Shit, didn't have it as rough as this guy did, but having worked at EF Dalian I can easily imagine something like that happening. The management is... let's say, unsupportive at best. To be less kind, they don't give a shit about your (teacher's) welfare. While the contract does seem all right, if something goes wrong, you're fucked unless you've got someone to lend a helping hand. Like, let's say, if they fail to procure a proper visa for you - which was what happened to me (while, at a later date, a much less "prominent" school managed to do it with little fuss). Then you are told that the visa has been delayed, but they really, really need you as soon as possible. So you come on a temporary (tourist or other) visa, which, I admit, might seem silly to some - for me it was simply showing some goodwill (which is a waste of time - goodwill isn't in the school management's vocabulary). You work until the visa runs out, and then you are told that they can't make you a visa, and moreover try their hardest to turn a blind eye towards the fact that they still owe you this months' salary (the sum, with some squealing and much cursing, I have in the end managed to get back from them).

Well.

Then there are the shit books and moronic mascots (which is just an EF problem, not only EF Dalian - just a hunch of mine), ridiculous class and office policies... well, that was pretty much covered by other posts in this thread. I feel that it wouldn't be so bad if not for the greedy and vain management - the head of that fish has become infested with maggots a while ago, now spewing its rancid juices everywhere and irradiating the landscape. Seriously though, there are plenty other, better schools in Dalian, and in China in general. Keep on looking - you deserve better than this ugly fucker of a school.