Dear Doctors,

Congratulations on passing the interview! I am Jingyi Wang from BAQIS HR department. I am sending you this FAQ so that you can have more background information. This FAQ is summarized from previous candidates/employees. Hope this document will be helpful.

Q1: Duration of the contract?

A: As a postdoc, you will sign a two-year contract.

Q2: Is there a probation period?

A: No. For other employees who typically sign a three-year contract, we do set a three-month probation period. But for postdocs, we do not set probation. But according to Beijing Postdoc Management Bureau's regulations, you must complete the project proposal/mid-term report and final conclusion of the project.

Q3: Does BAQIS provide me with medical/health insurance?

A: BAQIS provides employees with social insurance. Social insurance is called "社会保险 ”in Chinese and it is required by Chinese labor law that every employer to provide social insurance to its employees.

Social insurance consists of 6 sub-category insurance: Medical insurance, endowment insurance, unemployment insurance, work-related injury insurance, child-birth insurance and housing fund. The insurance premium is paid by both the employer and employee, which means your monthly income will be deducted by a certain amount, this amount will be put in your social insurance account. Additionally, BAQIS will put a certain amount in your social insurance account every month.

BAQIS accounting department will automatically deduct the insurance premium every month, you do not need to bother about this calculation.

The below table illustrates the amount that you and BAQIS will bear. 

P.S. There is an upper limit of the social insurance calculation base. The number is 27786 RMB/month. That is to say, if your monthly salary is less than 27786, you will be deducted salary*22.2% for social insurance. If your salary exceeds 27786, you will be deducted 27786*22.2%=6168.49 for social insurance per month.

Q4: Will the social insurance be refundable to me once I finish my contract at BAQIS?

A：As a foreigner, if you decide to leave China after you finish the contract at BAQIS(say, return to you homecountry or relocate to another country) , you can submit an application to the social insurance bureau to withdraw the money in your social insurance account.

Q5: How is tax calculated?

A: BAQIS accounting department will calculate the tax for you, you do not need to bother about tax issues.

Tax calculation is quite complicated, I can briefly explain the basic principles of the calculation here:

The offer letter includes your pre-tax annual income and your monthly income is divided by 12. For example, if the offer letter shows 300,000 RMB, you monthly income is 25,000 RMB. But the 25,000 is not your taxable income. The taxable income is actually lower than 25,000.

Tax will be calculated based on post-social insurance-deduction and there is an tax-exemption threshold of 4800 every month.

Example:

Suppose your monthly income is 25000 RMB, you will pay 10.2% for social insurance (10.2% is the sum of [employee percentage] column). Post-social insurance-deduction amount is 25000*(100%-10.2%) = 22,450. Then the tax-exemption threshold will be deducted, hence your taxable income is 22450-4800=17,650.

Tax is then calculated by multiplying taxable income* tax rate. China adopts a progressive tax rate(i.e. for the first few months, the tax rate is 3%, then for the next few months, the tax rate is 10%, for the last one or two months, 20%).

In conclusion, if your annual pre-tax income is 300,000 RMB, the estimated annual tax is 31,000(not distributed evenly by month，but progressive). If your annual pre-tax income is 400,000 RMB，the estimated annual tax is 53,000.

Q6: Can BAQIS provide me with an apartment?

A: Due to auditing reasons, BAQIS cannot directly provide apartment to foreign employees. HR department understands the difficulty of relocation and can provide you with a rent subsidy of 2500 RMB per month. This subsidy is already included in the annual income. For example, if the offer letter says your annual income is 400,000 RMB, this means your salary is actually 370,000 and annual rent subsidy of 30,000 RMB.

The market price of a one-bedroom apartment near BAQIS is around 5000 RMB per month. So BAQIS subsidizes about half of your rent. Each individual has different preferences in housing, some may have quite simple requirements while others might need a fancy apartment. Since most of our foreign postdoc do not speak Chinese, BAQIS department assistant will communicate with you about your preferences and connect you with broker. The department assistant will help you through the house seeking process. I will connect you with the department assistant when needed.

Q7: How do I apply for Chinese visa/work permit?

A: You need to apply for a work visa (Z visa). Please contact BAQIS International Department via email intl@baqis.ac.cn . Our international staff will help you.

Q8: What is the career path in BAQIS? After I finish my two-year contract as postdoc, is it possible for me to convert to higher job level, say assistant researcher/associate researcher?

A: Based on your performance during the postdoc period, it is possible for you to advance in the job level. The job level after postdoc is as followed: assistant researcher(助理研究员)→associate researcher(副研究员）→principal investigator(研究员）→senior principal investigator(首席科学家). Typically you will sign a three-year contract for these job levels.

Q9: Have the laboratories started or not? What laboratory facilities do we have?

A: Multiple labs are already functioning by now. BAQIS has purchased below facilities, some of these facilities have already been installed, some are still shipping. All the facilities are estimated to be installed by the end of next year latest. Besides, BAQIS has set up agreements with our partner institutions(Peking Univ, Tsinghua Univ and Chinese Academy of Sciences etc) to use their equipments before all BAQIS's labs are fully ready.

Q10: Who will be my mentor professor during the two years as postdoc?

A: Based on Beijing Postdoc Management Bureau's regulation, all BAQIS's postdocs are joint-recruited, that is to say, you will have two mentor professors during your postdoc period. One is from BAQIS (might be BAQIS full-time or part-time employee), the other is from university (Peking Univ, Tsinghua Univ or Chinese Academy of Sciences). I will inform you about the mentor professor arrangement.

Q11: Do I need to provide a degree notarization to BAQIS?

A: Yes, as long as you obtained your PhD degree from an university out of mainland China, you need to have your degree notarized. Please contact the local Chinese Embassy for degree notarization details. When applying for your work visa, typically a degree notarization is also required, please discuss with our international staff if you have any questions.

Q12: Do I need to do a physical examination? What examination items are required?

A: Yes, please contact our international department for details.

Q13: What computing facilities are available for theoretical calculations?

A：BAQIS has already set up several servers for theoretical calculations. You can also submit procurement request after you join BAQIS, there will be administrative staff handling your request.

For further questions regarding HR policies, please contact:

Miss Jingyi Wang via wangjingyi@baqis.ac.cn