Thank you all for the contributions, clarifies a lot. The deal doesn't sound too bad (relatively speaking, as always..) though a tad concerning that they have put the whole lot through an agency. If they can return you at any point (as I presume is theoretically possible..?) it removes the workers' negotiation power. Understandable if you're serving your time as a well paid mercenary in East Asia, not if you base your life and lifestyle around the job.