Yes XXX, I know some unscrupulous agents and they are all well documented in the archives here. It's a pity that more teachers don't search the arhives before falling victim to those clever and uncaring cads. Their day will come though. I've even advised them to cash in while they can because even though they and the school administrators who are cut from the same cloth are laughing all the way to the bank right now, the day will come when they'll have to pay the piper. The government will soon tire of the good name of China being smeared. Thousands of teachers going home and revealing the truth will ultimately have a negative snow ball effect, and the government will have no choice but to react. Also, I stand firm in my belief that the pen is mightier than the sword and the result of the countless stories of misdealings in China, ultimately well documented in the West, will be that the government of China, despite their apparent reluctance to do so, will have little choice but to address the issue. After all, 2008 is just around the corner. Can you imagine the reaction if all the major newspapers in the US and/or England or wherever were bombarded with stories written by EFL teachers in China who have been subjected to such dishonesty?
Yeah, yeah, many teachers come here and never have a problem, so I'm not really addressing those of you who could care less about the truth of the matter and/or have been fortunate enough to have smooth sailing in China. But if we care about our fellow teachers, we must write and speak about the negative aspects.
Actually, I've been pretty lucky myself - I'm only owed about 20,000RMB that I'll never see. Oh yeah, that doesn't count the extra baggage (books etc.) fees that I've had to pay every time I fly in China. Still, I've said it before and I'll say it again; I love China!