I've just started teaching at a public college in Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province. My schedule is just 16 lessons a week, which I think is very much on the light side. Each lesson is only of 50 minutes' duration. I only have to prepare two lessons a week. But I was surprised when I was asked by two of my Chinese colleagues separately how tired I felt because of my heavy schedule. At first, I thought they were pulling my leg, but it turns out that they were being serious! The college employs many Chinese teachers, most of whom teach only 8 lessons a week. Now I can appreciate why my salary is more than double theirs. My apartment is more luxurious and bigger than that of many of my colleagues, and it is rent-free. My salary is such that I will always have plenty of money in my pocket, even at the end of each month. Teaching in China is just great. My students are respectful, so there are no discipline problems. I'm teaching spoken English, so there's no homework to mark. I would describe myself as a part-timer on a full-time salary. I wish I'd come here a decade ago - my new job is much more enjoyable and less arduous than anything I could ever snag back home in Canada.