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Jaurez
Joined: 28 Sep 2016 Posts: 2 Location: UK
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 12:16 pm Post subject: Possible scam with Sri Ara Schools. Advice? |
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Hi,
I recently got a TEFL certificate and started looking for jobs in SE Asia.
I was offered a position by someone claiming to be from Sri Ara Schools (yay!), but shortly after they put me in contact from someone claiming to be from the country's immigration department who wanted a large sum of money from me in return for a visa/plane tickets/etc. (boo!).
It seemed suspicious, so I googled ESL scams and it seems to match the profile.
Just to be certain (because the job offer was very nice - too good to be true it seems) I requested the contact details of previous teachers, which were provided. I emailed both and requested a chat on skype. Both replied, but gave various excuses for why they were unable to talk on skype.
So I'm steering clear of that one.
This is my first experience with something like this (I only started looking for ESL jobs 2 weeks ago), so what would more experienced teachers make of this? |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 12:32 pm Post subject: Re: Possible scam with Sri Ara Schools. Advice? |
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Jaurez wrote: |
I was offered a position by someone claiming to be from Sri Ara Schools (yay!), but shortly after they put me in contact from someone claiming to be from the country's immigration department who wanted a large sum of money from me in return for a visa/plane tickets/etc. (boo!).
....
This is my first experience with something like this (I only started looking for ESL jobs 2 weeks ago), so what would more experienced teachers make of this? |
What specificially is your question about this "job?" Frankly, it doesn't take a more experienced teacher to know this is a stinker. You were right to steer clear.
If you're a newbie and have a BA to go with that TEFL cert, try Korea for your first teaching job. |
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KayuJati
Joined: 21 Feb 2010 Posts: 313
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 12:14 am Post subject: |
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For sure the Malaysian immigration department does NOT book airline flights for you. You buy your own ticket and when you enter Malaysia you go through immigration. I doubt that this potentially fictitious school will line up a visa before you arrive.
I went to Malaysia and studied the language for a couple of months all the while checking job adverts. There was a school with an American degree program (2+2 in those days) and they hired me right away. They worked on transferring my short-term visa (90 days) into a work visa. Yeah, there were two visa runs, but it all worked out and I went 17 years with a valid visa, renewing every other year.
On the ground is better than from overseas. |
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Jaurez
Joined: 28 Sep 2016 Posts: 2 Location: UK
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 7:43 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the replies.
I've never encountered something like this, so just wanted some reassurance that I'd taken the correct course of action. |
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Hod
Joined: 28 Apr 2003 Posts: 1613 Location: Home
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Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2016 9:03 am Post subject: |
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Jaurez wrote: |
Thanks for the replies.
I've never encountered something like this, so just wanted some reassurance that I'd taken the correct course of action. |
People should be thanking you for highlighting this.
Not sure why someone above mentioned your BA. Maybe they've never been to Malaysia and had nothing of note to add. Generally speaking, though, employers insist on two years of teaching experience for visa reasons. I say generally because this rule often gets broken even by fairly OK schools. There are a few schools around KL who might be interested, e.g. IH, UK English Matters, Modern English or ELS. Pay won't be great, maybe RM5K, but if you want Malaysia, these are your options. You can do private classes too. |
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