I also live in Hohhot. I used to live near Changlegong, but now I'm on the outskirts, in Jinchuan district. Hohhot has changed very much in recent years - it's a much bigger city than it used to be. Traffic congestion is a major issue these days.

More importantly, the PSB are definitely out to throw the book at any westerner caught breaking visa regulations. A few days ago, in the Resume section, I noted a Filipino after a second job in Hohhot. If she got one without first having obtained permission from her sponsoring employer, and was caught teaching for her 2nd employer by the PSB, she'd be fined heavily and deported, that's for sure. Good Catholic girl needing money to support her big family back home will cut no ice with the PSB as an excuse for her errant behaviour!

I know of one private college on the number 36 bus route that had removed the FT Accommodation sign from the foreigner quarters, and succeeded in duping the PSB when they did a snap inspection to check if foreigners were employed there. Said college had employed foreigners from other schools as part-timers regularly, but I don't know if it still does so.

As for EF, I think its existence attracts avaricious foreigners, thus making it easier for those foreigners who come to China to chill out, the so-called 'dead wood', of which I'm unashamed to be one, to get lower-paid work @ public unis and colleges, due to the number of job applicants for such posts being reduced by the 'chain school' alternative employment options.

I think if you're after big bucks teaching EFL, which necessarily means putting in long and unsociable hours, give China a miss. Instead, the Middle East should be where you do your job searches.