New Oriental sucks, period. No matter which outfit you go to wherever you go in china this company is notorious for a lot of things. Don't take some of the criticisms on this board that are directed at you too seriously. I have been there with the lying, cheating, and backstabbing and I hope you will be able to weather the storm.

Here is a list of the Top 10 Chain Schools to avoid:

1. EF (English First)

2. Aston English

3. Web English

4. Global IELTS English

5. Hampson English

6. Wall Street English

7. New Dynamic Institute

8. Shane English

9. New Oriental (there are both chain schools as well as International Public Middle and High Schools affiliated with this company, avoid both!)

10. Birmy English

Do not take any chances with the private sector really. Avoid the funny sounding, gimmicky names that some not so clever expat or local thought up to attract customers. Even in the public sector you should avoid teaching classes that are over 25 students per as that will wear you out quickly. As for universities do your research to see if there have been complaints levied towards them within the last 10 years at least. YES you read that right because FAO's and other Admin's at the universities keep their jobs for a long, long, long time. Generally speaking many public universities will offer crap housing that is not up to SAFEA standards. The most stress free job I have ever held in china was at a public high school but even there the housing wasn't up to standard but I only had to teach at most 16 hours a week with an average of 10 students per class. Your best bet is to work for a middle school or high school. This is from my personal experience. Peace.