I was hoodwinked by them. I was naieve as most people are when they first come to China,
I arrived on an F visa and they strung the process out as long as they could, when it
came to the time of getting a z visa, they wanted me to go to HK and get a student visa.

A poster on this site recently condemned Turnoi for being a "visa-law lackey".
Breaking the law in your home country is perhaps a daily event for some people. Myself included.
But moving halfway around the world to China to break PRC law is foolish and dangerous. Recruiters are professional liars. Their livelihood is earned by convincing you to break the law. They have a thousand and one lies. "We'll take care of that when you arrive." "It's in YOUR best interest." "We'll pay to send you to Hong Kong." "It's being processed." And on and on and on.

IF YOU LEAVE FOR CHINA TO TEACH ENGLISH WITHOUT A Z VISA ALREADY IN YOUR PASSPORT, YOU HAVE ONLY YOURSELF TO BLAME.