As always, I'm very saddened, but also not at all surprised to read your story. Welcome to China!

People, pay attention! Thos of you reading these posts from your home country, please think very carefully before venturing to China for teaching work. If you want to enjoy China as a tourist, fine, but living and teaching here are another matter entirely!

This poster's experience is as typical as the positive ones (in my opinion, more so). What you get here is a real gamble. If you're negotiating by phone from your home country, agents/recruiters will often say in response to your questions and concerns: "Don't worry about that!" or "That will be OK, trust me."

No, you SHOULD WORRY, and yes, you should not trust any agent or recruiter fully. Try to get EVERYTHING as solid and credible as possible before you board the plane, because I can ASSURE you that no matter how much problem-solving, trouble-shooting you think you've accomplished in advance, there'll be surprises aplenty waiting for you at your school destination.

And when you point out some issue/contract term that you believed was understood and agreed upon before you left home, they'll likely respond with the usual: "Oh, there must be a misunderstanding." I honestly think this is the first English phrase people in the China ESL business learn to speak! They also know by the time you're standing in the middle of China, your power of negotiation is very much weakened.

Good luck and be careful! This poster's experience is all too common here.