Hi there, I'm no expert, but I've seen quite a few people going through hell this year. Just thought I'd post a little warning. With western countries finding their economic feet stuck in the mud, the world is facing a global financial crisis. As a result of this, many people have decided to take some time away from this and work in China, teaching English.
If you are one of these people, please read this! Hopefully, it helps you!

Many businesses in China are very, very talented in luring people in, but once you get started, the pretty pictures washes away and the reality that you're trapped in a misserable situation sets in. Or worse, you find yourself packing your bags, getting back on that plane, going home minus the money you shelled out to get to China in the first place.

Here are warning signs that you might want to consider working for someone else.

1. VISA - A working visa is the visa you need to work for most training centers, and a Residence visa is what you get if you're working as a teacher. IT IS 100% ILLEGAL TO WORK IN CHINA FOR ONE MINUTE ON A TOURIST VISA!!!! Do not let them tell you otherwise. Many companies are doing this because it's easier, cheaper, and faster, and there's less paperwork and/or binding material (an invitation letter). Some of them get away with it for quite some time, but eventually, every company gets caught! You DO NOT want to be the person that gets caught. It means A) heavy fines for you B) heavier fines for your company and C) possible deportation. This is not a rumour, or misinformation. THIS IS THE LAW.

2. VISA 2 - LOCATION - If you have a Beijing Visa, you work in Beijing. If you have a Shanghai Visa, you work in Shanghai. Sure, off site work is allowed (I believe) but you cannot relocate in China ANYWHERE to work under a visa from somewhere else. If you have a Visa for Beijing, and they tell you they want you to go to a neighboring city in a neighboring province, make sure you get a Visa from that neighboring location.

3. OVERHIRING - NOT SURE HOW TO AVOID THIS - SUGGESTIONS WELCOME

What a lot of the companies are doing now; taking advantage of the financial crisis, started in America and spread throughout the western world. If you think about what they're really doing, it could turn into a scandal. If they need 10 teachers, they'll hire 15, keep 15 on reserve as pending. They'll hire them, but will not pay any fees for them until they have performed a demonstration class. They will then release 5 of them immediately as "unfit to teach". Then, over the course of the month, any teacher that does not perform 100% (including things like how you get along with management, how much input you give (only when asked), how you present yourself, etc) will be released. By the end of the month, they have 4 teachers left, and they hire another 10 or so and go through the same process.

There are many, many people applying to work in China now. So many that these companies are using them to "tune up" themselves. Putting together armies of teachers that do and teach exactly as they demand.

Part of me does not really care about this, and wants to simply state, if you don't perform, you don't deserve to have your job. The reality is, some really good teachers, or some teachers with real potential with a little training are being sent packing. And their airfare is not reimbursed.

How is that helping the financial crisis? Having people leave everything they have, spend a lot of money (for some) on a ticket, only to be sent home within a month, having to re-establish yourself.

I am not an expert on any of this. But, to be fair, a lot of these companies know less than I do about Visas. They just make up the rules, and if it doesn't work, you pay the price.

I guess my only advice would be to get someone with a video recorder to capture you mock teaching something for 10 - 15 minutes, and send that in before you sign up. Hopefully they would be honest and tell you whether you have a chance as a teacher or not. Make sure you get an invitation letter. And read and and asks questions. Any questions that are not answered clearly, get specific answers.

There are issues everyone has with China, but for the most part, it's a great place to live, especially right now. It's diverse, growing, full of different people, cultures, attitudes. And in the big cities, it's just a chaotic, free-for-all party.