Campus camaraderie and close connections

Given the low, uncompetitive salaries offered to foreign teachers in China, some schools, such as Xi'an International Studies University, have started taking action to retain the best tutors.

In addition to basic benefits, such as free accommodations, insurance and travel, the university has also appointed members of staff to help foreign teachers deal with everyday issues in their working and personal lives. The services range from meeting them at the airport when they first arrive in the western city, to renting cars and searching for churches, according to Wu Yaowu, director of the university's International Exchange Office.

"We try the best we can to make these guests who've come from far away feel at home," he said. "After all, it's not easy to live and work in a new, unfamiliar environment."