Obviously you don't read. Also if anyone is acting like a "know it all" you should be looking in the mirror before you accuse anyone. In any case I would never ask for your advice as you have proven thoroughly that you have nothing worth note to contribute to any conversation. Take care.

Just thought I'd throw in my email address because I am interested in teaching on mainland China, I'm also thinking about doing several stints in other countries such as Taiwan, S. Korea, and Japan. So if you have any constructive advice that would be a great help. Hopefully I won't be attacked this time for asking for advice...

Talk about hollow posts! Yours is a classic "casual observer." Never before have I seen so many words that add up to absolutely NOTHING! Again, you're full of **** because you offer no concrete evidence of anything you say, and your "reason for not providing the name of a specific school/college/university is that I would rather they not have to take the risk of hiring pretend teachers and that instead they continue to do their hiring through proper channels" is ridiculous. You're either dodging the challenge; or more likely, you don;t want the guilt of sending Corbin to a terrible place.

A know it all never claims to know everything, that would be too obvious. They almost always put on an air of fake humility as they proceed to "act" like they know it all.

Good for you that you've travelled to Japan. However that's comparing apples to oranges, China is a third world country, Japan a first world one. heck, Japan is even more developed than America in some aspect, you can't compare the two. Like I said, know it all. Now what you just did there, that was ignorance. Did you know the point I was going to make, and simply chose to ingore it?

Nice going critisizing turnois spelling, your already fitting in well with the other pooh poohers and naysayers on this board who also think they know it all. You'll fit in well on this board, whether you make it as a teacher in China is still up in the air. Here's wishing you good luck. Cheers ;)

Corbin will no doubt have the good sense to filter through the BS offered in this and other forums and find suitable employment through proper channels. That you personally couldn't find a suitable school after five years of searching has absolutely no bearing on whether or not such schools exist. Perhaps you should have widened your parameters a bit; however, since you have provided absolutely zero information as to where you conducted such a search nor what conditions you saught, your complaint carries no real meaning.

My reason for not providing the name of a specific school/college/university is that I would rather they not have to take the risk of hiring pretend teachers and that instead they continue to do their hiring through proper channels. Granted, the high demand for teachers sometimes results in their having to accept a less than desirable substitute for an actual teacher, but that choice is far too often one they live to regret. Moreover, since the majority of teachers in China are not qualified to be in an EFL classroom, I wouldn't want to suffer the guilt of having inadvertently pointed one or more of them toward some of the great institutions where I've been employed by posting their details.

Few experienced teachers in China would downplay the importance of your advice to avoid recruiters in China. I haven't seen anyone disagree with that yet. Even though I know of a few honest ones, I'm not going to argue that point. I do, however, take issue with the obsessive behavior of posters here who can't find anything constructive to say about China and who allow their obsessive behavior to lead them toward writing posts filled with foul language and, again, sweeping generalities about the EFL scene in China. In addition, when, by their postings, they reveal themselves to be pretend teachers and show themselves incapable of using English to write the simplest of posts, I must question the quality of their advice, their degree of cultural sensitivity and their suitability in an English language classroom. If you or they want to rant on about recruiters, be my guest; however, there is absolutely no need to attack someone such as Corbin who faithfully asked for advice and received insolence in its stead.

You've totally outdone yourself, Choatle. Even though you've already proven yourself to be the personification of sanctimony, here you've shown yourself capable of raising the bar even higher in that regard. In addition, who really gives a damn about your "life as an expat teacher?" The young man was only asking for guidance, and rightfully recognized that you and the veg head (turnip), the toddler and now your new friend the nabob BAB have nothing to offer but a lot of clap trap and obsessive behavior regarding recruiters. I would guess that Corbin needs far less of a reality check than you and your reality challenged buddies, Choatle. As for arrogance, you win the Gold for that one, as there is no match for you - even the toddler with his proclamation of being "Mr. Popularity" in Wuhan has to take second fiddle to you in regards to arrogance, and that's saying a lot. Go have another shot you lush, and while you're at it examine your own stupid "situtation" before deeming yourself worthy of coming down so hard on someone else for what you and your linguistically challenged cohorts perceive as someone else's shortcomings. And, by the way, grow up before you call anyone a "youngen."

"Age is something that doesn't matter, unless you are a cheese."
Billie Burke

And here's one specifically for you, bendan Choatle. Embrace it. Make it your own.

"Wisdom doesn't necessarily come with age. Sometimes age just shows up all by itself."
Tom Wilson

Corbin the know it all "almost" college grad is going to be in for a rude awakening indeed when he comes to China. As he sit's there at his little computer, safe and secure at home in his dorm room, argueing with people about the semantics of two words, those being "some" and not "all" he really has no idea what's going on over here. That's the difference between book smarts, and real world smarts kiddo, you seem to lack either.

You want to come here and teach? Great, but don't sit there and lecture to us who have been out here in the field for years about the situation over here when you yourself have never left the comfy confines of your own country. You want to work abroad, you better wake up and smell the coffee know it all. The situtation over here is a lot different then you realize, and reading a forum is not going to clue you into the reality that is life as an expat teacher.

If you think with your current attitude your prepared to come here and not get screwed, think again. Recruiters and schools love a know it all like you. People like you are so arrogant they make little effort to truely educate themselves on a subject, hence your wide open for being exploited. Yes do come, the Chinese school owners will love you Corbin. You need a reality check youngen, there's no question about that.

Get a clue.