Lamentably, the problems outlined in these reviews are generally all too real and in some cases portray situations that border on the horrendous.

True enough, recruiters are generally the devils in these situations and more of them are rearing their ugly heads every day. There are however a few honest agencies, so it's unfortunate that they must suffer from the reputations created by the unscrupulous. Added to the confusion is the fact that some teachers will post unfavorable reviews because they have been found to be incompetent as teachers. It somehow assuages their bruised egos to post such negative comments. Fortunately though, I think those situations are few and far between and most comments posted here should be taken seriously.

So, all in all, it begs the question - what can be done? Sadly, there is very little we can do. As I've stated before in this forum, the Chinese government will ultimately step up to the plate and make some changes that will help. But ultimately, even that will only slightly alleviate the dishonesty that we are subjected to. It's important to realize that the Chinese consciousness regarding "getting over" on someone is extremely different than ours. It is an age-old cultural truth that in China to come out even on a deal is not the goal - one must come out ahead. True, this is slowly changing. But it's not changing fast enough to make a difference in this EFL game. By last count, there are approximately 150,000 EFL teachers in China. This means there is a large pool of potential fish to be lured and netted by those eager to cash in on our naivity. Even I have been hooked in China and I consider myself to be quite worldly and street wise. (One must be careful of certain schools also: a business college in Qingdao called PSB, and a franchise school called Boya come to mind.)

So, again, I ask the question what can be done? My only hope is that, like I have done, others will write to the schools where they received their TESOL certificates and warn about the pitfalls of teaching in China. If you have writing skills, write articles for your hometown newspaper or on as many ESL forums as you can find. Sooner or later the Chinese government will tire of the negative publicity, and changes will be made that will positively affect the EFL industry in China.

Until that time, you can do as I'm doing - make plans to get the hell outta Dodge. It's a tough decision though. There is so much about China that I really love. However, I'm tired of dealing with the uncertainties.

What about Vietnam? Anyone have any comments about teaching there? Yeah, yeah, I've heard the horror stories about petty crime and outright thievery, but what about the teaching scene in general? A year or two ago I read a post by a teacher who had traveled the world for six years teaching EFL. His comment was that in Vietnam he had found a home and planned to stay forever. What do you think?