Well I understand legal English teachers that they are so pissed off about non-native speakers teaching Eng. without working visa ( coz they cant legally get any ). Obviously it has nothing to do with taxes or quality of teaching, which is usually brought up as an excuse ( and I probably get hammered here for that one ), but actually the price for teaching is dropping down with growing numbers of CVs coming to the lang.schools. In SZ, years ago you could make 300 per hour, now u r lucky if u get 150 - 200 ( native speaker and preferably US ). I dont have to explain the reason for that, right? The true is, they are cracking down on school now quite hard, so price might pick up again. There were cases when Pakist. teacher was jumping out of the window to run away. In other hand, in most of EU countries u can work part-time even with student visa, here u can do sh** even if u get married ( as I heard, not confirmed ) . Which technically I don't get it, how to live as father of family without being able to work and support your family? If u r not a native speaker and want to live with your Chinese wife here? All foreigners who I know and they run biz here, have it all written on their wife and officially they don't do anything. Not sure if any official in gov. thought of that? Or is that a purpose, to make a foreigner being always fully dependent on his/her CN partner? This case its not a 50/50. And I still havent figured out what are the conditions for obtaining different proffesion work visa ( means not a teacher ). No any official website saying clearly, education, experience in certain proffesion required.

The main purpose for all these rules and restrictions is to keep the numbers down. China already has 1.4 b people and it certainly does not need any more, especially foreigners regardless of country of origin.

As you clearly stated, English teachers are a dime a dozen now and there are more and more very qualified Chinese English teachers.

Since the Olympics, China has been flooded with foreigners and after 10 years now the novelty of the Laowais has worn off - and rightfully so!

This seems to have become all about English teachers. We all seem to have drifted far from the article in which its a bloke called Mahadi who worked in a factory.
Now, I dont know too many English teachers, Brits, Americans or Europeans called Mahadi, let alone westerners who suppliment their income working in a Chinese factory.

I think we're a long way from students grassing in their teachers on the chance they could be in for some spare change here.

Also, people should teach English for the reason that they are good enough, not because of where they are from. I've seen some native speaking teachers in my time who couldn't even begin to explain the past participle.

Well I guess u r right, but they will need them in 10-20y time, coz locals are getting old and not enough young ones to support their soc.system and economy. They will be short of working people and then will invite workers from Africa ( where they setting up Chinese school already ) to work and live in China :-), pay taxes of course :-)

Thats how the Saudis and Kuwaitis run their countries, but there's a lot more money there and a lot less locals. It would take something special for it to happen here.

But if it did, I wouldnt be surprised.