You may have seen the posters for the "English First" language school in taxis and metro stations. Some have laughed at the cheesy images of tutors tied to students with rope, a clumsy metaphor for the one-on-one mentoring that English First tutors promise to provide.

For expatriate Benjamin Watson, it's no laughing matter. Watson was first tied to student Zhang Wenjun in 2005 for a photoshoot. Failing to read the small print of his contract, he didn't realise that he was expected to remain tied to Miss Zhang for the next five years. "It's becoming really inconvenient" said Watson, "our arms are tied together at all times, which makes eating difficult. My tennis has really gone downhill in the last few years".

Zhang is also having second thoughts about the arrangement. "While my English has got better and better, my boyfriend is not happy about me being tied to Mr Watson all the time".

Shangzilla attempted to call the English First hotline to get the official company line, but all their operators were tied up.