I wasn't whining about the salaries Dos. I was simply making the point, in response to an earlier poster that FTs, especially native-speakers ARE a valuable commodity in China. This is because of their relative rarity in a huge country, and the willingness of students or their mothers to pay a healthy sum for their services.

We don't really need a union (although one or two might be useful), or long meetings working out how to increase wages. We just need to use a bit of simple commonsense, by being aware that many schools can pay more money than they first offer in their adverts.

When I mentioned supporting each other, I didn't have in mind all FTs in China going on a long march through China with banners and megaphones 'demanding our rights'. I was simply trying to encourage less of the 'like it or lump it, mate!' attitude of some teachers as soon as a fellow FT encourages us not to sell ourselves short.

My 'black Mercedes' story may have come across as cynical and bitter, but it was just an illustrative joke to hammer my point home.