Some people love it and some people can't stand it. And all for very, very low pay. I know because I've "been there and done that". A sick and dying uncle was the final reason for leaving. Cancer's a nasty disease to die from.

Sorry to hear about your uncle. What you write strikes a chord. Even training centre pay isn't very good, not really in the scheme of things. I suspect Chinese are very canny and making far more off us being here, than we could imagine.

Family would be a major reason to upsticks.

I just tried to itemise everything that I noticed that pissed me off so that future teachers like yourself would at least be forearmed with detailed information about dangers, annoyances and hazards particular to living and working in China as I saw them.
If you are keen on Baicheng, just do it and good luck to you!

I would've left if my uncle was dying of cancer too, asd. That's not really the point. You put the university on blast when most of your reasons for leaving had nothing to do with the school itself!

I'm still undecided about going here, so please don't think I'm biased toward the school. That being said, ASD, if you're the person who wrote that review on Raoul's about your girlfriend leaving you and all that shit, then I think its wrong for you to paint such a bad picture of the school. Losing your gf in a place where you don't know anyone would definitely suck ass, but don't blame the school and town for your personal problems. The stuff you wrote on Raoul's is silly. You complain about the salary and not having medical, yet were aware of these things when you signed the contract. You even go so far as to complain about Chinese people talking loudly on cell phones and manhole covers. Ridiculous. Even people on Raoul's site were calling you out for your bogus excuses for pulling a runner. Very unprofessional on your part. I don't know where you get the nerve to throw the school under the bus when you just disappeared b/c you couldn't handle small town life.

Catman's take on Baicheng is refreshingly positve but not realistic. Any westerner going there is going to be extremely isolated and therefore miserable fairly quickly. A married couple might be ok there but a single person will have their survival tolerances tested to the extreme.
As for showering, outside of Catman's mastery of 2 minute cold showers (it's around -15 there and more) in the University provided accomodation, the only realistic option was a paid bathhouse that while quite fun to discover their offerings at each of them around town, eventually having ones private parts costantly scrutinised eventually pisses one off rather a lot. Putting up with a plethora of dysfunctional and corrupt Chinese systems of management for low pay is not worth it. Look elsewhere.

Relax buddy. You're scaring the kids.

I could think of worse things than having to take a cold shower. Honestly, a lot of you guys sound like total bitches. "Ohhh, its cooooldddd. MOM?!"

I believe I was a colleague of asd's at Baicheng, so want to briefly respond. Being excluded by other teachers' issues is not how I would characterize the situation, but I'll leave it at that. Yes, Baicheng is isolated but that should come as no surprise. I was there for two semesters, was supposed to be there a third, but had to request early leave for health reasons. The big plus for me was the students. They were tremendously welcoming and helpful, and I became good friends with some, still keep in touch with a few. Wei Li Ying was a great boss, couldn't ask for better. And I had good camaraderie with several of the foreign teachers over 2 semesters. Availability of hot water was a problem, but I became a master of the 2 minute shower - great way to wake up for 8:00 a.m. classes! Other plusses: Baicheng is a frontier city where the old rural China meets the new China changing at the speed of light, probably won't be much of the old left in 5 years so go now if you want to experience it. Clear blue skies most of the time, can be bitterly cold in winter but gloriously warm and dry in summer. Windy, very windy at times. The locals are very curious, and if you're open to them, you can meet a lot of people in a very short time. A younger colleague - I'm late 50's - stayed on for a second year and has had some amazing experiences. A big plus if you can speak some Chinese or are willing to learn whatever you can while there. Hope this gives you a small taste of Baicheng.

I'm pretty sure I read your review on Raoul's. No offense, but why is it the school's fault that you felt isolated? You had to know Baicheng isn't a hotbed of activity going into things. It seems to me that having a good boss, nice students, and getting paid on time is about all you can hope for. No hot water does sound pretty disastrous in a place that cold though. Thanks for the info.

Yeah, its deadly cold up there. I lived in Chicago for a few years so I know winter, but Baicheng is a different level. I think I can handle it though...I won't be walking far to get around.

Has anyone taught here before? I saw a positive review for it a while back on RaoulsChina forum, which is pretty rare. It doesn't pay much, around 4300/month, but its for 16 hrs/week and they give you a place to stay. Apparently the admin is fairly easy to deal with and honest. Anyone have any experience with this place?