Teaching ESL in China is not a career as it would be somewhere else. If you have no
alternatives outside China, then it's bad for you. Just a loser career.

Having a low opinion of the ESL industry is NOT the same as having a low opinion of ALL ESL teachers in China.

Sure, the industry in China generally sucks, but that is the fault of the INDUSTRY and not necessarily the teachers.

Yes, there are many 'deechers' in training centres, kindergartens, and primary schools, etc, but there are also many great teachers too.

As you say, the salary is not great, especially when converted back to 'home currency', but it's a lot more than the salary is in Thailand for instance. That said, the cost of living in China makes it possible for some teachers/deechers to save a large portion of their salary each month, (if they don't hit the bars and clubs every night), which is something that's very difficult to do 'back home'.