That bureau is real, it's associated with the provincial government, and it often acts as a go-between for schools and teachers. Or, at least there really is a government agency under that name... The bureau tends to trade in pretty crappy low-paying jobs, but at least they ARE a real bureau.

The e-mail provided indeed ain't the bureau. It's probably a recruiter that will get a cut for turning you over to the bureau and their pretty crappy low-paying jobs.

So, this ad and this whole situation are best avoided...but NOT for anything like the reasons given in the original post.

To say that only private kindergartens can legally hire foreigners would be just silly if it weren't so horribly and irresponsibly wrong. All kinds of schools, at all levels and both public and private, can get the permit to hire foreigners, but some conditions (such as operating for 1 year) must be met in order to get it.

The original post sounds a bit like a hatchet job from a rival recruiter.
This is one ugly business.
The best response is to never deal with ANY recruiter, and to only talk to the school who would be your direct employer. Recruiters only add more layers of potential abuse, tend to only offer pretty crappy low-paying jobs, and in this market are utterly unnecessary from the teacher's standpoint anyway. Don't use a recruiter!

Raoul
Raoul's China Saloon
http://raoulschinasaloon.com