If you are established back home it is ok to work at a university for 4200 a month. However, you should only work part-time three or four days a week for that. And you need a free apartment and utilities included in your package as well.

That's an extremely low pay for a public university! I've been job hunting with the proviso that I will be allowed to do my own L visas. I've had job offers offering me 5,000 to 6,000 RMB pay per month from all over China. Not many, granted, but I'm 60+, and without TEFL certification. The worst university pay, as far as I know, is in Shaanxi, Sichuan and Gansu. Free utilities is peanuts - the thing to be careful of is the air fare clause. If you're not going to fly home, you want the contract to stipulate air fare allowance, typically between 5,000 and 7,000 RMB for a ten-month contract. But some public universities will only refund air ticket expense, ie reimbursement. If you're going to fly home, go for that deal. If not, teach at a university where you can get the allowance. The money can be spent on other things! And there is also the travel allowance - it varies from province to province 2,200 RMB for a ten-month contract up to 2,600 RMB for same. I believe Hebei offers the higher amount.

I agree with you that in China, the public education sector is the way to go for foreigners/Westerners wishing to teach English. We should come here to chill out at the expense of our Chinese hosts, not to work as hard or harder than we would have to, back home, just to make a living.

Those foreigners/Westerners who don't mind working themselves to a standstill and foregoing their spare time should teach in the Middle East - the pay there is higher than in China, that's the important difference, but there are serious disadvantages - the extreme heat, getting a girlfriend, procuring alcohol!