I got my first job before I came to China, not much of a story, they said it was the most beautiful city in China with loads of culture and great pay etc... All of which was a lie, work conditions, pay, environment all sucked ass (Chinese company, Chinese management) ... But I finished my contract (never broken one yet) and got a MUCH better job and have been getting better and better gigs every since. ever since I try and stick to foreign owned and operated schools and find the pay, conditions, materials and environment to be professional and up to standard (world standard) also I find the students get what they pay for as well.

my 1st job, i met a nice young lady when i was 17 and i sweet talked her for about a week and.............

through the internet from a recruiter. i was in the states searched many websites ended up at a university in hohhot , i was lucky. everything was good there except the people were too conservative i couldnt date much there (coldest 2 years of my life)

Found my first job on the internet before I came. Jumped into the unknown, no regrets!

I was recruted via Skype for a large and well known school. Funnily enough it was a foreigner (working for a large macdonald style English training school) who recruted me. He had obviously become increasingly more Chinese over the years as he basically promised me the world and then gave me peanuts.

I was promised a western style house. I recieved four walls and a roof, the only thing western about it was the toilet. No paint on the walls, dog eared furniture, a decaying mass of a kitchen riddled with water damage and mold. Hot water in only one room.

I was also offered a competitive salary which turned out to be probably the lowest pay anyone can get in China.

I was offered a 20h contract that turned into 40h with the stupid time wasting things they forced me to do for free.

I was told someone who look after me and help me adjust to the culture. Every problem I encountered I had to overcome on my own. The cultural differences, constant staring, inability to communicate forced me to stay in doors. The school didn't care how I felt as long as I turned up for class. No one showed me where the supermarket was or any other things of necessity which had me living like a tramp until I worked it out myself.

I was also promised Chinese lessons which I never recieved. After I kicked up a fuss I managed to get a weekly class but more and more Chinese people came until I suddenly found myself giving a free English class to the teachers at the school.

First impressions last unfortunately. It is no suprise that lots of westerners are bitter if their treatment upon arriving to China is like the one I recieved.

Teaching is just another 'legal' Chinese scam.

I wanted a job before I got to China so I could get a work permit and have a decent apartment provided for me. I started combing through the jobs sections of numerous sites, chased a few promising leads and found some jobs that were too good to be true. I will say that Chinese agents are the devil incarnate. They lie all the time.

Finally got one at World English school in Guangzhou and they're currently 2 weeks behind schedule with my paperwork. So here I am with my thumb up my bum, waiting on some Chinese people who could care less about me to sort everything out.

Yes I got my job online. Had a couple of offers - one in South America would you believe??!! another in Korea - but accepted this one in northern China. When I checked the place out I must have read some temperature figures wrong and left Australia going via Thailand and the Philippines where the temp was mid to high 30's Celsius and rocked up at Beijing airport in shorts and t-shirt with the temp at -10. Got a jacket out of my suitcase - all okay. Then arrived in Daqing next day........minus 24!!! WTF!
Apartment was great, greeting and initial help was great, school is good, pay is on time, women are pleasing to the eye, the rest, as they say is history. Can't wait for the next winter, starting soon - NOT! But I have already decided to stay at least 3 years here regardless of the weather in winter. Anyway, it's great fun making those little yellow cones in the snow and sending pics of them back home!!

PS: I will help recruit for this school but tell it like it is! It ain't all a bed of roses at times.

I found my first teaching job in China through a friend. She had taught with the school and they were looking for short-term teachers. My next two positions I found online. I had a bad experience with one of the schools but my second job was awesome. Working directly with the school is best, recruiters might try to cheat you. Also, when looking for a position, be sure to ask a lot of questions.

Also, it's probably better to have a job before coming to China. If you don't have a job yet, you'll most likely come on a tourist visa. You can't switch from a tourist visa to a work visa in the country, so you'll have to go to HK or even back to your home country. It's a pain but that's the way it works.

The first job I applied to ended up falling through. A few weeks after I turned in all the paperwork online, they told me I couldn't work there because I didn't have 2 years of experience. A week later the woman offered me another job...on 2 F visas. By then I had already found another possible job, which is the one I have now. I had applied to several places, but Lishui sounded like the pollution wasn't bad, and the contract was decent. Several other contracts I had read didn't even have the school's name as Party A, so I rejected them. Obviously they try to trick you, that way they can make you work at several different schools and they'll hide how far they are apart.

The paperwork took forever to reach me, but I got my visa in time. The plane ride was pleasant; despite booking it a week before leaving, I got three seats to myself and unlimited movies. I was picked up by car at the Shanghai airport, where we drove to Hangzhou to pick up the director and went out for dinner; altogether a 5 hour car ride. The apartment is a decent size, although a little dirty, but there's a big tv, a small washing machine, air conditioning in the bedroom and a good water heater in the bathroom and free internet access. Plus, it's free. Everyone has been really nice to me. I eat most meals at the cafeteria. I haven't even been here 3 weeks yet and I made a real friend already; her English is pretty good and we like to hang out together. Next week I start working my full 16 hours. The pay is...well, it's college pay, but I have no experience, no real pressure either. The worst part is my body's reaction to the food here, the fact that I only have a chalkboard in my classroom, and the textbook the students have is awful. I'm sure it will all work out though. Also, the cockroaches at night from the hole in the wall in my bathroom, along with a big wolf spider that I eventually killed with a broom.

Everybody here says I'm beautiful, although I think what they mean is "pretty" and they're not lying, either. A lot of people have stared at me, but not in a bad way, and it doesn't bother me. I just ignore it most of the time. I haven't felt like a dancing monkey, although sometimes I feel like a child. I don't really know any mandarin, and the people that treat me that way are older than me and I think they just want to help me. I don't really feel left out of their conversations either as I'm generally a quiet person.

To be honest, the only way to get a good contract is to be as "clever" as the people who offer it. Do your research, read multiple expat sites and ask questions. The information is out there if you take the time to read it. Although I do consider myself lucky, I was also smart in choosing my first job and I think it turned out pretty well. Read the contract over and over, make sure that Party A is the name of the school. Talk to a current or past English teacher, see what they have to say. If the agent refuses to give you that person's contact information, reject the contract. Most of all, remember that anything involving China takes a lot longer than necessary, until you get what they give you, then you're supposed to do your part as quickly as possible.

I've been in China for 2 weeks and due to the number of women I find waiting for me outside my hotel, I ended up getting a job at a massage parlour. I test the new employees. Yes I love my job so much that I do it for free.