Lies, Damned Lies
A common complaint of foreign teachers concerns the percieved dishonesty of the people they work with and for. I think there's a certain amount of fact to this, but also that a number of the complaints are more a result of cultural misunderstanding than anyones intent to decieve.
Firstly, the real lies. It's important to understand just how important you are as a foreign teacher. Imagine the owner of a small private school somewhere in China. His business could easily succeed or fail, depending on how his school is perceived. How can he improve perceptions? Simple - get a foreign teacher, thus associating his school with modern teaching methods, quality English language teaching and the process of internationalisation China is undergoing.
So how to get this foreign teacher? Be honest about the fact you haven't got any accommodation arranged? No, that won't work. Best say there's an apartment ready, and claim it's undergoing building work when you take them to the hotel. Foreign teacher wants to teach adults? That's no problem. Just don't mention the children and teenagers they'll also be teaching. Foreign teacher wants to know if you'll reimburse their airfare? Say yes, and worry about it later.
There's not much you can do about lies of this type. They're lies, pure and simple, and it shouldn't happen. Deal with it the best you can, and if you don't trust someone, take everything they say with as much salt as you have handy.
That's one kind of lie, a deliberate, planned attempt to get what you want, something you don't think you can get any other way.
The second type is different, and this is where culture comes in. For Chinese people, it's difficult to tell people what they don't want to hear, especially people of higher status or greater importance. And, as a foreigner, you will often find you have high status and great importance. Also, you'll be mostly dealing with people who are speaking English, a foreign language - this makes the interaction ever more stressful, and so a slight bending of the truth more likely.
This can manifest itself as either a contradiction of what is true, or an indirect, evasive answer to what is apparently an incredibly simple question. You ask the girl in the photocopy room if the photocopies will be ready tomorrow. She knows they won't be, because the photocopier is currently in bits. What she will actually tell you will depend on a number of factors. She might have heard that you, or maybe all foreigners, have bad tempers and fly into a rage if they don't get what they want. Maybe she thinks saying 'no' will result in a complicated conversation for the reason, and her English will embarass her. Perhaps she's worried you'll complain about the poor service is she says no. It could be her day off tomorrow, so she knows it won't be her problem. Maybe she just plain doesn't like you. All of these could contribute to a 'yes' or 'maybe'. There's really no benefit for her, apart from a bit of temporary relief, and I don't see this as all that much different from a 'Yes dear, your hair looks lovely', or 'Thanks very much for the jumper, Auntie'.
There are things you can do to increase the chances of finding out what's really happening. Perhaps most importantly look for non-verbal cues - nervousness, hesitation, inappropriate smiling all indicate someones been put on the spot and is trying to figure out what to do. Equally, when you do get an answer you don't like, be understanding and accepting rather than stubborn and persistent - you'll get a reputation for being easy to deal with, and people will be more open. Indirectness helps - if you ask 'Will my documents be ready' is quite direct, as it refers to you. 'Have the PSB processed the documents' puts the emphasis on the PSB, not you or the person you are talking to.
There are obviously overlaps between the two types of lie. I still find it helpful though to distinguish between a plan to decieve and a spontaneous attempt to make your afternoon a little easier to cope with and defer the problems to tomorrow . . .