Job Discussion Forums

[natjones]

Hello,

I know that the Hangzhou Helen China TEFL Network has a very very bad reputation online, but I just wanted to update that it is still a very terrible company, I had a recent dealing with them.

I was offered a job at a uni I knew to be good through them. I was very wary due to their previous bad reputation, but they very eagerly gave me the number of several foreign teachers that I'd be working with (one had been with helen for more than a year) who actually all gave me really good reviews and said that the recruiter had paid them on time and been really supportive and helpful with translation. I thought that it couldn't be too bad in that case.

Flash forward to me getting the invitation letter for the school. I start asking them for contact info for the school, and they began telling me that I need to go to hangzhou for the training at my own expense. When I began demanding proof that I was going to the original university I had been hired for, they couldnt answer. They got very uncomfortable and quiet, and passed me through several bureaucrats. Finally they admitted that I would be teaching at a middle school nearby, but could move to the uni after 5 months (ha!) when the other teacher left. I don't know if I'd even have been able to legally get my work permit if i had gone.

Fortunately, I quickly got another job and invitation letter (expedited by guanxi) and am happy now. I wasted a minimum of time and money with Helen, but I really want to warn less wary teachers that the good experiences with such an awful company are few and far between.

[rioux]

Thanks for the update. I was hoping she would have cleaned up her act by now.
Must one go through her to teach at the universities she is affiliated with or can one deal with the university directly?

[natjones]

They were very adamant about not contacting the university directly. I wasnt able to find contact info for the uni position I was offered, but I did find reviews saying it was a good school to work at.

[Ariadne]

Try to contact schools directly. You can usually find an email address or contact phone online. Many recruiters are freelancers... they advertise for teachers and then shop the applicants around to various schools. Even if a recruiter advertises a particular school it does not necessarily mean they have any relationship with that school.


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