Thanks for the reply! I am definitely not planning on a career in teaching ESL. It is just a way of supporting my two years that I plan to spend in China learning Mandarin and experiencing China in preparation for a PhD in China studies.

Therefore my concerns are:

Workload (in terms of teaching hours and everything else - I need time for the enormous undertaking of learning Mandarin) - this is so important to me that I am willing to take a much lower paying job as long as I get a Z visa, and at least enough to be able to eat etc.

Accommodations - if they are provided, are they at least decent?

Vacation time (but this is not as important as finding a job with as light (in terms of how time consuming it is) a workload as possible.

With these two in mind, I am thinking public unis are the way to go. I have spent two years as a tutor (though not in ESL - but I have worked with Chinese immigrants and Chinese nationals). I have published several articles for the English language editions of a state-run Chinese newspaper. I have a BA from a university that is highly regarded in China and I am an Ameircan who native speaker meets the more superficial requirements (as unfair as they are) that schools look for.

With these qualifications, what chance to I have at getting into a public uni - and if I do have a good chance, would I be able to get into one in Beijing, or do I have to look at a second-tier city instead?

Thank you for the offer to ask you more questions - can you email me at my address that is posted next to my screen name - I tried yours but it said delivery failed.