I work for EF Shenyang now, and have done for a number of years.

As a general rule for anyone who is considering moving to China to teach anywhere, don't read these posts. There are two reasons for this.

1. Short and simple: People usually log on to post something only if they've had a bad experience. It's like reading the newspaper - not many good news stories.

2. Those who have had bad experiences with schools tend to be those who have run into problems as a result of their own behaviour, conduct or professionalism whilst at work. A lot of 'undesirables' are attracted to teaching in China because it's 'easy' to get a job, and on the salary that can be earned as a language teacher, the city is your playground. If a young (or immature), hot-headed individual has broken school rules (perhaps they were persistently late to class, or they were unprepared for lessons, or they frequently used inappropriate language, etc), and been disciplined as a result, they may see a good way of 'getting their own back' as posting some outrageous comments about the school. Just take a look at the kind of vulgar, immature, playground language that is used in many of the negative comments, and you can get an impression of the kind of people who are writing them. Think: 'Is this really a professional, hardworking teacher who has genuinely been treated in such an appalling way by an evil school? Or are these the ventings of an angst-ridden misfit who, in the hope of coming to China for a 12-month party, couldn't follow rules in a professional environment?'

The best advice I can give you is as follows:
1. Research the school and city online, but beware the horror stories. If it sounds too awful to be true, then its likely to be an exaggeration or an outright lie.
2. If youre in communication with a school, talk to the DoS.
3. Ask what kind of professional development the school provides for its teachers. If there is some kind of regular training, this is usually an indicator of a good school.
4. Ask to see a contract before you agree to anything. All the terms about pay, living conditions, hours, etc, are in the contract. Ask the DoS if you are unsure of anything in the contract.
5. If the school provides accommodation, ask to see photographs of it.
6. Ask for a couple of email addresses of current employees. They can tell you what the school is like right now from the perspective of someone who works there.

Im sure that there are cases of teachers being treated genuinely unfairly in China. However, from my five years of living and working here, I can say that in almost every single case where a western teacher has really bad things to say about a school, its actually the teacher who has failed to meet the requirements of the contract, either because of laziness or just immaturity.

If you are a professionally-minded teacher with a good work ethic, youll be absolutely fine. If youre looking for easy money and boozy nights out all the time, then please dont come to China or at least not to EF Shenyang.