Before changing jobs or cities: what to calculate and which procedures to complete

Unofficial English translation of docs/换工作、换城市之前.md. In case of discrepancies, the Chinese original takes precedence.

Changing jobs or cities affects matters scattered across Sections 2, 4, 5, 7, 11, 15, 19 and several others. First, the checklist below groups what to check before deciding into four accounts: health, people and relationships, time, and money. It then lists the procedures before leaving, when starting work, and after moving, in chronological order. Each item states only what to check or do; figures and supporting evidence are in the entry cited before the parentheses. Whether to leave and where to go are decisions for you to calculate; this article does not decide for you. If your company has laid you off, follow the other article, What to do first after a layoff.

Before deciding: health

If the new role involves night shifts, calculate the years. Each additional 5 years of night-shift work brings about 7% more cardiovascular disease. Factor this in when choosing a job; doing so costs nothing. See Section 2, item 39 (cardiovascular risk rises with years of night-shift work).
Ask how many hours you will actually work each week. Working 70 hours produces almost the same output as 56 hours. See Section 3, item 13 (do not work more than 49 hours a week).
If the role involves dust, noise or chemicals, ask three questions at the interview: are there occupational disease hazards, will they be written into the contract, and who pays for the pre-employment examination? See Section 19, item 9 (before entering a role involving dust, noise or chemicals).
The new employer must arrange and pay for all three occupational health examinations: before starting, while employed, and when leaving. See Section 19, item 9 (the employer arranges and pays for the three occupational health examinations).

Before deciding: people and relationships

If you want to leave because of persistent workplace bullying, first record what happens and preserve evidence. People who were bullied later had about 60% higher risk of heart disease or stroke. Changing jobs has the highest cost; whether to leave is your calculation. See Section 19, item 16 (persistent workplace bullying).
Moving to a new city puts distance between you and people you used to see often. People with little social contact have about 30% higher mortality over the same period. At the new location, treat regular face-to-face contact as a health expense. See Section 22, item 9 (treat regular meetings with people as a health expense).
If you are moving to live with a partner who currently lives elsewhere, the difficult period is the first three months after moving in together. One-third of reunited couples break up within 3 months. See Section 10, item 6 (the first three months after moving in together).
If you have just experienced a bereavement, unemployment or a similar upheaval and someone suggests quitting and starting over elsewhere, postpone the decision for three months. First talk it through with someone who has no stake in the matter. See Section 29, item 12 (postpone irreversible major decisions).
Make important decisions after sleeping, not late at night. See Section 3, item 10 (do not make major decisions late at night).

Before deciding: time

First check the one-way commute from the new home to work. Cutting it by 30 minutes saves 5 hours a week. See Section 4, item 18 (prioritize commute time when choosing a home).
The commute calculation is disputed. Some research also suggests that a better job or housing can compensate for a long commute. See Section 4, item 18 (shorten the one-way commute).
The years you have already worked at your current employer do not enter this calculation. Count only what you must invest from now on and what you can still get back. See Section 4, item 3 (consider only future inputs and future returns).
If you plan to try living in the new city first, write one sentence before leaving: stop if a specified target has not been met by a specified date. See Section 4, item 2 (write down exit conditions before starting).

Before deciding: money

If you do not have your next job lined up when resigning, first check whether you have an emergency fund covering 3 to 6 months of living expenses. See Section 5, item 27 (an emergency fund covering 3 to 6 months of living expenses).
Do not treat “the internet says the pay is high” as evidence of a shortage in that occupation. Look up the target city’s lists of shortage occupations and subsidies. See Section 23, item 12 (shortage occupation and subsidy lists).
In China’s 2025 per-capita consumption, food accounted for 29.3% and housing for 21.7%. When looking for work, ask whether meals and accommodation are included. Roles that provide them remove these two major expenses. See Section 7, item 17 (minimize housing and food costs).
If you plan flexible employment rather than working for an employer, you must pay the full pension and medical insurance contributions yourself. Using the local contribution base, this costs over a thousand yuan a month. See Section 31, item 11 (working without an employer means flexible employment).
If you want to quit and return to education, calculate it as a problem: compare the wages you could earn over the next few years with the annual income difference over subsequent decades. See Section 23, item 6 (calculate whether to study or work).
If you are leaving because the company owes wages or does not pay social insurance, you may be entitled to economic compensation even when you initiate the departure. Do not sign “voluntary resignation for personal reasons.” See Section 19, item 7 (do not sign “voluntary resignation for personal reasons”).

Before submitting your resignation

If you signed a non-compete agreement, first check whether it can apply to you. Non-competes can bind only senior managers, senior technical staff and people subject to confidentiality duties, for at most 2 years. See Section 11, item 12 (signing a non-compete agreement).
During the non-compete period, the company must pay compensation monthly. If no amount was agreed, it is 30% of average wages over the 12 months before leaving. See Section 11, item 12 (signing a non-compete agreement).
If the agreement is valid and the company pays monthly, working for a competitor makes you liable for the contractual penalty. See Section 11, item 12 (signing a non-compete agreement).
Unused annual leave must be prorated and settled on departure according to how long you worked in that year. Do not sign a form saying you “voluntarily give up annual leave.” See Section 19, item 2 (annual leave depends on cumulative years of service).
Settle unpaid overtime too. Labor arbitration claims for wages and overtime must be submitted within 1 year after leaving. See Section 19, item 1 (overtime pay) and Section 8, item 19 (one year for labor arbitration).
Before returning the computer and accounts, save payslips, attendance records, the employment contract, social insurance records and chat histories. See Section 19, item 8 (save them before leaving).
If a conversation may turn hostile, start recording it. You do not need the other person’s prior consent to record a conversation you participate in. See Section 8, item 41 (start recording).

The days when you leave your old employer

Request proof of termination stating the contract term, departure date, role and years of service with that employer. The employer must also transfer your personnel file and social insurance within 15 days. See Section 19, item 17 (proof of termination).
Proof of termination is written evidence that you have ended the contract with your previous employer. If a new employer hires someone whose old contract has not ended and causes losses to the previous employer, it is jointly liable for compensation. See Section 19, item 17 (proof of termination).
Hand over all account permissions; do not delete data or change passwords, even if the company owes you money. See Section 11, item 6 (hand over account permissions).
Do not take company source code, customer lists or technical documents, or upload them to personal cloud storage. See Section 11, item 7 (do not take source code).
If your role involves dust, noise or chemicals, have the departure examination before leaving and request a copy of your occupational health surveillance file. The employer cannot terminate your contract without the departure examination. See Section 19, item 9 (occupational health examinations).
When receiving a one-off payment for termination, first check income tax. The portion within 3 times the previous year’s local average employee wage is tax-exempt. See Section 19, item 18 (check income tax on termination compensation first).
If there will be a gap and you did not leave voluntarily, register as unemployed and claim unemployment insurance benefits. At least 1 year of contributions is required. See Section 7, item 1 (unemployment insurance benefits).
During the gap, establish a regular routine: get up on time and schedule job hunting at fixed times. See Section 29, item 3 (establish a routine after unemployment).

When signing with the new employer

Read the joining documents from beginning to end, ask about anything you do not understand on the spot, and take photos for your records. See Section 8, item 17 (read the paper before signing).
Check the probation period. For a contract under 1 year, the maximum is 1 month; for 1 to 3 years, 2 months; for 3 years or more, 6 months. See Section 19, item 3 (statutory limits on probation).
Probation wages cannot be below the lowest wage for the same role or 80% of the agreed contractual wage, nor below the local minimum wage. The same company can put you on probation only once. See Section 19, item 3 (statutory limits on probation).
Social insurance contributions begin on the first day of work, regardless of probation. See Section 19, item 3 (statutory limits on probation).
If you code or design, read the intellectual property terms carefully. Copyright in software created mainly using company equipment, internal networks or business data, and for which the company bears responsibility, belongs to the company. See Section 11, item 13 (code made with company resources belongs to the company).
If the new employer asks you to sign a non-compete applying during employment, it can be valid without separate payment by the company. See Section 11, item 12 (signing a non-compete agreement).

Finding housing in the new city

Consider nearby green space when choosing a home; this costs nothing. Do not read this as saying that visiting a park prolongs life. See Section 22, item 10 (living near green space).
Put the deposit amount, refund date and grounds for deductions into the contract before signing. See Section 15, item 1 (deposit amount, refund date and deductions).
Before signing, check ownership and mortgages at the real estate registration center. Pay everything by bank transfer, with a note such as “rent for [property] for [month].” See Section 15, item 6 (check the ownership certificate and mortgages).
Pay rent and the deposit directly to the landlord, without passing them through an agent. See Section 15, item 3 (agents may not collect or pay rent and deposits on others’ behalf).
For a long-term rental apartment operator, first check whether it has disclosed a supervised funds account. Do not pay a whole year up front for a discount. See Section 15, item 4 (supervised funds accounts).
Do not rent partitioned rooms. Kitchens, bathrooms, balconies and basement storage rooms cannot be used as living space. See Section 15, item 8 (do not rent partitioned rooms).
If the property is sold during your tenancy, the lease remains valid and you do not need to move. See Section 15, item 5 (the lease remains valid).
If the landlord cuts off water or electricity, changes locks or comes to threaten eviction, first call the police and preserve the response record. See Section 15, item 2 (call the police first to preserve evidence).
Housing provident fund money can be withdrawn to pay rent. The provident fund center must respond within 3 days of your application. See Section 5, item 3 (the provident fund is not only for buying a home).
Migrant workers can apply for public rental housing after stable local employment for the required period. Joining the queue is free; apply early to get an earlier place. See Section 7, item 16 (queue for public rental housing when housing is difficult).
When buying a resale home in the new city, any purchase money collected by an agent must go through its dedicated transaction-funds bank account. See Section 15, item 7 (dedicated transaction-funds accounts).
If you have an urban household registration and want to live in the countryside long-term, rent rural housing only, with a maximum of 20 years per contract. Do not buy rural homestead land or the houses on it. See Section 15, item 9 (rent rural housing only).

When you move elsewhere for work, pension insurance moves with you and contribution years continue to add up. A lapse does not reset them. See Section 7, item 18 (do not panic about interrupted social insurance contributions).
After enrolling and paying at the new location, your new employer or you apply there to transfer pension and medical insurance. See Section 19, item 19 (pension insurance transfers).
Before pension eligibility age, you cannot withdraw from pension insurance and take the money out. See Section 19, item 19 (do not withdraw from pension insurance).
If employee medical insurance contributions lapse for more than 3 months, you may have to wait up to 6 months for reimbursement at the new location, so avoid a long gap. See Section 19, item 19 (transfer pension and medical insurance to the new location).
If you move to a province other than your household-registration province and are a man aged 50 or above or a woman aged 40 or above, pension insurance remains at the previous location. The new location opens only a temporary account. See Section 19, item 19 (pension and medical insurance).
Contribution gaps mainly affect local entitlements that require continuous payments, such as buying a home, household registration and points. Local authorities set the rules; check them in the new city. See Section 7, item 18 (do not panic about interrupted social insurance contributions).
Flexible workers can join pension and medical insurance where they work; household-registration restrictions have been lifted. Some very large cities are still lifting them gradually, so ask locally. See Section 31, item 11 (household-registration restrictions have been lifted).
If you need to pay resident medical insurance yourself during the gap, do not let it lapse. After a lapse and resumption, medical expenses are not reimbursed for 3 months. See Section 7, item 9 (do not interrupt resident medical insurance at 400 yuan a year).
If you have a chronic condition such as hypertension or diabetes and medical insurance remains at the old location, do two things: first obtain recognition for outpatient chronic or special disease coverage at the insured location, then register for care away from that location. See Section 16, item 2 (obtain outpatient chronic/special disease recognition before registering for care elsewhere).
“Temporary travel for medical care” and “long-term residence elsewhere” are different registrations with different reimbursement levels. See Section 24, item 4 (ask locally before interprovincial medical care).
Before leaving, keep your own copies of medical records, test reports and images. These are what the next hospital or new doctor will use. See Section 24, item 5 (keep your own medical records, reports and images).
If you changed jobs during the year, file an annual income tax reconciliation from March to June of the following year; this often results in a refund. See Section 5, item 2 (annual income tax reconciliation).