KJ,

Thanks again for another excellent and thoughtful post. I agree with you that both options for work are reasonable. When I came to China three years ago, I envisioned teaching in various places, but in the end, its been better for me to remain mostly in one place; but I definitely agree the alternative is perhaps more desirable and preferable for others.

My decision was borne from experience. Although my spoken Chinese is quite limited (to say the least), 95% of my friends in China are Chinese. I reserve most of my discussions with other foreigners for this forum. I find that keeping company with Chinese students and other friends is my best way to understand China more and more; little by little. My friends and students are my teachers. This situation also allows me the chance to engage in discussions about topics not always appropriate or too advanced for many of my students and classes.

Since coming to China, my health problems have worsened in some ways. My friends are extremely helpful and generous in these times of brief illness, and I also have the benefit of a personal doctor who helps me secure necessary daily medicines and introduces me to various specialists. For example, during the past week, a problem I had been experiencing with my knee became much worse, bringing constant pain and great difficulty in walking. It appeared knee surgery would be required. After an MRI and consulting with two knee specialists (again thanks to my friend, Dr. Wang, and others) surgery has been ruled out, and alternative treatments are being planned.

I feel my home is here in Nanjing, and would be most distressed if I had to develop this kind of personal network again in another city. After two rather frustrating years here, I returned to the U.S. last summer. Within a short time, I found I missed China tremendously, and yearned to return and continue my China experience. When I came back, I made the grave mistake of choosing a very different location from Jiangsu, in which I lasted exactly five weeks! I quickly came back to Nanjing, and have found much more happiness and comfort here than I did the first time. This is mainly due to my introspection and demands on myself for better tolerance and acceptance of things I cannot change. I embrace the positive things about living here more, and they have now eclipsed the negative. Im quite lucky in this way.

Enough of all that! Blah, blah, blah

The real reason I am responding to you (assuming you and other readers havent abandoned my post at this point) is to address a few of your astute comments

First: we must also deal with our own sense of moral justice and determine from there whether or not we are sacrificing our own values in order to convince ourselves that our current position is acceptable. Yes! I find Im extremely flexible and adaptable with social traditions and habits in China. When in Rome is easy for me when it comes to Chinese cuisine, ways of daily life, etc. Where I am far less flexible or malleable, almost rigid at times, is in business. My motto is: If I wouldnt accept it from my school, company, or boss in America, then Im not going to accept it here.

One argument that never holds water with me, is when I find myself in friendly (or unfriendly on occasion) disputes with unprofessional and/or unethical managers, they often suggest (at their peril): You should be more Chinese This is the Chinese way of management and business. Hogwash! Bad business is bad business. I remind them that the reason I was recruited and employed by their school or profit-driven outfit is because I am NOT Chinese! They want the profit-making benefit of my foreign-ness, but when things become gridlocked they want me to be more Chinese. Forget it! They cant have it both ways. I also tell them that the Chinese way of management is fine perhaps if your staff is entirely comprised of Chinese employees (poor abused folks), but these guys choose to open schools that requires, and greatly depends upon the involvement and cooperation of foreigners.

That being said, I also heartily agree with you when you state: If an employer has discovered discrepancies, such as false documentation or erroneous resume information, I feel that said employer is well within their rights to terminate the contract. Furthermore, if an employee has agreed to the terms of the contract - flimsy as Chinese contracts may be, he or she should follow those terms to the letter.

Not only that, I believe that if I am accepting money from a school (no matter how unprofessional and poorly managed they might be) I must give my very best to students. I plan my lessons carefully, and give great consideration to my students needs; anything less of unfair of me. But it is because I consider myself a professional, that I also demand professional treatment in return. And as you and many others know all too well, this is where the problems begin and often detonate later.

Finally, I applaud you loudly for your statement: We cannot expect to see a dramatic change in this EFL in China business until we accept that the damage has not only been inflicted by unscrupulous recruiters and administrations, but that it has also been, to a lesser degree, caused by we the teachers if for no other reason than by our oft placid acceptance of the status quo.

For the second time in the past several days, I say Bravo! to you, KJ for your well-stated wisdom.

Apologies to you and any other suffering readers for my long-winded reply!