In my short experience I would say that the best course of action is to stand up for yourself in such situations where a contract is not being honored. My contract stipulated a 5-day working week but soon after my arrival I was expected to work six days. On top of that the school waited until the eleventh hour to get my visa sorted despite having three months to make sure everything was done right. After a couple of strongly worded emails I got everything sorted.

As for the job itself, the school is very badly organized despite the fact there are few students. Equipment is very faulty, internet speed is painfully slow and the administration staff are not on the same planet as the teaching staff. I get so pissed off walking into a classroom expecting one class but seeing a different class. It is not fair on the students as they lose about ten minutes of their lesson and the remainder is spent by me bluffing.

Other teachers won't kill themselves to help you either. It's a private school so hours are up for grabs and it can get a bit nasty at times. I hasten to add that not all the teachers will make life difficult for you and as well as that, some teachers are given very strange assignments by the headmaster which include fetching lunch for the government kids and sitting in on your lessons as they are 'really interesting'. Ignorance is bliss as they say but I can't help but notice these things.

I love teaching but as far as this gig goes I turn up, I do what I have to do and I get the hell out of there. The free lunch certainly helps. If you sign for this school (it actually isn't that bad compared to other schools in Shenyang) ask to be put in touch with the Social Science teacher from the UK. If you want an honest assessment and some useful advice I'll be happy to oblige.

Kind regards