Agreed, everyone should check the exact details carefully when looking at the exact contract. But if you check the contract its not particularly misleading. It says you will leave with the specified amount and you do. I agree they should break it down exactly so as nobody is confused though. But San Migs Emo rant is purely hysterical, its like a childs tantrum when he cant have a new toy.

Who is twisting the truth?

You yourself have confirmed that the grand claim of leaving with 4500usd in your pocket is misleading as this actually represents what a couple leaving together would receive.

In essence your job ad reads like that of hotel.

Stay at our luxury 5star hotel for as little as ### a night. It looks like a great deal until you read the disclaimer and find it's based on 2 people sharing, arriving in the off season and staying more than 4 nights.

I can understand why you put a big figure like that in the heading of your ad when it is posted on a site like Dave's alongside dozens of other schools all offering just about the same as yours. Just like the hotel ad you want to grab people's attention and you hope they miss the finer details at the bottom of the page at least until you get them on the hook.

When reading job ads teachers just need to stick to the age old rule of 'if it sounds to good to be true, then it probably isn't'

Am I missing the part where it says this is based on a couple leaving together?

Furthermore should you really count the flight bonus and last months wages as being part of some bumper pay out at the end of the year? Probably not. The flight money is a reimbursement of an expense and the wage is something you've worked for. These are things you as a teacher are owed. The fact that schools would seek to gloss them up as some kind of golden handshake just shows what a sorry state of affairs esl is in in this country.

If you pay a contract bonus then fair enough but it is not close to 4500usd