Anyone foolish enough to believe that BigAppleBob's rant contains useful information is sorely in need of a reality check. Follow the advice of more balanced individuals. Yes, do the proper amount of research and be careful about your choices, but don't fall into a situation where you arrive in China wearing your suspicions and antagonisms like a visible suit of armor. Yes, accept that the world has its share of connivers, but don't let that get in the way of adding immeasurably to your life experiences by exploring other countries and other cultures. Moreover, real teachers are needed here and will be welcomed with open arms. Just leave your naivety at home and you'll be fine.

Avoid private training centers until you're familiar with the EFL scene here. There are some good ones, but there are a lot of bad ones also. The bad ones are often a haven for misfits as they can't get employed elsewhere. Naturally, it's a situation where profit, not education, is the motivation and little attention is given to right actions. So, in that situation you have something akin to a den of thieves where trust does not enter into the equation. The employer knows precisely what he's dealing with, but the misfit thinks he's fooling them and that's simply not the case.

Granted, profit is also a motivating factor in the good training centers as well as the universities, but isn't that the case everywhere? What university in the West is not motivated by profit? Call it a blend of capitalism and academics if you will; never the less, it works there and it works here in many cases as well. Sure, there's a lot to be ironed out still - call it a work in progress, but if you want to be a part of that process and are not given to whining as many of the posters in this forum are, give it a shot and bring your positivity with you. If you can do that, you will be much appreciated and you are definitely needed, as there are way too many pretenders and whiners here interfering with the proper education of China's young people.

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.