Go to Thailand first, for the experience and training. Then try to get a job at a school that will provide a better quality AND money ratio.

You may want to do some soul searching about whether DODEA schools are right for you. Great package to be sure, but I've heard too many stories of old teachers just holding on as long as possible, just wanting to do the minimum and get away with everything they can, and generally turn the environment toxic. Basically, if you put enough people in jobs where they can't be fired, they are going to take advantage of the situation, and the school atmosphere and students will suffer. At least one of the DoD schools has to supply several teachers with electric wheelchairs, because the teachers say they are so old that they can no longer walk.

Kunming isn't really a city I would target. If you need to live in China for the work/money, it would be better to try to find the highest paying job possible in a place like Shanghai. If you want to go to Kunming for the lifestyle and cultural experiences, then you could do better in many other places just south of the boarder in Southeast Asia. Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar would all be more enjoyable places to live cheaply and travel from.
Yunnan can be a wonderful place to explore, but once you move to paradise, it can no longer be your paradise. Kunming will quickly feel like just another big Chinese city overrun by Han people.

Shadowjack is correct. Tons of couples choose to have babies in shanghai. Google "redleaf hospital shanghai" if you want an idea of what the care can be like. It is much nicer than the hospital you would go to in the USA. I have a friend here who told me that there were 18 babies born at her school this year. Can anyone top that?

As to the question of best places in Asia for kids, Kyoto, Japan would be my top choice.

I love the hope and expectation. I love how your life can so drastically change in an instant when you interview at a new place. Good luck to you.

It kind of comes down to what you want to teach. There are plenty of excellent jobs with schools that use each curriculum. I'm not worrying about all the great AP jobs drying up any time soon.

@Kyudoka - Your comment is right on! Except switch the word Cleveland with the word China. They even have a professional football team named after the color of their air: Browns!

With your current director being such a wild card, I think you should try to move on as quickly as possible. One thing I love about teaching internationally is that you always have the option of working somewhere you are happy, or working towards going somewhere that may fit you better. Ask SA if you can use the school counselor as a reference. That is something that is done at others IS's.

Another option is to sign up with ISS and TIE. I've used them successfully in the past. One dissenting voice in your reference check will raise eyebrows, but it can also be understood.

Wow! Psyguy with the post of the year! I can't believe I just read the whole thing on my iPhone, while being driven along a winding rural road in southeastern china. Now I'm a bit carsick.

If you can go to BKK, go to Bumrungrad Hospital. They have an extensive amount of info on their website, which usually includes prices.

Congratulations! Which city?

I agree with what others have said. SEA is different than the Northeastern US. Plan on adapting to a vastly different place, or don't go.

Coming from a temperate climate I was nervous about the heat before I first moved to SEA. About one month after I had arrived, I found that I had acclimated to the heat, and I could go jogging in 90 degrees and really high humidity. I had someone from my school come and put good screens on the windows, I didn't mind the bugs. Yes, flooding is a problem, but not on high ground. Just live on high ground. Tropical diseases are only common in certain areas. Check the CDC website and visit a travel doctor before you go (don't take medical advice from untrained yahoos on web forums).

I had a head try to pull a switcheroo on me a number of years back. Luckily, my wife saved a small piece of paper from our interview where the principal had written down a list of benefits. We were able to get him to pay us a couple of hundred dollars for a re-signing bonus, but only with the promise that we would not tell anyone. Get everything in writing now, because later on, everyone remembers what was said differently.

Climberman,
I wonder if what you are noticing are schools that are run like businesses. The strategy in some places is the keep profit margins high, by keeping costs low. If your school is for-profit, and teacher salaries do not take about 1/2 of the annual budget, you can be pretty sure you've found one of those places.
Unfortunately, these places seem to exist in all parts of the world. Get teachers for 2 years, pay low, squeeze as many hours as possible out of them, and then let them move on.

Basmad6 wrote:
>
> Tips on " best" neighborhoods (tell us why it's the
> best in your opinion), rental tips and any other Shanghai rental adventures
> would be great, humorous, scary maybe.

Shanghai is kind of a big place. Will you be on the Pudong or Puxi side of town? Which neighborhood is your school in? In Puxi, people especially like French concession or jing'an temple areas (and many others). There are re-done apartments, that are comfortable and hip. Tons of interesting restaurants, bars and shopping. With all the older western-built neighborhoods, it's kind of a Europe in China experience.
In Pudong, I would stick to Jinqiao. The jinqiao Carrefour is kind of home base for everything you need. There are tons of restaurants in the area that are expat friendly, and you can live a truly western lifestyle. Jinqiao is also the most expensive neighborhood in Shanghai, or maybe Asia. For instance, when I'm in Tokyo or Singapore, food and entertainment feel cheap (and are way better quality).