Dear Dinah,
I'm really unhappy at work, but I'm worried that if I quit I won't be able to get another and will be forced to leave China. That would mean being separated from my Chinese girlfriend, which is something neither of us want. I'm totally lost about what do.
The first rule of job-hunting is not to quit until you've got your next position secured. Have you exhausted all options in your current job? You don't say where your unhappiness stems from. Is it interpersonal, lack of career advancement, boredom, abuse? Most likely your unhappiness is not a secret among your colleagues; be careful – if your quality of work suffers because of it you may be soon leaving the company on their terms, not yours.
Need advice? Ask METRO’s agony aunt Dinah Chong Watkins. Send questions to metrobeijing@chinadaily.com.cn or our Sina Weibo @chinadailymetro. Please give as many details about the situation as possible.
