Ah, found out a little more about you, you are young. The older you get the more expressions you pick up. It's probably English English (is there any other without using oxymora? or oxymoron if you're from USA) by the time you get to fifty you'll know them all, English, American, whatever. Right, a sprat[small fishes] is used as a lure by fishermen to catch a larger one, the mackerel.

i didn't mean to suggest that you were odd as such-too complicated to bother to explain. On the contrary you seem to have 'all your marbles'

must hit the sack. Stay happy.

Just make sure you enjoy this next year. Minimising the risk would be to spend a couple of weeks in Arabia this summer to get some idea if you like it there-sadly you can't have the bun and the butter and your salary probably won't stretch to that. Yep, take a chance, maybe make yourself a safety net by way of a job in China that you could go to if things go pear-shaped in Africa. If all goes well you'd have to apologise to the China school "can't come, sorry" Something like that. Don't keep all your eggs in one basket, always wise.

i always find about three jobs to go to-options. Self-preservation.

i just looked up the saying. maybe you are are right because I'm using China for two years experience to then move on to the Arab countries. Everything is a risk for sure but I got my plan and people. Its all about minimizing that risk, right?

Essentially I might agree but as yet the bloke hasn't revealed anything about himself (could be Wolfman) he might well be a black African with sod all options. If that were the case you might well be advising him to return home since his bosses or any other Chinese school might not agree that 5500 is the going rate- *and they'd be right* (note, here i talk about the *going rate*)