Dear fellow teacher,

I'm sorry to hear of your dreadful experiences. I've been in China four years and I can empathize with your frustrations. There have been a few occassions
when I've found things almost unbearable here.

It seems at times to be an on going struggle to keep sane here sometimes. Just when you think you have all the bases covered, something else springs up to give you a test. Those guys who play in those tv shows called "Survivor" back in the West have nothing on what we often go through out here. We are not trying to endure difficult conditions that have been concoted by a programme genius: this is the real thing!

Maybe, at least in my case, I'm exaggerating a bit. To be honest, I think that if I had spent all my time here working in private schools I would really be ready for the funny farm now. My advice to you is to obviously follow Fish's excellent advice about keeping a good diet for the next couple of months, and I'd addd to that the importance of a good nights sleep every night (sorry if I'm stating the obvious) , to help you endure your last two months.

If you ever consider coming back to China, I would recommend that you stay clear of private schools. The only real trouble I had with a school in China was with the one private school I taught at, and from what I've heard on the street and on forums like this a vast majority of the problems for foreign teachers arise while working at those schools. I've personally found public schools to be a much safer bet. They are by no means perfect, because penny-pinching goes on there too, but I've never had any serious contractual issues in a public school.

The major disadvantage of public schools however is that most of the time the salaries are quite low. Of course if you're not just here for money, but would like a rewarding teaching experience in China , then I think public schools are the best way to go for newbies. Don't sign a contract you are not happy with. If you think the salary is too low or there are other conditions you don't like, either negotiate for more money/ better conditions or just go elsewhere, otherwise you could find yourself feeling trapped, and miserable in conditions you're not happy with.

Once you've signed a contract you're reasonably satisfied with, at a public school (I particularly recommend colleges or universities in the South of China where the workload is quite low, and where you usually have no office hour requirements and are usually left alone to teach and live in peace), as much as possible don't give the school an excuse to muck you around. If you want them to keep their promises make sure you keep your promises. Just basically teach well and fulfill the hours you promised and the rest of your contractual obligations

I have found by practicing the above I have very few problems with schools violating the contract. If you get good feedback from the students, that filters through to the school leaders you suddenly find your maintenence problems get solved much more quickly and generally will have no problems with the contract. Basically if you keep the students "sweet" the leaders will endeavour to keep you "sweet". I've found this to be the case at ALL my public schools, finding things go smoother and smoother as the school year progresses.

I find 99% of the stress occours at the beginning, when neither party is sure of the other, and both the teacher and the school are battling to get conditions that they will be happy with over the next year. Foreign teachers though, shouldn't really have to battle. If they refuse to offer reasonable conditions go to another school. China is a big country, that is crazy for English. Let the schools worry about finding teachers. We don't have to worry about finding schools in China. Schools are like rice over here!

You don't have to boot lick (I'm definitely not into that). Just do your job. No problem, surely. Why would you be in China working for peanuts if you don't enjoy teaching anyway? Do what you enjoy as best as you can and sit back and watch your tree yield fruit!

That doesn't mean that you will be completely problem free. But if any issue comes up with the school and they drag their feet, your application to the job will give you ammunition. You can say, " Look, I've kept my promises, now you keep yours". I know this often doesn't work in private schools and I'm not speaking directly here to you "Exhausted American". From your posts I can see a dedicated teacher, who cares about his students, and enjoys teaching, but has unfortunately found himself working for a real bunch of shysters. The above advice is for newbies (teachers who are considering coming to China for the first time). Look for public schools!

Exhausted American, I wish you all the best and hope you are able to maybe turn things around down there. As for new teachers just make sure you come here with your eyes open. Do your research, do your best, and you will find that it is possible to enjoy a good teaching experience in China.

Fish is right on in saying that China, while in the throes of change, is dynamic and emergent. And, in truth, neither he nor or I would suggest that there aren't a myriad of pitfalls to teaching here or multiple issues that need some serious ammending before it falls into the category of a great place to teach.

I think it interesting that the "lures" used by recruiters and schools to bait teachers are fairly effective though generally untrue, and that the truth would be better served if teachers were just simply told that there is an opportunity to create positive change. I like to think that when I positively affect a student's future, I am contributing to a snowball effect that will, even if in a small way, positively impact the future of this country.

Yeah, China is a work in progress. An unfortunate part of the process of that progress is that we teachers, more than a few of us- and more often than many people realize - are subjected to a host of problems that wouldn't exist in an environment where accountability was the norm. But those of us who choose to "hang in there" do so with our eyes wide open coupled with the hope that things will get better and the realization that it is possible that our efforts are worth it in the long run.

I don't mean to imply that I cannot sympathize with posters such as the one who began this particular thread. In fact, I've stated before that one should avoid private schools - at least until they've thoroughly investigated this whole scene. And it's an unfortunate truth that even the public schools and universities are profit motivated as well. Yet, if we concentrate on the task at hand and carry our good intentions into our classrooms, we can notice the rewards of doing so by looking into the appreciative eyes of our students.

True enough though, many teachers never quite find the right job here no matter how far and wide they travel. I guess I would define the right job as one where there is a minimal amount of interference and a maximum amount, as much as can be expected, of honesty. Admittedly there have been a few times in the last three years, that I've nearly bagged it all myself. But I've finally managed to find a position where my criteria seem to be met; albeit, not always to the degree that I would like.

So, good luck to those of you who will leave and those of you who will come.

Merry Christmas.

Infuriating, isn't it?

It's like, can't I just do my work? Can you just leave me alone for one effin' day?

If it's not some bureaucratic red tape non-sense, some meddling self-appointed supervisor (or more than likely appointed by a boss enclosed in their office) looking over every little thing employees do, or somebody that is feeling like they're having their pocketbook gouged just to have foreign experts around, it's all a load of crap sometimes.

Dishonest business owners, dishonest public officials (often on the take) dishonest employees, and dishonest customers, and no recourse for any of it. Except to be even more devious and conniving than the next guy next time.

So then, what's the point?

The point is that we try to find something that fits and feels like decency.

Often we've heard of "foreign experts" in China (or elsewhere) that have complained of low pay, poor work conditions, and being pushed into more of a business arrangement than what they were expecting. But the reality of it is that if we work for a private company, then we need to expect to be treated like employees and earn the company as much money as we can. And anyway we can. Be productive. Outsell the competition. That's the world of business, like it or not. Doesn't matter if it's China or Japan or America or Timbuktu. And the luxury of working in management is that they are the ones making the decisions of how that money will be made. And it's up to staff to do what has been decided. Just like in Japan, America or anywhere else.

If the OP goes home to America and gets a job as a teacher, the expectation will be that there is a high pass rate from his students. The expectation will come from parents, other teachers, administration, the media, and the public at large. Even the students themselves, eventually. If the teacher fails to accomplish that within a certain time frame, they are out the door.

If the OP goes to America and gets a job in the business world, the expectation will be for good results each and every month, year after year. Otherwise, out the door.

Dont' get me wrong. I go with the OP's assessment of the whole English-in-China thing as a crock most days, unless you can stick it out and find a niche for yourself. Yes, you will have to be on your guard ALL the time, but tell me of a occupation in which you don't? Generally, foreign teachers are well-paid in China, especially compared to their local collegues, often making twice as much. And are hired VERY often with less education, less training, and less experience. Often FTs are teaching in a university setting, with only a 4 year degree and minimal prior experience. You won't get in the door for an interview anywhere else unless you have a minimum of a thesis earned master's degree and currently in a Phd program. And tenure is years down the road. But in China foreigners with not even minimal qualifications are hired. And that's as much of a crock, and as dishonest, as anything we're often asked to do by them. When I see a 23 year old kid with a fresh history degree from Bumpkin State U, and no prior experience except pizza delivery, get a 9000Y a month job teaching business English in China, I think there's something pretty messed up with the system.

As far as China not emerging any longer, I might beg to differ. With a population of 900,000,000, that would be nine hundred million or three times the population of America, still living at the internationally accepted poverty rate of $US1 (one) a day or less, it can be considered emerging. China might have the 4th largest economy in the world, but it still has one of the very lowest per capitas. Business practices are emerging, the political culture is emerging, liberty and personal rights are emerging, treatment of the environment is emerging, healthcare is emerging. Even education is emerging, and anybody that works in education in China is part of it. That's the exciting part of it.

China is an incredibly dynamic place, there's not doubt about it.