Known Scams - Do not respond to these!!!

Discussion about jobs and employment conditions

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tiny10
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Posts: 1
Joined: 24 May 2017, 08:20
Status: Prospective Teacher

Re: Known Scams - Do not respond to these!!!

Unread post by tiny10 »

I applied for this job too. I have the contract offer and though it does all sound appealing, a lot of evidence points towards a scam. No history online whatsoever, the website was created in the past few months, Skype interview was 4 questions and it wasn't even a video call. I was very close to accepting, I'm glad I found this forum.

I did ask the principal to put me in contact with a current ESL teacher and he gave me an email so I'll post as soon as I get word back on that. Very odd. The email was jones@sultanbritishschool.com
jgra
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Posts: 1
Joined: 13 Jul 2017, 14:57
Status: Prospective Teacher

Re: Known Scams - Do not respond to these!!!

Unread post by jgra »

Anyone know anything about Funbulous(JiuQu English) Co. Ltd.

I applied on indeed it's a work from home (morning shifts) via video chat. I've been out of teaching for awhile but thought I'd pick up some extra cash and applied. I've never seen an interview format this way before. They want me to create a short video of me story telling & want to know my computer capabilities to make sure it's compatible with their software. I'm always a bit hesitant when they want things before I've spoken to a person. Thoughts?
CanadaAlex
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Posts: 4
Joined: 16 Jul 2017, 12:51
Status: Prospective Teacher

Re: Known Scams - Do not respond to these!!!

Unread post by CanadaAlex »

Now this isn't what is seen as a typical scam, but avoid the TEFL.com website and their application. It's basically just for UK applicants and closed to anyone else, even if they are from fellow developed countries and are native-English speakers with the certificates. Very monopoly-like feel and impression to it as well. They want only UK applicants and teachers and want to keep it that way. Avoid.
Mndenman22
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Posts: 1
Joined: 23 Jul 2017, 06:01
Status: Teacher

Re: Known Scams - Do not respond to these!!!

Unread post by Mndenman22 »

Qwadar Private School in UAE is a scam who is giving your personal information away. I have recently e'en receiving threats from them for warning other teachers. The job ad is completely plagiarized from a reputable school. Don't waste your time or put yourself in a position for identity theft
Grizzly
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Posts: 48
Joined: 29 Nov 2015, 03:12
Status: Teacher

Re: Known Scams - Do not respond to these!!!

Unread post by Grizzly »

Well whoever they were they are now out of business or got a new website address because I just got a 404 error message. Here is a related link to those exposing university scams that I think is worthy. https://www.reddit.com/r/University_Scams/
Peyman
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Posts: 4
Joined: 23 May 2018, 12:37
Status: Teacher

Re: Known Scams - Do not respond to these!!!

Unread post by Peyman »

Kensai wrote: 03 Jul 2013, 12:00 Hey does anyone know anything about this site:

http://www.teachtotravel.co.uk

I saw a job I'm really interested in but my Norton Internet Security has flagged it as having a potential phishing scam.
Hi

I wanted to ask you if you started with this school in Turkey and if so what is/was your experince ?
Thanks
Peyman
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Posts: 4
Joined: 23 May 2018, 12:37
Status: Teacher

Re: Known Scams - Do not respond to these!!!

Unread post by Peyman »

qsolare wrote: 03 Jul 2013, 18:46 i worked for teach to travel in istanbul. they also go by teachers in turkey, teach in turkey, and leeds academy. they are not a scam but they are right bastards to work for. avoid.
Hi
I recently was asked for a Skype interview with them. I also checked their website. But you stated that you have already worked with them and your experience was negative. Could you tell me a little more about how it was?

Many thanks
Peyman
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Posts: 4
Joined: 23 May 2018, 12:37
Status: Teacher

Re: Known Scams - Do not respond to these!!!

Unread post by Peyman »

qsolare wrote: 03 Jul 2013, 18:46 i worked for teach to travel in istanbul. they also go by teachers in turkey, teach in turkey, and leeds academy. they are not a scam but they are right bastards to work for. avoid.
Hi

I was wondering if you can share more of your experience about this school in Istanbul as I am asked to have a Skype interview with them this week.

Thanks
Peyman
Peyman
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Posts: 4
Joined: 23 May 2018, 12:37
Status: Teacher

Re: Known Scams - Do not respond to these!!!

Unread post by Peyman »

Hi
I was wondering if someone here has personal info about teachers in Turkey and teaching in Istanbul in general ? I'd appreciate your input.

Thanks
P
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Joe
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Re: Known Scams - Do not respond to these!!!

Unread post by Joe »

Another cautionary tale, this time from Russia trying to get a teacher to come on a Business visa and without work permit:
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=8164
"We are not wholly bad or good, who live our lives under Milk Wood :? " — Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood

eBooks: English Prepositions List | Essential Business Words | Learn English in Seven
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Atlas
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Joined: 15 Nov 2020, 11:31
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Re: Known Scams - Do not respond to these!!!

Unread post by Atlas »

These days there does not seem to be any shortage of scams in the TEFL industry, but most of them seem to come, or originate from China but every market has a bunch. So when every time its time to upgrade to a "new and improved" job, I check three places first: https://reddit.com/r/TEFLScams , https://ruqqus.com/+TEFLBlacklist , and https://reddit.com/r/chinascamcentral . I am a firm believer in the old proverbs my grandfather taught me as a kid... Look before you leap! There used to be some great TEFL Whitelists but I have not seen one in the last two years. Anyway, good luck ya'll.
Look Before You Leap at https://reddit.com/r/teflscams
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Vagabond
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Joined: 06 Nov 2020, 20:22
Status: Teacher Trainer

Re: Known Scams - Do not respond to these!!!

Unread post by Vagabond »

Thanks for these links. They will help the clueless for sure. But I personally think that TEFL teachers set themselves up to be scammed by their own laziness. They don't bother to research anything and just trust some agent or recruiter to do everything for them. They should be reading up on the reputation of the school where they are supposed to work, their agent, and then look up the labor laws, visa requirements, and employee rights of the country where they will be going to work.

This is especially true if they are planning to teach in China, Korea, or Japan where fraud is rampant. I no longer feel sorry for people who cry about how they were baited and switched, skimmed alive, or became victims of identity thefts. We are all adults and have to take responsibility for our own acts and our own negligence IMO. There are many websites that put forth all the warnings like Joe did in this huge thread (Thanks Joe). There are more current ones that I listed below, but what good are they if you don't use them? Like will Rogers once said... "You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make them drink". So if and when it is your turned to get screwed, remember this post and then bite your tongue if you did not bother to use these links.


https://www.docdroid.net/kRwv0oN/ctablacklist2020-pdf

https://reddit.com/r/tefl_tips_traps_scams

https://www.docdroid.net/J4BCtZy/cftu-redalert90n-pdf

https://media.makeameme.org/created/cafd6daa3f.jpg

https://www.reddit.com/r/ChinaScamCentral/

https://chinascampatrol.wordpress.com

https://ruqqus.com/+ChinaCheaters

https://ruqqus.com/+CTA

https://ruqqus.com/+TEFLBlacklist
Before taking any teaching job in China make a quick visit over to https://reddit.com/r/ChinaScamCentral and https://reddit.com/r/TEFLreviews so your dream job does not become a nightmare.
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Cricket
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Joined: 13 Nov 2020, 16:53
Status: Teacher Trainer

Re: Known Scams - Do not respond to these!!!

Unread post by Cricket »

First of all, I thank Joe for starting this thread more than 10 years ago. I think you were the pioneer of Scam Alerts, and judging by all the posts here in this thread, it saved a lot of money for a lot of my TEFL teacher colleagues. Over the last 10 years, we have all learned a lot especially about TEFL job scams. What I personally learned is that you can avoid all TEFL scams by just asking 7 questions to anyone who is trying to offer you a job, a visa, a TEFL certificate etc. https://opnlttr.com/letter/china-esl-te ... am-artists

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Before sending off your resume or passport scan, be sure to check https://reddit.com/r/teflscams and to vaccinate yourself against foreign teacher job scams.
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