I have conversations every year with Chinese teachers that tell me foreign English teachers are not needed.

If they really feel this way, they should advertise their sentiments loudly. How about a big march on the streets to show some guts at the supposedly indecent, unneeded, and unnecessary presence of foreign teachers and perhaps foreigners in general? Nothing like a cowardly display of contempt towards guests to show how "brave" you really are eh?

If English is for business and actually using it, in order to attract us "lowly" foreign teachers you have to offer a little more than you would pay for domestic talent. I am here all by myself with no support in a foreign land, and that has to be worth something.

Foreign teachers really are like islands. You can't really find too many fellow expats who are worth giving trust to in the long run, and now you have insult on top of injury with chinese teachers weaseling their way to getting more money in a mostly underhanded manner. Just can't catch a break. Only the virtue of actually living honestly compared to most people around you is something to take solace in.

However, the E.S.L students either took some time or did not undertsand the non-native teachers at all.

If these E.S.L. students need to have their hands held even in a western country, imagine how behind students in a foreign country are. For me I would think that if a local teacher instructing English did in fact give the wrong answers in how to pronounce, write, read, and generally use something in English to the students that will only get accepted as being true. The dangerous thing in this is since we are so outnumbered that in the end the lie can become the truth in the eyes of the naive students, and we who actually KNOW what the real thing in English is end up getting ignored. I for example will say the word "Bob" with my American accent, whilst some naive students will immediately TRY AND CORRECT MY WAY OF SPEAKING THIS NAME! Actually, their fake British way of saying it only makes them sound only less knowledgeable than they already are. You should know what I am talking about.