I do see on this forum that there are always a few posters who speak out against all the bad things that seem to go on in ESL. But you always seem to be up against a whole undercurrent of angry users who will disagree with you on this forum. I do like what you guys say sometimes, but how much of this information is really going against the crowd? Do you guys think that if you had not gone to China you would have been better off? I am just wondering because I read a thread on here a while ago about how China is dangerous for single females to work in, but when I look online at all these sites you get pictures of smiling girls who look like they are having a blast overseas. I know the answer is not always cut out in black and white but I am curious.

Those angry users tend to run shitty training centres or touch kids. I don't pay any respect to them at all really.

I would not say that China is a dangerous place for a lady to work compared to several Western places. Chinese people might even tell you that it is dangerous to go out at night, but compared to where I'm from, I rarely fear a thing. Except close to the Spring Festival, a time when the desperate migrants will resort to anything to cover their gambling losses and fund the hongbaos.

Oh and OK, foreign guys can forget about general courtesy and manners and become a bit creepy. Just slap them in the face.

There's a trend of girls feeling like they are left at the bottom of the dating game food chain, due to Western guys finding Chinese girls to be easy to pick up and Chinese guys feeling intimidated by Western girls. I know that it is not politically correct to say this, but a lot of white girls in China have a terrible attitude, calling all Chinese girls sluts, thinking of every guy as a dirty sleazebag for dating a Chinese girl, they often just sound stuck up or bitter and twisted.

Then again, some girls feel free from restraints of being back home, so they let their hair down a bit more... Yeah, some of them have lots of fun. But think about it, it's a job not a one year holiday (even if you only plan to stay for one year). If you are one of those people that want to work in Kunming and other such places and constantly get stoned all the time, then I would say that you are coming over here for the wrong reasons.

I've personally had ups and downs in China... In the West, I would probably earn more, but I often tend to enjoy a nice lifestyle in China. Dining out regularly, chilling at the hot springs or having a massage, drinking cold beers quite cheaply, working very low hours. Back more, I think I'd spend more just to have an average life, putting petrol in the car, paying the mortgage etc... So, it's hard to say really. But it is not for everybody, I benefit from being adventurous and exploring places, reading and speaking Chinese.

China's a big place and not every city is the same. Beijing might serve the international student types well, Shanghai seems rather glamorous, but there's several lesser known locations that you might enjoy more if you have the right mindset.