After reading so many posts I thought I might add my 2 cents.
After being in China for 7 years I finally feel I have some idea's about F/Ts in China.
We are not teachers especially in ANY so called training centres. We are products, commodities, window dressing,monkeys on a string.
If you took out the F/Ts from 'training centres' they would ALL be out of business within a few days. Even majors centres such as EF and the like.
But it will never happen. Why? Because there are too many desperado's in the market with no where else to go. As an F/T in China you can be king. Even if you were a multi divorced, uneducated, unemployed hillbilly as long as you look like a 'laowai' you're in like Flynn.
It does help to be of the fairer races especially ' mei guo ren'.
Ask any Chinese if they know where you come from and all of them will say, "Are you from America?". Apparently there are two kinds of people in the world - Chinese and Americans. God help the rest of us.
As a commodity here are a few clues. If the company has a name like 'Bobs English Emporium' or Dingdongs Cultural Development and Communications Corporation then take a step back. Its like applying for a job with a guy with the middle name of 'the', such as Franco the axe Frangello or Jimmy the pick Ganetti and expecting to make pizza.
Another clue. If the email address is something like sunny2002@yahoo or orangegirl1234@hotmail then be aware.
If the contract says 14-20 teaching hours it will be 20 class hours which does not include prep time, checking home work, extra activities such as the infamous 'English Corner' or any other duties that will be invented.
If the pay is 6000-9000RMB per month it will be 6000 but will not include any deductions that may arise.
If the contract includes accommodation, it will be the cheapest most basic barely habitable abode available, most of the time but not always.
If it includes things such as TV,etc most of the equipmment will be old and usually not working very well.
This is in almost and I say almost, all education institutes both private and state anywhere in China.
Basically in a country where the primary focus is economic development, all's fair in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. Economic development in ESL is to see how much money the boss or leaders can get into their pockets. There is no real effort to educate only to give the apperance of education.
And here are some of the excuses,
We are Chinese
We are a developing country
You must understand our Chinese culture...BUT we don't want to understand yours.
We learn English with Chinese characteristics.
ESL the world over is an easy money grabbing business and in China it has become an 'art'.
So to coin a phrase, 'Don't hate the player, hate the game'.