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CoffeeHawk_0
Board Buddha
Joined: July 14, 2005
Posts: 14380
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  Posted:
July 24, 2007 - 07:56 AM |
 
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| Post subject: Ever quit your job while on an expat assignment? |
..and how did everything work out for you if 'yes'? |
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shanghaiceltic
Board Royalty
Joined: Sep 20, 2005
Posts: 7588
Location: Perth WA
Status: Offline
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July 24, 2007 - 08:00 AM |
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Worked for a British company that was swallowed up by GE. Worst experience I have ever had. I put up with it for 18 months and then I met the people I now work for at an exhibition here in China. Very happy nearly 4 years later with the company I work for. |
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I have parrallel bars at home, one for gin and one for whiskey |
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yu888
Board Deity
Joined: Jan 25, 2003
Posts: 17973
Location: ZhongShanParkArea SH
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July 24, 2007 - 10:48 AM |
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no, only quit while on a business trip with the president of the company. I actually told him to fcuk off and walked off the flight we were boarding. things we do as a young bloke... ended up paying for a full prices one-way ticket home myself. |
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Thoughts & updates about Shanghai On my Blog for more details:Random Thoughts about Living in Shanghai...and more |
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shanghaiceltic
Board Royalty
Joined: Sep 20, 2005
Posts: 7588
Location: Perth WA
Status: Offline
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| Posted:
July 24, 2007 - 10:51 AM |
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/\ LOL, know it's not funny but..... |
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I have parrallel bars at home, one for gin and one for whiskey |
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*CheerLeader*Mao
Post Roaster
Joined: July 07, 2004
Posts: 4678
Location: frenCh belgiuM
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July 24, 2007 - 11:49 AM |
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Quit my last company and sold my 20% back to the other partners. They had no chance of survival do to some changes in our distribution agreements but they continue to stay on and lose money. Now i am consulting with the other distributors and helping them win all the deals. Worked out okay, but it is never a good idea to quit a job without having another one. Especially expats assignments were you end up losing a lot of perks.
YU888, please give us more details, what happened, why did you tell him to f-off. |
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Reg_Reagan
StreetBeater
Joined: July 18, 2006
Posts: 2400
Location: Friggin' Cessnock...
Status: Offline
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July 24, 2007 - 11:52 AM |
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I once told my one and only boss to F off. He'd just finished interviewing me (to keep getting the dole, you have to go to 3 interviews a mth). He said "Your Hired". I said F Off. and walked out. Bloody rude bastard.
Reg |
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Go and get stuffed the lot of youse... now get me a KB woman... |
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Artefact
Veejay
Joined: Aug 19, 2003
Posts: 1806
Location: Where no one has gone before
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July 24, 2007 - 08:27 PM |
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Hehe similar experience, I told my CEO FCUK OFF, then i left the meeting (we were on assignment in the US for a very big client). I almost punched him in front on the client. Yet i believe that was the best thing to do. I haven't refund the airfare though. |
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To be authentic literally means to be your own author. |
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Witch_Pauline
Reacher
Joined: Sep 23, 2005
Posts: 305
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
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July 24, 2007 - 10:08 PM |
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Itching again Coffee? Thats basically what I did. It took me a very long time to decide, and in the end it was more like we mutually agreed it was time to split... Tough decision, even 3 years down the line... I started my own business - as you know Coffee - and still dont earn as much as before. Not even the third. But its picking up, we are doing well, I dont regret - though I miss the time I could buy an apartment every year (and I needed to, as at the time investment in real estates were tax deductible... the good old days). |
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By Christ and the Cross! |
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p1atl10
Board Royalty
Joined: Mar 18, 2005
Posts: 6089
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
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July 25, 2007 - 07:08 AM |
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Are you on any type of employment contract?
Is there a "re-pay all expenses incurred in sending you here" clause?
Large American multi-national cmpany for me. Standard clause is if you quit while over here...the bill for all additonal costs of having you here versus your home country shows up.
Know 2 guys who ended up in a very large financial hole.... |
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Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer.....Dave Barry |
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yu888
Board Deity
Joined: Jan 25, 2003
Posts: 17973
Location: ZhongShanParkArea SH
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July 25, 2007 - 11:20 AM |
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| CLM wrote: |
YU888, please give us more details, what happened, why did you tell him to f-off. |
My case was odd. First job out of school way back when, joined a small firm that did a variety of things including international trade. Ironically the CEO was a racist sexist homophobic older alum that hired me at a few thousand a year less than the white guys in the company, unbeknownst to me until later. But still my compensation package was 20% higher than my friends who had business degrees from Berkeley and i was "just a lowly social sciences major." Anyhow, part of the responsibilities ended up being managing his racist, sexits and homophoboc outbursts in public and getting yelled at for almost no reason. he was defintiely bi-polar.
Anyhow, we were on a biz trip to Taiwan, where I had set up some suppliers and so a whole team of us were going to meet with them, go to a trade show, then go off to Poland which had just opened up as a market for suppliers. Durinng teh trip, the CEO got increasingly agitated that the 4 star place we stayed had staff that spoke limited English. Despite gaining relief from a couple dates with one of the trade show staff girls barely older than his son, he still took crap out on me because he couldn't understand why "my people" could speak enough English to help him.
On our way to HongKong, the flight got delayed due to a potential Mainland defector having popped off the plane so they had to inspect the plane to find him. At this point, the CEO was livid and began yelling at the ground staff. They explained that this was a security issue so they referred him to the airport police. Of course he shut up at this point though obviously NOT satisfied. By the time we reached Hong Kong, we have missed our British Airways flight and so we were all transferred to a Cathay Pacific flight.
All the pent up anger and the fact that he had to endure yet another flight on an airline allegedly operated by "my people" was just too much and so he spent the entire transit period berating the Hong Kong ground staff while my co-corker and I looked on embarrassed. When the plane finally started boardin, he made a comment about how "fu***ing stupid "my people" were causing his delays as we embarked. Having tolerated his stupid comments for the entire evening, I finally snapped and told him that he could F-OFF and I was quitting. He grabbed my arm and said, " I paid for your ticket and trip dammit so you are coming for the rest of the trip."
I couldn't help but use his fears against him here and reminded him that he was still in Hong Kong and amongst "my people" and that if he didnt let me go, I would yell in Chinese and "my people" would come and get him. He released me with a certain fear in his eyes that i will never forget. I walked back off the sky way to the gate ticket counter where the staff, which he constantly berated for the past hour, looked at me surprised I was there. I announced that I had just quit my job and was not going on the flight. All of them smiled and helped me collect my air ticket and one even walked me into a secure area to collect my luggage which was not going to make it on our intended flight. I walked out fo the airport, checked into the Airport hotel and slept really well that night.
NOT something I recommend to everyone, but I Am glad I finally stood up to the ignorant fool. |
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Thoughts & updates about Shanghai On my Blog for more details:Random Thoughts about Living in Shanghai...and more |
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DariaInShanghai
Reacher
Joined: July 15, 2005
Posts: 205
Status: Offline
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July 25, 2007 - 11:51 AM |
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good story, Yu. |
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yu888
Board Deity
Joined: Jan 25, 2003
Posts: 17973
Location: ZhongShanParkArea SH
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July 25, 2007 - 12:17 PM |
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Had i thought of it, I should have ALSO taken HIS luggage too while I was in the secure area. And unbeknowns to me, he sent my coworker off the plane after me with money in hand. Had I known, we would have gone on the town in HK that night and partied. Oh well... |
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Thoughts & updates about Shanghai On my Blog for more details:Random Thoughts about Living in Shanghai...and more |
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Witch_Pauline
Reacher
Joined: Sep 23, 2005
Posts: 305
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
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July 25, 2007 - 12:31 PM |
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What all of you dont realize is that, considering Coffeehawk's salary (he is working for one of those clueless US firms) he could buy the whole airplane and get the attendants to strip naked to party all the way to their destination. Hence Coffee's hesitation to start a new career as a freelance web designer cum sandwich shop owner. |
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By Christ and the Cross! |
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shanghaiceltic
Board Royalty
Joined: Sep 20, 2005
Posts: 7588
Location: Perth WA
Status: Offline
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July 25, 2007 - 12:39 PM |
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Good on you Yu. |
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I have parrallel bars at home, one for gin and one for whiskey |
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hc
Post Roaster
Joined: Apr 04, 2007
Posts: 4545
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July 25, 2007 - 01:08 PM |
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p1atl10
Board Royalty
Joined: Mar 18, 2005
Posts: 6089
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
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July 25, 2007 - 01:58 PM |
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Hmmm...A subscription site called 'Ask Coffee Hawk"?
Payment type and amount negotiable? |
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Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer.....Dave Barry |
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Witch_Pauline
Reacher
Joined: Sep 23, 2005
Posts: 305
Location: Shanghai
Status: Offline
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July 25, 2007 - 02:31 PM |
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"Serial entrepreneur"... Have you heard that one?  |
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By Christ and the Cross! |
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GeoffOz
Fire-eater
Joined: Apr 28, 2005
Posts: 2778
Location: Lost in Shanghai
Status: Offline
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July 25, 2007 - 04:13 PM |
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I recently did just that, but in my case I waited until I completed my two year contract so I didn't have to contend with all of those "refund of expenses" clauses. The two year stint with the company was good for me financially, but I didn't need all of the bullcrap that I put up with.
These days my main means of support is online share trading which is paying me a reasonably good living. The part I love the most is that I do it at home wearing nothing but my boxer shorts.
My advice: Cover yourself financially and follow your dream. The only person stopping you is yourself. |
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The secrets of this Earth are not for all to see, but only for those who will seek them... |
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YorkshireKing
StreetBeater
Joined: Mar 16, 2007
Posts: 2355
Location: Loooooooooooooooooose in Luwan
Status: Offline
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| Posted:
July 25, 2007 - 04:18 PM |
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| GeoffOz wrote: |
| The part I love the most is that I do it at home wearing nothing but my boxer shorts. |
Shut the god damn curtains! Do you have any decency? |
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Where were you while we were getting high? |
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GeoffOz
Fire-eater
Joined: Apr 28, 2005
Posts: 2778
Location: Lost in Shanghai
Status: Offline
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| Posted:
July 25, 2007 - 04:21 PM |
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Yeah, my neighbour has a good look at times. The funny part is that he's doing the same thing. I like his taste in boxer shorts though.
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The secrets of this Earth are not for all to see, but only for those who will seek them... |
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YorkshireKing
StreetBeater
Joined: Mar 16, 2007
Posts: 2355
Location: Loooooooooooooooooose in Luwan
Status: Offline
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| Posted:
July 25, 2007 - 04:23 PM |
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WHAT, you like tasting his boxer shorts?
EDITED
Sorry misread that, too many pages open. |
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Where were you while we were getting high? |
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GeoffOz
Fire-eater
Joined: Apr 28, 2005
Posts: 2778
Location: Lost in Shanghai
Status: Offline
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| Posted:
July 25, 2007 - 04:24 PM |
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What? Have you started drinking already?
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The secrets of this Earth are not for all to see, but only for those who will seek them... |
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