What is a school responsible for providing?

[Hypiereon]

When a teacher goes to work in China, the school (or business if teaching at a Crash School,) is generally required by law to provide the following:

1. They are responsible for taking care of and paying for all paperwork when you arrive. This includes the work (Z) visa (now extinct in favor of the "Residence Permit Stamp" that classifies your reason for stay as “Work.”) and the Foreign Expert Certificate.
   
2. They pay for the medical exam if you have just arrived from abroad.
   
3. They pay for medical insurance. Coverage varies but is generally pathetic. Get your own international insurance coverage to be on the safe side. My family uses IMG (International Medical Group) because it is WAY cheaper than anything else we've seen, and my family will be covered anywhere in the world - including the USA. My wife and I have both had operations here in China - we paid for the treatment, and the company reimbursed us with no problems. Paperwork, receipts, and whatever paper trail you develop should be kept for when they ask to see it.
   
4. They pay your salary. (Amounts vary WIDELY.)
   
5. They pay for airfare reimbursement – again, amounts vary widely and this payment has been considered and “End of Year BONUS” by most foreigners because it is payable every year whether you use it for plane tickets or not.
   
6. They pay for accommodations: when living on campus this means water, electric, gas, (there is no “rent” on campus), and anything else you use except for phone.
7. If you live off campus you can easily bargain for “Living Expenses.”

All of this is usually just taken care of silently, but more recently, schools have found that it is to their benefit to list these things as “benefits” to foreign teachers because it usually keeps the bargaining down to a minimum. They also might even say “Tax Free Salary” but that’s only for salaries that are less than 4,800 RMB per month as per the new regulations set forth on January 1st, 2006. As long as they keep your salary below 4,800 RMB, they can (and do) also make this claim as an added “benefit.”

In fact, NONE of these are benefits – they are all required by law. Just keep in mind that amounts on airfare reimbursement vary by school, and types of insurance coverage vary widely depending on the company who insures you. Insurance coverage (by law) should be complete and comprehensive for any medical procedure you could possibly need, but it does not cover emergency evacuation if you want to leave the country, nor does it cover going to a better hospital. If you’re in a rural area and it’s cheaper to do something there, that’s where you’re going to get treated. You can choose to go to a better hospital somewhere else, but the cost difference between where you go and what it would have cost to stay put will be borne by you.

To RECAP: schools often like to list these things as benefits so you won't bargain with them for a higher salary. The unspoken message is "Look at what all we're willing to do for you. Don't even think about bargaining for a higher salary." The guilt trip is embedded in the list of "benefits" before you even think to ask.