CL, you sound like a fair person as well as a great teacher and a worker or coworker, however and with all due respect, you fail to see the whole picture that I am talking about. It's the "ripple effect" of all this, and what we're doing on mainland. The locals that're not left behind by their poor educational system, get a taste of our pizza. Shortly after, these fine pizza tasting students begin making it themsleves. They use some substandard sugary dough, ingredients and microwaves instead of ovens. Haven't you seen such practices around? Haven't you spoken to these fine high English level locals that'd use the most difficult words, prhases and even quotes from some fine western people, but they did not make sense. You'd nod your head, smile at them, cheered with them, but on the end you'd only see this huge distance in between. Worse than that in the local autorities that can use English in their own advanced ways and in the local media outlets that'd sweetly manipulate the hell of anybody..well, except the westerners that know the language well. Just turn on your TV at 7:00 or better 7:30 PM where on CCTV 9 you'll enjoy some of the best English ever..and, i don't even want to get into their motives for swaying so many topics in their own ways. See the link to another topic for that
http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/forum/index.pl?read=62522

What we have done/are doing on mainland is only helping the locals and they are using whatever we've given them/are giving them for their own puprose and leaders' hidden agendas. We haven't been able to open them up and/or warm up to the rest of the world. About half a decade ago, this country sadly changed its course and I hope you've noticed that. Why would you want to put your two cents into the local system that most likely will misuse your investment (effort)? Why would you want to help someone with English language, when one day this person will boast how much s/he knows in front of another foreign teacher and that in an attempt to get respect and to have the ft to follow? Haven't we seen enough local academic managers/foreign affairs officers that just suck so much?

In fact, have the foreign powers not trusted this country so much 10 years ago, it wouldn't have been where it is, would it? Then, had we never accepted the local employment offers, people would neither be watching the farce hosts of CCTV 9 dialogues nor the students would be given such questionable English language education. Moreover, I believe that had there not been so many foreign teachers, travelers or companies and their investments in this country, it would've opened up futher and probably adjusted our "expert" roles or other current unreasonable regulations for fts in as well.

Cheers and beers to no interference in this country's system :)