Infuriating, isn't it?

It's like, can't I just do my work? Can you just leave me alone for one effin' day?

If it's not some bureaucratic red tape non-sense, some meddling self-appointed supervisor (or more than likely appointed by a boss enclosed in their office) looking over every little thing employees do, or somebody that is feeling like they're having their pocketbook gouged just to have foreign experts around, it's all a load of crap sometimes.

Dishonest business owners, dishonest public officials (often on the take) dishonest employees, and dishonest customers, and no recourse for any of it. Except to be even more devious and conniving than the next guy next time.

So then, what's the point?

The point is that we try to find something that fits and feels like decency.

Often we've heard of "foreign experts" in China (or elsewhere) that have complained of low pay, poor work conditions, and being pushed into more of a business arrangement than what they were expecting. But the reality of it is that if we work for a private company, then we need to expect to be treated like employees and earn the company as much money as we can. And anyway we can. Be productive. Outsell the competition. That's the world of business, like it or not. Doesn't matter if it's China or Japan or America or Timbuktu. And the luxury of working in management is that they are the ones making the decisions of how that money will be made. And it's up to staff to do what has been decided. Just like in Japan, America or anywhere else.

If the OP goes home to America and gets a job as a teacher, the expectation will be that there is a high pass rate from his students. The expectation will come from parents, other teachers, administration, the media, and the public at large. Even the students themselves, eventually. If the teacher fails to accomplish that within a certain time frame, they are out the door.

If the OP goes to America and gets a job in the business world, the expectation will be for good results each and every month, year after year. Otherwise, out the door.

Dont' get me wrong. I go with the OP's assessment of the whole English-in-China thing as a crock most days, unless you can stick it out and find a niche for yourself. Yes, you will have to be on your guard ALL the time, but tell me of a occupation in which you don't? Generally, foreign teachers are well-paid in China, especially compared to their local collegues, often making twice as much. And are hired VERY often with less education, less training, and less experience. Often FTs are teaching in a university setting, with only a 4 year degree and minimal prior experience. You won't get in the door for an interview anywhere else unless you have a minimum of a thesis earned master's degree and currently in a Phd program. And tenure is years down the road. But in China foreigners with not even minimal qualifications are hired. And that's as much of a crock, and as dishonest, as anything we're often asked to do by them. When I see a 23 year old kid with a fresh history degree from Bumpkin State U, and no prior experience except pizza delivery, get a 9000Y a month job teaching business English in China, I think there's something pretty messed up with the system.

As far as China not emerging any longer, I might beg to differ. With a population of 900,000,000, that would be nine hundred million or three times the population of America, still living at the internationally accepted poverty rate of $US1 (one) a day or less, it can be considered emerging. China might have the 4th largest economy in the world, but it still has one of the very lowest per capitas. Business practices are emerging, the political culture is emerging, liberty and personal rights are emerging, treatment of the environment is emerging, healthcare is emerging. Even education is emerging, and anybody that works in education in China is part of it. That's the exciting part of it.

China is an incredibly dynamic place, there's not doubt about it.