Job Discussion Forums

[paokgs]

Hi everyone

Has anybody had any experience with chinaimmersion.org or Chad Springer? Any feedback would be great. Thanks

[rogerwilco]

http://www.chinaimmersion.org/teaching-china/


"Once a teacher is offered a teaching position they are required to pay a commitment fee to secure the position. China Immersion incurs substantial costs when issuing Z working visas and we need to know teachers are committed to the position offered to them. The fee is not paid until a position and contract are presented to them and they accept. It is non-refundable and helps us cover administrative costs and recuperate some of our losses were a teacher to have a change of plans after accepting a position."

"Contracts range from a 30 hour to 40 hour work week. Classroom teaching hours range from 18-25 and the rest of the work hour are divided between office hours, meetings and/or activities. Teachers will work 5 days out of the week and enjoy two day off."

[talentedcrayon]

Sounds like a scam based on the above poster.

Never never never never never pay a recruiter anything!

[water rat]

You just have this one post, paokgs So I suppose you don't know:

Never ever pay to be given a job.

The general idea of having a job is that they pay you, as you probably have noticed in the real world. Same holds for ESL, especially ESL. Write back and suggest that their mamas pay to be given the positions.

[The Great North]

There are less than kind words about this bogus .org operation at ESLwatch.info and scam.com but even without looking at those comments, I am already alerted to their scam. Any company that operates with a .org domain that is not an NPO and has the balls to charge money for a referral is automatically suspect in my mind.

When I use this recruiter scam review checklist, they don't even make it half-way through. http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=644846

This was a Chinese Language Training company in 2011 and last year they got into the ESL Teacher recruiting business like 50 others that start recruiting teachers every year. Anyway, they don't arrange Z visas for teachers and that's enough to tell me to stay away from them.

[chinaimmersion]

Hello everyone! My name is Chad Springer from China Immersion. I noticed our company was being discussed, so I wanted to chime in and provide more clarity regarding our company’s services.

Requiring a commitment fee is a solution we've utilized to provide a safeguard between us, our partner schools and applicants who may accept/pursue multiple job offers at once. It is paid after a contract is accepted. Afterwards we process a visa invitation at the local labor bureau, expert’s permits at the ministry of education, pay application fees and rent an apartment before the arrival of the teacher. A teacher is free to choose another company’s service where a fee is not required. We are aware with the ever growing amount of scams regarding fees and identity theft, but simply requiring a commitment fee doesn't classify us as a scam. Our partner schools and China Immersion want to mitigate our risks just as much as teachers do. How do we reduce the risks for teachers, for schools, for our company all while maintaining integrity and trust? This is a question our team often discusses. We are actively considering other methods in order to reduce or retract the commitment fee requirement.

@The Great North - Thanks for providing these useful resources. I do believe the forum you linked has some great insight and useful information for teachers. There is obviously a lot of controversy over illegitimate business practices concerning recruitment companies. Going down the list of “25 red flags” I think it’s unfair to say “they don’t make it halfway down the list.” We do not make bogus claims or requests to teachers as written on that forum post. We do use a “.org” domain and our employees’ names are written in English/Pinyin, but this doesn't make us dishonest. The information referenced in the forum is good for reference, but far from an absolute guideline.

China Immersion was established in 2010 offering education services in Tianjin including Chinese study, culture exchange and English teaching positions. As visa regulations have changed over the years we've had to adapt and evolve our services. I’m not sure where it states we don’t offer Z visas, but teachers not only receive a Z visa, but they also receive an expert’s permit issued by the ministry of education.

**A note to all who may read this post in the months and years to come. For the most up to date information regarding our services it’s best to visit our website or contact us for details.

Thanks for taking the time to read this response. Cheers!

[happyinshangqiu]

There is no need to pay for a job - especially in China.

Visa processing, accommodation, orientation is what any decent school would provide for free.