I completely agree with you Pilgim. If you are to do as you see without thinking, then there is no more education in your brains than there is on the locals', and you may as well throw yourselves in group off a cliff. On the contrary, educated people need no rules to follow. We don't follow rules because we are obligated but because we understand the reason they are there and would do it without them. Needless to add that I don't think K L does as Chinese and takes 1200 kuai a month.
As for the children compensating for the bosses, I think those are non related fields. Why should I choose one or the other?
If you happen to teach at public middle -middle high level high schools, you won't even find any respect from the students. They are so used to having a clown dancing for them when it comes to the foreigner that they won't care. I have to say, though, in the poor corners they behave much better.
One final thing, I find this unbelievable. Everywhere in the world, and for other jobs but ESL teaching in Mainland China, you need to be a capable individual with a degree, and experience, and speak 2 languages, and computer knowledge, etc., being often hard to even meet the requirements for a position. Don't you dream of working abroad without the same and having a successful background in your own country.
Here, as long as you a native speaker, with no studies, no experience and no clue, you get access to "great" salaries. Well, these are the teachers that don't complain and walk behind their bosses, boosting their already overgrown egos.