Where else, apart from China, can you do a 'fulltime' job for a fulltime pay much higher than your Chinese colleagues while teaching just 12 hours a week and living in rent-free accommodation?
My country is short of maths teachers, and I'm fully qualified to teach it. I've never considered returning there to teach. Disciplinary problems, no rent-free accommodation, and a low standard of living while working much harder and longer than I have to here in China have caused me to stay put in this vast country for 18 years. I'd have to be a bloody fool to return to my homeland to impoverish myself. If you can teach a bit, China beats the west by miles. And you can live well without becoming a grovelling weasel. As a foreigner here, you get much respect, earned or not, the point is that you get it. So different from the West!
And beautiful Chinese women are to be had. That's a big plus too, as is the food.
I know there are negatives here, but they are far outweighed by the positives, and unlike most Chinese people and some idiotic westerners who post on here who state people have a duty to remain loyal to their homelands, I feel I have no obligation whatsoever to remain loyal to my homeland, and certainly do not. It doesn't offer me what China does, nowhere near it. End of story!

Foxy, firstly happy 2013, I hope it finds you happier than you were in 2012.

I'm going to respond to your post, and you may not like what I have to say, but I feel I have a right to respond, it is a free forum after all.

You can teach 18 hours a week in the gulf states and earn far more than you could in China, granted it is not 12 hours a week, but they cover your rent so you have enough left over to save. This is not campus accomodation by the way, but a big villa or nice apartment nowhere near the college. Rents are cheap as I mentioned, so you can save some from your renting allowance for food, beer or petrol if you have a car. Sorry, but 5,500 rmb per month and a free flat is no longer big money in China or the rest of the world, I know we have been back and forth over this, but in the big cities, the days of cheap eating out and small coins having any use are gone. Perhaps in a rural area where you are with a pension and funds it is very good, but for the majority of FT's who are saving away and not living in the rural areas, many chinese are earning far far more, perhaps even in the rural area where you are. I will agree for a retired person like yourself who has probably had enough of work however 12 hours is not demanding, not at all. Just depends on the students and how much of a pain in the arse your FAO could be imho.

I don't agree you would be impoverishing yourself in your homeland or another country outside of China. How would you know unless you tried? Nothing against you personally, but I find China tends to make people lazy and put aside any wish to change or look for anything better or different. But 18 years, I doff my hat to you sir, Hu jintao should give you a medal, that is an impressive service indeed. I bet you have a lot of interesting tales to tell, would be nice to hear some over a few beers one day from a veteran of the trenches like yourself. My shout, of course.

Respect? Well, I'm not really looking for that when I go to China, I just want to be fairly paid and treated. Beautiful Chinese woman, heard more nightmare stories, you want to date those women, you need more than an FT's salary, far more. I will concede to you on the food however, it is great.

You always seem to like putting "End of story!" and well it gets my goat, sorry to say it. It is like saying I only accept my view is right, and I don't want to hear others opposing viewpoints, it comes across as arrogant and is unneeded in my opinion, if you believe in yourself (and I believe you do!) no need to finish your posts on such an aggressive tone, again just me.

Happy 2013 and happy hogmanay,
San Migs

PS. My email is included, I'd welcome any from you, if you don't want to reply on here.