Scam/Non Native

Discussion about jobs in Asia inc. Middle East

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VincentMIR
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Posts: 11
Joined: 07 Jun 2013, 16:01
Status: Other

Scam/Non Native

Unread post by VincentMIR »

Hello everyone my name is Vincent and i am posting this after an agonizing search through forums and job offering websites.

Like many,i am trying to find a job teaching english in China.I am from France and am 27 years old,fluent in english (no cliché frenchy accent if i may say so),holding a TEFL with no prior experiences and positive attitude as tools to make it happen.
There is two things i'd like to address in this post,two subjects already known and discussed but always messy to get an accurate feel of.

Obviously as a non native my chances to land a job are lower than any of the classic "USA,UK,Canada,Australia,New Zealand" passport holders,which is understandable to an extent.
Though,reading some forums you get the idea,as a non native,that the passport requirement can actually be easily bypassed as "The demand for teachers is so high" or simply that "if you are fluent in english and present well,it is fine"
Well..So far it feels nearly impossible for me to even come close to finding a job in my situation.
Not only because of the EU passport but also because,as everyone knows,the "internet market" is flooded by scams and misinformations which completely messes up most of the searches i do.(Companies with different names,companies without legal permits etc..)
I do use the help of websites such as CTFU/China Blacklist/Beijinger but it seems not enough to shield myself from the scams.

Which brings me to mentioning NewLifeESL (Which as already been debunked,i know)
My question about NewLifeESL is the following
"If a company like NLESL,with hundreds of peoples assuring of it's good helpful behaviors/activities through youtube videos testimonies,loads of good (apparently false) feedbacks,an active Facebook page and so on..Is a SCAM..Then who isn't?"
This may sound naive but i was stunned to read on how it was "the longest running scam and all"
Are all those peoples on youtube videos lying?If yes,this isn't a scam,but a mafia,of foreigners,in China!
I was first drawn to their offers since they mentioned Non Native so much,which i'll admit did cushion me well within my searches and raised my hopes..if only for an afternoon..

I will take every feedback and help from anyone of course,but i would love to hear about Non Natives having been successful in landing a job in China,how they did it and what did they go through.SInce i am starting to really doubt the Non Native chances on doing it,despite the TEFL sellers saying otherwise..Obviously.Hopefully i get proved this is really a possibility!

I also read about the "Flying to location and knocking on doors" type of scenario,but if feels risky to me.

I understand that many websites give helpful links and so on (Well established companies links for examples) but still,it always feels like from a page to the other,you'll read different if not opposite feedbacks which really make your head spin 720 degrees..

Wishing everyone a good day
and the best of luck to those looking for jobs
Vince
Briona
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Posts: 199
Joined: 29 Jul 2009, 20:33
Status: Teacher

Re: Scam/Non Native

Unread post by Briona »

Hi Vincent,

I'll preface this by saying that I have never worked in China and have absolutely no interest in doing so. However, I do a fair amount of research into most TEFL markets, and consequently have come across the Buckland International Education Group (http://www.bucklandgroup.org/index.htm), which (a) hires both natives and non-natives, and (b) has a pretty good reputation, at least as far as I can see.

A teacher who worked for them for three years has put together the following guide (http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-chalkboa ... -to-expect). Based on her review, quite a few other users on that forum have all gone to China with Buckland. Again, I must stress that I am NOT one of these people and that I have no experience of or connections to either China or Buckland, so please DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH before applying.

Briona
Experience teaching in Vietnam, Portugal, Poland, Spain, the UK, and Qatar
VincentMIR
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Posts: 11
Joined: 07 Jun 2013, 16:01
Status: Other

Re: Scam/Non Native

Unread post by VincentMIR »

I will check them out.
I had never heard nor read about them so far.

Thank you Briona
VincentMIR
Member
Posts: 11
Joined: 07 Jun 2013, 16:01
Status: Other

Re: Scam/Non Native

Unread post by VincentMIR »

Some Non-native feedbacks would be great!
If any ..?
Briona
Top Contributor
Posts: 199
Joined: 29 Jul 2009, 20:33
Status: Teacher

Re: Scam/Non Native

Unread post by Briona »

Hi again,

All the feedback on their website appears to be from native English-speakers. Why not check out their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/10943944164/) and ask for feedback there?

Briona
Experience teaching in Vietnam, Portugal, Poland, Spain, the UK, and Qatar
Murphy
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Joined: 18 Mar 2014, 01:23
Status: Other

Re: Scam/Non Native

Unread post by Murphy »

I think Briona may be an agent for Buckland Education Group because they are blacklisted in a few places and nobody with a brain would take a job from Ou Wen in Guilin. They tell people to come work in China illegally on an F visa!
Briona
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Posts: 199
Joined: 29 Jul 2009, 20:33
Status: Teacher

Re: Scam/Non Native

Unread post by Briona »

Murphy wrote:I think Briona may be an agent for Buckland Education Group because they are blacklisted in a few places and nobody with a brain would take a job from Ou Wen in Guilin. They tell people to come work in China illegally on an F visa!
This comment is so ridiculous, it really doesn't warrant answering. However, I don't appreciate being accused of being something I'm not. Perhaps you didn't read my original post, or maybe you did and you didn't understand it.
Briona wrote:I'll preface this by saying that I have never worked in China and have absolutely no interest in doing so.
Briona wrote:Again, I must stress that I am NOT one of these people and that I have no experience of or connections to either China or Buckland, so please DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH before applying.
In case those excerpts are not clear enough for you, perhaps you'd like to check out my blog (http://thirtysomethingteachertraveller. ... about.html) to see just who I am. If you find any references on there to China and/or Buckland or anything that suggests I am an agent for anyone, please let me know. :roll:

Briona
Experience teaching in Vietnam, Portugal, Poland, Spain, the UK, and Qatar
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Susan
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Posts: 219
Joined: 12 Mar 2004, 21:17
Status: Teacher Trainer

Re: Scam/Non Native

Unread post by Susan »

Briona has been on these forums for years and I have never had any doubt about her intentions for being here.

Susan (moderator)
Briona
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Posts: 199
Joined: 29 Jul 2009, 20:33
Status: Teacher

Re: Scam/Non Native

Unread post by Briona »

Thank you, Susan. I appreciate that. :)
Experience teaching in Vietnam, Portugal, Poland, Spain, the UK, and Qatar
Murphy
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Posts: 79
Joined: 18 Mar 2014, 01:23
Status: Other

Re: Scam/Non Native

Unread post by Murphy »

My apologies Briona - I did not see your original post.
Briona
Top Contributor
Posts: 199
Joined: 29 Jul 2009, 20:33
Status: Teacher

Re: Scam/Non Native

Unread post by Briona »

Apology accepted. :)
Experience teaching in Vietnam, Portugal, Poland, Spain, the UK, and Qatar
Murphy
Rising Star
Posts: 79
Joined: 18 Mar 2014, 01:23
Status: Other

Re: Scam/Non Native

Unread post by Murphy »

For Vincent and other potential ESL/TEFL Teacher victims... Below are both White and Blacklists and if you use them, you will avoid 99% of the scams. Also take a good read at http://chinascamwatch.org so you can spot the scams - not easy sometimes.

http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?6174 ... ing-To-All

http://www.chinaforeignteachersunion.co ... reign.html
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