WELCOME TO CHINA! No matter how desperate schools are for foreign teachers, they always make the foreigner provide their credentials first -- implying some sort of "standard," but soon it is discovered (often too late) that the school/management has no professional standard or integrity on their side of the equation.

As a rule the above is true.One wonders why they place so much emphasis on viewing applicants' credentials first.Maybe to let the applicants know indirecly that they are merely employment seekers in need of jobs,in stark contrast to their potential employers.Establishing this kind of differential relationship at first may,they hope,prevent jobseekers they wish to employ from negotiating at a later stage.
On another note,a Chinese recruiting agent once told me that many schools and FE establishments here on the mainland are initially far too picky when it comes to selecting their new FT's for each upandcoming semester,and quickly reject many applications at that time.But those who still haven't filled their vacancies for one reason or another within a week or two of the students' impending arrival change their tune dramatically - they will gladly take applicants whom they were not at all interested in originally when they're in a fix.I was told that this often happens with the most prestigious employers,whose Chinese teachers of English,especially the deans and vice-deans are too haughty and fussy.
Seemingly this situation is often caused by louwai who had earlier applied for jobs to various schools,colleges and universities, break their promises to those that they regarded as having offered inferior employment packages in order to accept the best offers.Not exactly cricket,but I cannot feel sorry for most employers hard done by in said way,given their initial reluctance to sign contracts with their preferred applicants timeously.