They keep your original documents

CRITICAL

What happens

Your apostilled degree, police check and TEFL certificate are submitted for the work permit — and the contract states they become the school's property and will not be returned. Losing these is far worse than losing a month's pay: replacing them can take months and blocks your next job.

✅ How to protect yourself

Search the contract for wording about 'originals'. If it says they are retained, do not sign — originals must be returned after the permit is issued.

Real cases (2)

chinalifer/chinalife · Smaller Jiangsu City · 2026

Originals I submit for the work permit (apostilled degree, police check, TEFL cert) become school property and "shall not be returned to Party B."

A direct contract quote — not a paraphrase.

source: open the original post

Chinavisar/Chinavisa · Wuxi · 2025

They still have my original college diploma and my apostilled documents. I have WeChat messages where they admit they have them and refuse to return them.

Poster quit after 14 days; documents never came back.

source: open the original post

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Built from public teacher discussions. Every figure shows its sample size.
Not legal advice · sourced from self-reported forum posts · contract check tool