Stanley thanks for the heads up about this place. Sounds absolutely horrific.

Take comfort from the fact there ARE better places AND schools than Jiangxi province and that terrible school. I can also sympathize on the lazy alcoholic teachers getting their contracts renewed, but the teachers who actually put some effort into attending classes, english corner, trying to improve things at the school get beaten down.

Nail which stands out gets more hammer (chinese proverb)

Not sure if that is literally correct, but it's so relevant in that the "wai jiao" who stands out for some reason, gets more attention and not always in a good way. At one horrific place in Hunan province, also a arse backward province with nothing to redeem it except some friendly locals and great food, I got off my arse and did my bit to clean up the campus, picking up rubbish, offering to paint the foreign teachers office at my own time and expense, brought potted plants to make the environment in their look nicer, tentatively suggested a no smoking policy in the FTs office, offered to tutor the chinese students working in their as volunteers for free....and in the end I got fired, all the while a younger brit teacher was allowed to live out of wedlock with his chinese gf in their apartment, was sick and didn't attend classes while still getting paid. Another antipodean teacher who was a functioning alcoholic and chain smoker was allowed to remain on, despite having a condescending/patronizing attitude to his fellow FT's who were younger or perceived less smart by him, and who always complained about the students and their lack of motivation. He was right on the last part, most definitely, but I took more of an attitude of just tough it out and try and bring about change...but no, even though I tried to do my best, I got victimized.

I'm not sure if Japan/Korea is any different, possibly the same as confucian societies, all I know is I would never work in Jiangxi province, and I'm not sure how much longer I could tolerate this kind of crap.

Cheers for your frank words,
A