Chinese minor!  Excellent!  Yeah you should be fine, just make sure you can count in Chinese as well as in English, or whatever your first language is.  I know the large numbers in Chinese can be confusing, but they only come in handy when talking about population, or housing prices in your country.  Oh and often times, the tone is more important in understanding than the actual pronunciation, especially in the South.  I'm sure you know of the famous "si" and "shi" differences. Even with your 1.5 years, your Chinese is already better than 99% of most Chinese people's English.

I took Chinese calligraphy classes, and I also went to a local gym to take boxing classes.  They also have yoga and dancing classes, but most likely will be taught in Chinese.  The nightlife is really cool, and a Chinese person will never let you pay.  Oh, massages are awesome too.  In my town one hour full body massage only 30 RMB

You can buy bootleg DVDs and watch a LOT of movies with your spare time.  Also, Chinese karaoke or "ktv" is one of my favorite things.  If you are in the North, spas are a favorite past time up there. They're not quite as popular in the South.

I would bring about 8,000-10,000 RMB to last you for the whole time you're there.  double it, if you want to eat Western food everyday, go out drinking a lot, and run the air-conditioner 24/7.  I only had Western food about once a month.  It's kind of expensive. 

Besides teaching, you can be in commercials, be a judge for an English competition, or even be hired to stand around a business so they look like they deal with Westerners.  But for those things, you have to either know people, or be in the right place at the right time.  If you want, you can skype me.  my username is also my e-mail + @hotmail.com

-Bob

Thanks Bob, great advice!  Fortunately, Mandarin is my minor in college-- I've been taking classes for about 1.5 years, so hopefully I can get by!  I'm surprised/excited that we only teach about 15-20 hours a week!  That's not much.  Do many people find other forms of work in addition to teaching, or how do most people pass the extra time-- besides the obvious exploring and touring. 

So, I know we receive a small monthly stipend thru teaching, but would you suggest bringing additional money? If so, approximately how much?  I'm perfectly content with "roughing it" for the 5 months, but I also don't want to be stressed out to the point that I can't enjoy it. 

-Erin

Hi Erin,

I went in February 2010 and I used the whole month of January to finish the courses, but I barely made it.  Looking back, I signed up in November 2009, and I should have started then!  If you're new to China, and don't know anything about it, then I suggest going this route.  In the rare chances that you do not get accepted, I think you can get some kind of refund.  I think the most important thing is to start studying Mandarin Chinese NOW, not a week before you go, do not hope to pick it up once you are there, NOW! lol  Outside of touristy areas of Shanghai, it's very rare to find someone who can speak English. 

True, you are there to teach English, but outside of your 15-20 hours a week of teaching, then what?  You're in a complete Chinese environment! 

-Bob