Hi Micah,

To answer your first question. The reason why wages seem so static or low is becuse the employers for the most part don't care who they hire as long as they come from a English Speaking country, can stand up staight and are more or less reasonably sober and white.I was a teacher in the United States for over twenty years and the one thing I have learned in China is to put all ideas of standards and fairness in my return flight luggage.
The latest craze here is the so-called tesol certificate which for the most part you can get on-line or in your spare time or as my former employer did just make them up!! Now it's not all bad I have for the most managed to cave out a nice niche for myself by servicing a lot fo private clients who sicerely want to learn English. this a very dishonest
and wierd place but completely facinating! You must also remeber that this isn't education in the sense you may think of but what I like to call edutainment.
To answer your second question when people post on these sites thier letting thier hair down a bit.
By the way I taught in California I passed 5 different qulifiying test Plus 1 year of student teaching to becaome a teacher also 24 ubites of graduate work. I'm retired and this is wierd but fun.