

I am looking at her joined date and judging by that, I would say that not understanding the ins and outs of the visa system in less than a year (I assume) of living here - having never done their own visa( given its their first job)- is fully acceptable.

Did you get off the boat with the Encyclopedia China in your brain fly boy? Give her a break, we have all been there. People at Vivid, Blurt, The Language Key, ABC, Berlitz, Real Life English etc have all come into similar difficulties, many of them who had been here a long time. It happens.

Anyway, send me the contract and I'll see what I can do.

You just managed to totally contradict yourself in two sentences.Let me explain,when you were coming to China you would have been issued a visa from either your school or the Chinese Embassy in London or Manchester.When you arrive in China,you take said entry visa to the entry office and they give you a chitty to take to the police and they issue your residents permit. A visa and a resident permit are two different things.
With the varous bureaus,be careful to try to use the ones that have foreign people.You really don't want to tell a chinese official that you are potentially an illegal for obvious reasons!

Oh and you paid your landlord to do the Temporary Residence for you? Could I ask what you paid? That process takes the whole of 5 minutes. Its easily doable without Chinese language ability.

They cannot cancel anything without your passport but unless you get a release letter you cannot get a Z visa at the end of your current one. I thought they were not interested in canceling it? If it is an agent visa they don't need to.

If you are in a contract dispute, ＤＯ ＮＯＴ give over your passport.

Then they have your money, your passport and your (metaphorical) balls in a vice.

Does your boyfriend work in the same industry? If so he should know enough to blag it with the employer and I am guessing he would be more intimidating than you when dealing with them.

Well how can they expect you pay for the whole thing if they are going to cancel it? So they want 10,000 for a 6 months visa?

Wow I'm in the wrong business

Its sounds like they are past reason, if you are not going to stay for more than a year just kiss the money goodbye and take the VISA.

Once you get your money and everything go to the print shop get some Chinese language flier done about how corrupt they are and just stick em up around their area. Not a solution, just stress relief.