Richard:

I found this China EFL Pre-Employment Checklist on http://middlekingdomlife.com/guide/checklist.htm:

1.Number of face-to-face teaching hours per week?

2.Number of office hours and other work?

3.Typical amount of time needed for preparation and grading homework?

4.Does the school have multiple branches and are teachers required to work split-shifts, especially across multiple branches?

5.How far is the apartment from where you will be teaching?

6.Is travel time between branches compensated for?

7.Is overtime mandatory or voluntary?

8.Does the school have English Corners and contests, and, if so, what are the rates of pay?

9.How many days off per week do you have and are they contiguous?

10.Total number of paid vacation (non-rescheduled) days off per year?

11.Travel allowance, straight reimbursement of airfare, or bonus and how much?

12.Probationary period and, if so, how long?

13.Does the school appear to value the role of the foreign teachers or are they simply viewed as superfluous? Related, ask if foreign teachers are ever
assigned to teach classes other than "oral English."

14.Apartment will be inspected, repaired, painted as needed and cleaned before arrival?

15.What is the school's policy, if any, on overnight visitors and long-term house guests?

16.What floor is the apartment you will be assigned on and does the building have an elevator? If so, does the building have a backup generator and,
related, how often and for how long each time does the area lose electricity?

17.Does or will the school provide a Western-style, coiled-spring mattress?

18.Are utilities and Internet included and, if so, are they shared across several apartments?

19.Is a kitchen included, and if so, what provisions for cooking are there, e.g., gas/electric range, microwave, etc.?

20.Are kitchen and cooking utensils provided?

21.Did/can school provide you with the names and contact information of both current and former teachers?

22.School will pay for residency permit and physical exam for foreigner?

23.Did the school provide you with representative photos of the apartment you will be living in?

24.Is moonlighting allowed? (ask this of teachers only)

25.Does school pay on time? (ask this of teachers only)

26.Adequate air conditioning/heat in all rooms? (ask this of teachers only)

I would hightly recommend visiting http://middlekingdomlife.com for a comprehensive guide (free!) to teaching ESL in China.

Also, I would recommend Raoul's China Saloon: http://raoulschinasaloon.com/

Good luck!