Some of these posts make Huijia Private School in Changping look positively saintly. First the good news. Despite the myriad imbecilities living and teaching at Huijia (HJ), I generally enjoyed my two years, nine months and four days. The rent is very low or free and the apts. are not super but suffice. There is a wonderful camaraderie amongst the foreign teachers as we all live in the same building.The kids are wonderful and they just loved Mr. Fred with his big belly and endless cache of M&Ms.

However, the school is run by a Mr. Wong who only knows how to do one thing - make money. But Donald Trump is a rich man, too, so what do I know? He is pound wise and penny foolish. He will fund all sorts of lavish, and oftimes necessary, projects but then leave some minor, but important, issues left undone or insist we have these stupid silly protocols. The teacher turn over rate is horrendous. In the three years I was there we lost about one-third of the teaching staff every year. And there are reasons. They leave for much better positions or can no longer stand the idiocy that HJ has come to symbolize.

My beef, of course, is that I was fired w/o cause. Fine. I can manage. China was very good to me and, in an odd sense, HJ was good to me. Nevertheless, if you are well-qualified or have half a brain, you should consider all your options of teaching English in China before you choose HJ. I hear there are many positions that are a lot, lot better.