It's not all the fault of Chinese recruiters

[John V55]

It does appear that some have had bad experiences with Chinese recruiters. The worst scam I ever participated in is paying nearly 50% of my salary to the British government in in/direct taxes! :lol: Yet seriously, perhaps I’m just lucky and have been with my present recruiter (and school), for nearly six years, but I too also read about immigrants being exploited in the west as well, which leads me to suggest that it’s more a lack of knowledge, that some employers or recruiters anywhere take advantage of. Every foreign country is the same, after a while you can spot the tourist/teachers a mile off.

I think the problem lies mainly with the private language ‘schools’, who tend to burn their teachers out within a year and know they’ll never see them again. As most of these are businesses, it makes business sense to make as much as they can. I suppose it’s hard to look back once the honeymoon period of the promises has worn off and think, ‘I walked straight into that one’! Yet it’s how we learn isn’t it and as the novice period wears off we become a little more cynical and wise.

From working at KFC to a teacher in under 24 hours is how I suggest many see it and a dream which many recruiters use to lure the unwary. What we have to remember is that the vast majority of us are TEFL, no matter how qualified we might be in other subjects and to gain the teaching experience on a trial by error basis, which makes us valued and not just used, takes years of practice.

Perhaps it’s just a learning curve then and not just applicable to China. I’d suggest to do your research first; contact teachers working at the school, Google the employer and school online and if at all possible, try for government schools, not private businesses. I remember when I first started out in SE Asia; five to six classes a day in 90% humidity and temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, summer camps, extra activities, with three different subjects a day . . . Eventually we all sooner or later drop into a niche, look back and wonder why we put up with it. Live and learn. :)

[Skyler]

You are 10% right John. Unlicensed China TEFL Teacher job recruiters are only responsible for 90% of the exploitation, identity theft, and skimmimg. The blacklisted, unregistered schools account for the other 10% of the problems IMO. https://www.scam.com/entry.php?6458-Spo ... -Questions

[John V55]

Well that was sort of my point; the east is not the west. Ageism, sexism, racism and every other kind of ism. . . It’s a normal state of affairs once you leave the west behind. I think if people want the safety and security of the west, it’s better to stay there as the values of the west no longer apply outside the EU. Sure, some of the more trusting souls have a bad experience, but that goes for scamming on the Internet as well. We tend to hear of the disaster stories and not the successes. It’s not difficult to search for blacklisted companies and suspicious sounding emails and perhaps people should search a bit more before committing themselves? Julie Yang @happy days school is a dead giveaway, yet people fall for it.

Promises of a way over the top high salary? You don’t need a work permit? An exotic life of sea, sunshine and adventure awaits you? That’s what it all boils down to isn’t it? In other words, you only get exploited if you believe the promises and leave yourself wide open to exploitation.

Having said that, I see your point and at the end of the day there is a certain amount of trust involved in signing a contract 6,000 miles away. Choose carefully and stick to the larger recruiters, with a reputation to uphold. Make sure you have FEC and residency permits before you start work and if your employer can’t do that, refuse the offer.
I’ve been in Asia for nearly a decade and never been scammed and I don’t think that’s purely by luck.