SCIC (Sino-Canadian International College) is two entities, one is an actual 'college' of two years which guarantees entrance into Xida (Guangxi University) and it is also a prototypical language training mill. Teaching at the language mill is optional, a way to increase your income for the FTs.

I taught at the SCIC college for a year and worked closely with several FTs from the Xida foreign language department.

The FT housing varies widely in quality. Much of it is wonderful... best I've had in China. But some apartments are far across the campus in a construction area.

The rats do exist... in large numbers.

I was always paid on time and the FAO department (which administers all FTs), when I was there two years ago, was competent.

The student cafeterias are, well, cafeterias.

The advantage of the location is it is 'downtown', not in collegetown, and there is a Starbucks and Walmart outside the gates. A subway is either just opened or will soon open in front of the main gate.

The foreign language school has only 3 or 4 teachers at any given time. But the SCIC college has around 25. Yes: around 25.

The SCIC teachers are recruited by a former teacher in Canada and a local FT, so there are none of the customary FT raging idiots and the qualifications of the SCIC teachers are routinely exemplary for China.

It must be said, however, that SCIC has a startling number of FTs who are, shall we say, 'reborn' in His image. The students are all from Guangxi but their gaokao couldn't qualify them for direct entry into Xida. It's the secret 'back door' to the 1st level university for students whose parents have some connections in the province and are willing to pay the high tuition. As such, the students don't really want to study English and they are immersed in the large pool of foreign teachers who teach many English subjects (including the Bible) that most of the students cannot comprehend and have little or no interest in.

Nanning as a city is not the den of iniquity that several posters on this site have painted. It is a third tier city and a small province capital with a modern city center and a low cost of living. The high speed train to Guangzhou/Shenzhen takes about 2-3 hours.

Not a bad place for a year or two if you don't need to frequent expat bars.