no offense but it there is more trolling about alleged trolls, than anything else.
Some subject related input would be nice for a change.
The whole last page was trolling except the Shane inhouse advertisement.

btw some of the Shane info I got didn't sound so heavenly. Wasn't bad either but the other Shane report seemed a bit spam-my.

Salary....
That's another mystery here in China. Prices go up but English teacher salaries are not only stalling but also declining. To make sure more profit is generated.

They have an ad right now where they are looking for a piano player. The salary is 100 yuan for 3 hours of piano playing. WTF!!!

@Ifiundthetuna lol at u equating my asking for proof, when someone accused someone else of doing something which he claimed was underhand, with trolling. U might reasonably say it was off-topic and u may find it boring (in which case feel free not to read it) but its simply wrong to call it trolling.

Question: What Is 'Trolling'?

Answer: Internet 'trolling' is the anti-social act of causing of "interpersonal conflict" and shock-value controversy online.

Don't know if I would call it anti-social or shock value but I think it fits into interpersonal conflict- drawer.
No judgment here, I have done my fair share of trolling when carried away or being accused of something. but In my humble codex of gokunming trolling I think one page should be enough to get back on topic.

trolling definition found at
netforbeginners.about.com/[...]

Yeah that definition is ok. I didnt cause interpersonal conflict though. I asked a guy who accused someone else of underhand behaviour to say why he made that accusation. He didnt give any evidence. Thats nasty in my view so I said so. I think thats perfectly legit. To call it trolling is rubbish.
Heres a better definition from Wiki.

"In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people,[1] by posting inflammatory,[2] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[4]"

So was I sowing discord? No I dont think so. I was standing up for something reasonable. Would u never mention it if someone was abusing somebody in an online forum? Maybe u should.

U tell me ur not passing judgement but in fact thats exactly what ur doing. But I know u dont mean any harm, so no worries here.

have a good one

Daithi

The way the last 13 pages of this thread are completely off topic is pretty cool.

I am not a troll, and I have had 2 accounts. If you disagree, then go jump off a bridge. Now, back to the actual topic: I believe that you can live well on 5,000 a month.

@daithi
i wasn't directing it at you. the whole page was about who has how many accounts which is completely irrelevant.

@mmkunmingteacher
live in terms of not dying, yes!
live well - impossible!

we all did live on 5000 in the beginning maybe to prove a point or live as the locals but we are no locals and we are not treated as such. 5k is not enough if you want to save, start a family or other stuff. Most chinese make more than 5k.
most important if you are teaching off college it's a scam if you get paid little and refuse employment, to show that it's not a proper pay. a math tutor for a struggling student is already 80kuai per hour.

Personally I would be saving 1500 kuai a month on 5000,but Ifoundthetuna is right, this isn't living well, would barely be enough for a trip home every year. Let alone saving for a rainy day, retirement etc. For day to day life it's ok, but for the future, no way.

Besides, my Chinese friends can make 10k plus in sales and office jobs, why should a foreign expert get paid less when we have higher costs? (Visas, trips home, constant rip offs). By all accounts the schools use foreign teachers as a strong revenue stream, why should you not benefit from that?

The cost of living in Kunming has risen sharply from just a few years ago. Especially rent and food. However, this greedy ass English training school still want to insult us by paying chump change.