I see you use this much-loved by the Chinese word 'cooperate' You are obviously not a native born English speaker. Why would anybody want to co-operate with a private school in China that want you to work for a lower hourly rate of pay than you'd get at a university, with no chance of promotion, no pension, no sick pay, no holiday pay and the company is invariably owned by a non English speaking ex chicken farmer with sod all interest in the English language himself. The only industrious westerners in China are engineers and such like whose companies are investing in China, not white monkeys who will never be allowed a decent cut of the education industry pie, no matter how much they co-operate.

I repeat, FT's in the main are not proper teachers, they are not recognised as such in their respective countries and they can be industrious and co-operative as they like in those countries but we wouldn't be able to even get a job in said schools wiping the students arses.

An FT's job in China should be a long working holiday-we shouldn't be ingratiating ourselves to ex-chicken farmer Chinese gravy train private school owners.

You can be industrious and co-operative till the cows come home but there will never be any advancment for you as a FT in China, and of course back home it'll count for nothing.

Now, I'll tell you what would be really industrious- Get a job in a university, as few hours as possible. learn to speak and read fluent Mandarin instead of getting poe-faces every night. If you want extra money, put your details on a Chinese website and go ziji shang ke- Illegal yes, but are you a man or a mouse? A private training centre drunken waster mouse?

You took the time to type all that and respond to my posting and keep confusing me with someone else. Fine. That is your right. But it is also my right to dissect your post to pieces and respond as I may...or is that only the right of you PHd toff types who look down on others from their ivory towers? And by your own admission you were a toilet cleaner in the UK, so you can't claim to know everything regarding teaching-and neither can I, nor do I claim to! In fact, I have about as much interesting in teaching as watching paint dry, hope that pretty much sums up my whole attitude to this TEFL lark, anyways, onwards and upwards....

Co-operate is an English word, and used in the West. You disagree and seem to think I am Chinese, but you do know me, both in person and on these boards. You would probably think I'm a Uzbek as long as I don't agree with you on what constitutes Chinglish, and what I know to be a real English word.

You wrote: You can be industrious and co-operative till the cows come home but there will never be any advancment for you as a FT in China

Depends on how you view it. To a glass half empty type of person they will always see the worst? But for someone with a bit of get up and go, an FT can provide a springboard/starting point into something better in China, if one remains positive and works hard. I don't see how this irks you so much, that others earn more, or work more hours...does that affect your hours that you work or your life?! Live your own life, enjoy your easy job...that's what I did and would do if I went back, leave the hard slog to those that want it...

Last but not least: Get a job in a university, as few hours as possible. learn to speak and read fluent Mandarin instead of getting poe-faces every night. If you want extra money, put your details on a Chinese website and go ziji shang ke- Illegal yes, but are you a man or a mouse? A private training centre drunken waster mouse?

I agree with all this except the ad hominem insult at the end. I did work 10 hours at a college in China...and it was like watching paint dry, boring second tier city, racist locals (yokels), and to fu coming out of my ears...fugged about it! I learnt to speak ( but not read) Mandarin well, and even some Cantonese...although I am guilty of getting poe faces (smashed? drunk?) every night, although not any more, my present employer in this country wouldn't tolerate those kind of antics...A man last time I looked, although I've been told I do have some characteristics of a mouse, all except loyalty Tommy boy...never worked at a private training centre in my life, I work at a PUBLIC college now, but I do teach 18 hours, but do get paid accordingly...

I'll await your responses for round 2.

Good day, your old pal from Central China.
A.