But even if something's in the contract, it might well still be 'conveniently' forgotten about if it's to the employer's disadvantage. It's then that one has to remind one's employer of what the contract has stipulated in order not to be cheated.

What you describe above has happened to me on more than one occasion here in China. I spoke up about it in a polite way on each occasion. After doing so, I was not cheated at all. But I became persona non grata in the university's eyes. You see, the Chinese are not good at disguising their true feelings. When they try to pretend, their body language betrays them. Chinese university teaching staffs often have an entitlement mentality, and expect foreigners to be forever grateful for having been given teaching positions at their venerable seats of learning! I suspect that unlike me my foreign colleagues were in fact cheated, because they did not mention it so as to keep on the right side of the university. But if one points out a breach of contract to a Chinese employer, it's true that one isn't doing oneself any favors re the possibility of a contract extension. Personally, I didn't care about that. I've never worked anywhere in China where things were markedly better than anywhere else, so I never had any regrets about moving on after having spoiled my chances of being retained resulting from insisting on the terms and conditions of my contract to be met. Actually, my experience of Chinese tertiary education is that it's substandard and no university is significantly better than any other as a place to work at. I'm not saying the top few aren't like that, I just don't know. But my qualifications aren't top notch, so I couldn't get a job at that kind of university anyway.
While on the subject of university education in China, I should mention a podcast that I found very interesting. The details of it are below: I hope you enjoy listening to it, as I have done. It seems that Chinese universities are not alone in the world in being ropey, and that plagiarization at one of the better ones in America was a big problem! That was in 2003, but even so I wouldn't expect that things will have changed much there in the meantime!

CLASSIC LNL: The Twilight of American Culture

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/latenightlive/stories/2011/3258596.htm

And Sichuan salaries tend to be on the low side. The better money there is mostly on offer at language mills, and he admits to being lazy and impatient with kids. He won't go for that kind of work.

I don't like teaching kids or working at GW type training centres. But I still feel that no FT should work for less than 5,500 at a public gig. Granted backwaters sichuan is different, or unless something else is afoot I am unaware of, but I knew two nigerians who each earned 5,000 teaching 17 classes in a backwater.

He should try and negotiate upwards, because you can be sure as hell the Chinese will always try and cut the salary down to line their own pockets.

Or abstinence. I wouldn't trust chinese made rubbers!

I don't think it's a wind-up - I'm a silver fox just like him, so I can understand the way his mind works.

Don't forget the bloke has no bachelor's degree nor any teaching experience. And Sichuan salaries tend to be on the low side. The better money there is mostly on offer at language mills, and he admits to being lazy and impatient with kids. He won't go for that kind of work.
He'll be okay teaching in the boondocks at a state school. Even if he's not a good teacher, he'll be allowed to finish his contract if he avoids confrontation and keeps his head down. Besides, his employer couldn't get many applicants for a vacancy there into the new term, even if the salary was around 5,000 a month.
As for doing special things with local females, he'll be okay there if he makes his presence obvious by walking around the shopping areas regularly in his spare time, especially late in the evenings. In spite of being middle-aged, he'll be sure to attract younger women by doing so, sooner if not later. He says he's not fussy about a woman's looks. That's good, as he wouldn't be able to afford a stunning beauty in any case. Surely, he'll be able to establish a lasting relationship with a local woman. But that said, maybe it wouldn't be a good thing for him to do that, as he has admitted to having had two marriages in his homeland fall apart due to his infidelity. So, one-night stands or short-term relationships would appear to be his safest options - satisfying and uncomplicated.

But in North China, I'm told it's there, and provided free of charge to foreign teachers; that's good.

It is, but I kind of liked being able to eat my dan chao fan and drink my pi jiu outside at night in december in a shirt/light sweater in Guangdong, than be unable to go outside in North China because it is brass monkeys freezing cold. The humidity is the real problem as you noted.

Thanks for the detailed report on Changsha's weather. I suppose the winter cold is exacerbated in one's apartment by the lack of central heating, as there's none in South China. I wouldn't mind cold weather outside in winter if I were inside my apartment sat next to a radiator. I think I'll avoid any prospective employer anywhere south of the Yangtze on the grounds of no central heating available there. But in North China, I'm told it's there, and provided free of charge to foreign teachers; that's good.

Nope, I've never worked in or near Changsha. Is that Hunan's capital? If so, it would be too hot and humid for me there. South China's much too hot for many westerners. Somebody had posted earlier that Hunan girls are among the most attractive in China, but if that were indeed true, I still wouldn't accept any job offers from that province.

It has turned out to have been one of my better ideas to have started this thread. My special thanks go out to you, Alex, Mr Asia, and Foxy, in particular, for having supplied the names of special recruiters. I've contacted all three of them. Two are busy working on my behalf at this time, but one of them hssn't responded yet, which probably means there is no job for me there on this occasion. All I need to know now is what would constitute the lowest acceptable monthly pay for an unqualified native speaker of English like me living rent-free in a poor Chinese backwater. I estimate that I'd need 1000 RMB/four weeks for tarts.

"I need enough money to eat out in small, dirty restaurants, smoke profusely, and drink gallons of beer in my apartment. (And I need some money left over at the end of each month to pay for the services of a common tart, needn't be very beautiful.)"

Finally, I shouldn't forget to thank Foxy once more, this time for his suggestions for food. As it hsppens, egg and chips is one of my favourite home-cooked meals, and I also eat toast for breakfast every day. What's more, I love the hottest Indian curries, namely Vindaloo and Tindaloo, so I'm sure I'll enjoy chewing dried red chillis with my meals after landing in China.

I'm not qualified to teach English - I am an ex coal miner. I don't mind teaching in a polluted envirnment that most westerners would shun. I want to teach in a dirty backwater that has great difficulty attracting foreign teachers, more chance of being appeciated there by my Chinese boss. I need enough money to eat out in small, dirty restaurants,

I can recommend Anne. She can fix you up with a teaching job in a minor city of Hebei province, such as Handan or Xingtai. Her e-mail address is teachingjobs@163.com

If you get tired of eating out at cheap local restaurants, you can cook in your apartment.

Egg and chips, three fried eggs plus one kilo or so of white potato French fries will set you back around 4 RMB, and you'll be full up. You can buy small dried red chillis and eat them whole while having your meal. The beer will go down all the better with such a spicy mouthful of food. Heaven on earth!

Another good way to eat cheaply is to bring a toaster over here. Buy steamed bread, and slice it. Then you can make toast. You can buy a caterer's tub of bean curd in red sauce for a low price. It'll last you ages. Spread the bean curd onto the toast. Tastes just like cheese, which is hard to get here, and very overpriced if at all available. The bread here is overpriced and sweet. Don't buy it. Steamed bread is ace.

As for your associations with tarts, ensure you've 5,000 RMB available in case you're nabbed in a compromising situation with one of them by the police. Unlikely, but it's best to have it covered. Find a tart with her own pad. Usually she'll be sharing it with another one. Go there for a good time. Backwater sex will cost you around 200 RMB a shot or two with that kind of woman. Avoid pink rooms and red light districts, too expensive and excessive cheating there.

WALL STREET, SHANE, EF, NEW ORIENTAL.....

CALL NOW!

BUT HURRY!

MANY OF THEIR HIGHLY QUALIFIED APPLICANTS are well ahead of you....