Oh, and the salary would be 4000 RMB a month for 16 classes of 45 minutes each per week, but no salary for the summer vacation of 2011. However, I'd get a travel allowance of 2200 Yuan just before that vacation starts, plus air fare reimbursement of 6000 RMB on completion of my 10 month contract in early January of 2012. I reckon it's a fair deal for an unqualified teacher like me, but I don't want to live in a city that has few foreigners.

Well Percy, I would have to say the offer is crap. I have known many a teacher with no degree starting off making 5,500, 6,000 yuan a month. Certainly nothing less than 5,000 yuan is acceptable. I would accept no less than 5,500 were I you. I also would not take a recruiters word for anything. They are in part why it's paying so little, the school must pay the recruiter a big whopping fee, and guess where that comes from. 4,000 for 16 hours of teaching is also crap, big time crap. Even if this was a University position, jobs that generally have some few perks, the salary is way on the low side. I would not accept this position period.

You can do a lot better, even without a degree. 4,000 yuan is a rip off, you need to value yourself a lot more. The school makes the same amount of money off of you, degree or no, so why should you be paid less? Believe me, plenty of other people without a degree are being paid a lot more than 4,000. In fact, I can't imagine anyone settling for such a low salary.

As for the other things the recruiter said, trust none of it. They will tell you what they think you want to hear to seal the deal. Number of classes, how many foreigners are in that town, all of it can and often will be bogus info. Until you talk to the school you really know nothing concrete, and anything a recruiter tells you is automatically suspect.

You can find work without a recruiter, there are plenty of job boards out there. Take your time, and research things, but don't, don't get a job through a recruiter if you can help it, and you can.