Job Discussion Forums

[naturegirl321]

I've been asked to help recruit students part-time, on commission basis. Not my students, other people who want to study abroad. I thought with craigslist, FB, and other SNS it might be possible. Commission rates vary from 120 to 2000 usd, and extra money's always great.

Has anyone done this before? Would you recommend it?

[spiral78]

I personally wouldn't touch this with at ten-foot pole. I had an acquaintance a few years back who tried this from his Asian location.

It was mostly a disaster; the would-be students either didn't have the language skills they needed, or enough money to finance their studies, or had a variety of difficulties when they arrived at their study abroad locations. The actual percentage of students for whom he was paid was small and he was forced to be involved to some degree in the problems and issues on both ends.

If you were really going to do this, I think you'd want to research the extent of your responsibility and involvement very carefully in advance.

[coledavis]

If you were already teaching these students and thus knew their levels, and it was not your main source of income, I would do it. Although in such a situation, I would make sure I really knew the school (i.e. visited and spoken to students about their experiences). Imagine the ruptions if your students went and hated it.

Otherwise, I think I would follow Spiral's advice.

[Sashadroogie]

Korean students? Recruit them, and grab the cash. Don't worry about the schools so much. Most Koreans I taught in the home country were there for the experience of living abroad and practising their English skills outside the classroom. Which is just as well, because the lessons in the school were generally shocking ( except for mine of course!) Never heard too many complaints from the Korean learners, though. But as for some other nationalities...!

So go for it. But be careful not to get burnt yourself by the schools you are recruiting for.

[coledavis]

Well, I've been referring people to a school in London I know. So they get the London experience and good teaching. Check out a good school. Plenty of schools offer commission, so if you find that the school that has approached you is not satisfactory, you don't have to stick to them just because they are the first you've seen.

[naturegirl321]

[coledavis]

Sure. I've just sent a couple of people there. They're having a great time and like the school as a whole as well as the teachers. As they have a fair amount of experience, both as teachers and as students, I think their testimony is likely to be pretty reliable.