First, I'll grant that this and the multiple other ESL/EFL forums on the web is a pretty good place to start one's research. Unfortunately, most people just read the job listings and that's about as far as it goes, and that's a point of frustration for me. It would seem that if you're old enough to consider working in a foreign country and that if you have the credentials to do so, you would have the maturity to make an informed decision. It's not like the EFL scene in China just started yesterday. Furthermore, though you and I disagree on this point, most of the problems and definitely most of the horror stories one reads about here are associated with either working for private schools or getting duped by recruiters. Why oh why would one trust a recruiter that one has never met personally? In my opinion, that is downright naive. Moreover, why would one sign a contract for a school they've never seen, in a town they've never seen and agree to live in an apartment they've never seen?

All to often the answer to those questions is that the FT is not qualified to teach in the first place, and so, simply because they want to visit China for various reasons and/or agendas they'll jump on the first job they can find and hope for the best. I think this is irrational and darkens the whole EFL landscape because the next thing you know they discover their mistake and then start ranting and raving about how they've been taken advantage of.

Granted though, there are qualified FT's who fall into some of these traps too, and don't think for a minute that I don't sympathize with them, but I still believe that all too often they contribute to the problem by having made rash decisions in the first place and by not having done the necessary research. And I still hold the position that once you've discovered that you're working for a bunch of charlatans, you're only contributing to the problem by hanging in there. It seems pretty easy to me. You walk in the door to the school, discover the truth, and do an about face and walk out the door. You open the door to your "great apartment," discover that it's a rat trap and in no way resembles what you've been promised, you turn on your heels and move on. It can be done - I've done it. I accept no lies and take no BS from any of them.

EFL jobs in China are a dime a dozen. Maybe eleven of them are run by idiots and charlatans - okay keep at it until you find the one that isn't. If you don't have the resources or the gumption to do that, fine, stay at home until you do have the resources and/or gumption. But please spare me the never ending litany of whines about something that could have been avoided in the first place and that is only snowballing because of the naivety that seems to run rampant through the ranks of ESL/EFL teachers.