My sister taught English in China for a year. She enjoyed it and saved enough money to travel througout Asia afterwords (for about a year). However, my sister is very much a budget traveler and was able to save money by spending very little both when working in China and traveling. Some things I remember from her stories: She was told to be careful of what she said in her dorm as it may have been bugged by the government. She really didn't teach English - they just wanted someone fluent to force the kids to speak English for an hour each day. The Chinese kids thought highly of Americans and British people. They hated Japanese people (using adjectives like short and weak as opposed to tall and smart for Americans). Canadians were the meanest of all English-speakers that the encountered (Australian, English, American, etc...). My sister is a sweet girl but it didn't stop the Canadains from American-bashing her.