Jonathan,

I'm very sorry to read of your horrible experience in Heilongjiang. After being in China for a few years, nothing surprises me!

For other readers (and Jonathan, correct me if I am wrong in your situation) but in my opinion and experience, often when you get hired by a "college" it is highly likely that it will be a private institution -- not a public one. And when I say private, I do mean PRIVATE -- as in one, sole owner, who can basically do whatever he likes -- to the students, staff, and TEACHERS!

Last year, from another location in China I agreed to accept a position in another province with what I believed to be with a large, established public university. But the reality was that I was teaching for private "college" attached to the large, established university.

This "college" was nothing more than I commerical business, owned by one man who greatly overcharged the students and gave them very poor living and learning conditions in return. He did not have to abide any sort of regulations of educational integrity or business ethics (at least as we define such things in America!). He always paid me on time -- and the salary was good -- but oh, the environment and conditions of working were so bad, I got out of there after three months and returned to the city I was in originally.

The "college" owner used most of the revenue from the students/parents to buy himself a private limo and other elitest items, and gave us no heat, filthy bathrooms (in a building erected in 2005!), and other unacceptable conditions, such as no academic materials.

To anyone reading this post, if you find yourself considering a position with a "college" in China, ask as many questions as possible about the situation -- and then ask a few more. If they hestitate to give you plausible, logical answers -- AVOID IT! Also ask to speak with foreign teachers currently working there -- but make sure they are speaking to you away from school "administrators."

In others words, BE VERY CAREFUL! China is loaded with lots of "educational" landmines.

Good luck to you, Jonathan!