I don't know how long you've been in China, but I've been in China long enough to know that raising a sh*tfit goes nowhere.

How did the FAO get my passport? I gave it to her. Why? The school was scheduled to be shut down in three days. I had no contract. I checked out hotels in and near the city, and so did a Chinese friend. The cheapest I could find that had air conditioning was 200.00 rmb per day. No negotiating an extended stay with anybody because I am a westerner, and therefore, rich. Yangzhou is also a tourist town, so hotel accommodations are quite a bit more expensive--- even on the edge of town. Do the math. Had i stayed and not gotten a job within two months, I'd have been up the proverbial creek without a paddle. If I had no job within 30 days, my residency permit would have expired (per the PSB).

The contract that I inspected before accepting the job was an addendum, something which bore no SAFEA letterhead or approval (and by the FAO's admission non-binding). What I signed when I arrived was something entirely different: the actual SAFEA-approved contract. That was the one which stipulated a $2000,00 USD breach-of-contract . It's really easy to stand back and make observations when one is not standing in another's shoes.

One factor which I did not mention was the fact that I had been in touch with a teacher there who fed me bad information. Her motive? Mmmmm... It has to do with wages and being paid beyond one's education level. It was in her interest to fill the dorms.

By this point, no, I didn't expect the FAO to honor anything. Yes, I made bad decisions, the first of which was choosing this school and actually believing people. I try to operate on the belief that the vast majority of people are honest. Some want to believe that this does not hold true in China. I disagree. My take on it is that most people in China are honest. It's just that the dishonest and unscrupulous people one DOES meet tend to seem horrendously unscrupulous, dishonest, and corrupt. (Operant word: seem).

I'd have pulled a midnight runner, but I have no experience in breaking contracts. I was out-gunned in this situation.

I will try to upload photos for all to see this gem of a place.