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rogerwilco
Joined: 10 Jun 2010 Posts: 1549
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Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 1:07 pm Post subject: Finder's fee ? |
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My college in Fujian is seeking one new teacher, and my FAO asked me if I know of anyone that I can recommend.
I have heard that recruiters receive a commission equal to one month's salary, but I am not sure about what they may pay us.
I would like to know how much to ask for if I do recommend someone.
Does anyone have any first-hand experience getting a commission for connecting a school and teacher ? |
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johntpartee
Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258
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Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 1:22 pm Post subject: |
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Dunno, but let me know if the school goes for it. |
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Toast

Joined: 08 Jun 2013 Posts: 428
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Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 2:01 pm Post subject: Re: Finder's fee ? |
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Unrelated, but watch your back....there's a pretty sizable typhoon headed your way in a couple of days. |
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Denim-Maniac
Joined: 31 Jan 2012 Posts: 1238
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Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 2:55 pm Post subject: |
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Nothing in my experience, and thats ok.
I always make it very clear if I introduce someone that its not a personal recommendation ... merely an introduction. I dont want to be responsible for the car crash that many new FT's are. A finders fee isnt ever going to be enough to sully my reputation ... so I make it clear from the outset that its nothing more than an introduction. |
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GuestBob
Joined: 18 Jun 2011 Posts: 270
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Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 1:51 am Post subject: Re: Finder's fee ? |
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rogerwilco wrote: |
Does anyone have any first-hand experience getting a commission for connecting a school and teacher ? |
Going rate for a recruiter in my neck of the woods is Y5000 per scalp, paid on arrival.
But I am not and will never be an agent so this isn't first hand - it's just what the place I work at used to pay agents to get teachers. |
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GeminiTiger
Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 999 Location: China, 2005--Present
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Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 7:04 am Post subject: |
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the going rate for a foreign teacher recommending another foreign teacher for a school is ZERO. the pain and suffering later incurred for the decision to help said FT or school will however be compounded with daily interest.
a few years ago i managed to recruit not one but two female recent college grads for a school, both of them were friends. they ended up getting all of the oral English classes and i got stuck teaching newspaper reading and western culture. (tons of homework and lecture planning)
i got little benefit, lots of grief and overtime work for my efforts.
this year i was asked to help my school find a foreign teacher and i have a guy who i consider a friend who needed a job. i did not connect the two because said friend is also a bit of a drunk and i didn't want to be responsible for him or see him everyday, even though he is a fun and interesting guy to see every week or so.
quite frankly unless you going to get that 5k don't bother, imho. |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China
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Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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I've recommended exactly ONE person to our school (he used to be a regular on here, albeit under a variety of names - - who knows he may still be lurking about!) and it was a DISASTER. Of course, I didn't really know him all that well and it was proven out in short time. I will never make that mistake again. I will happily (if someone asks) tell them my school is hiring, but also make sure they know (along with the school) not to assume it is a recommendation. |
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Simon in Suzhou
Joined: 09 Aug 2011 Posts: 404 Location: GZ
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 1:09 am Post subject: |
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They're asking you because they don't want to pay a finder's fee! Haha |
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GuestBob
Joined: 18 Jun 2011 Posts: 270
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 2:07 am Post subject: |
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Just FYI, instead of recommending people you could see if the FAO will work with you to run a recruitment cycle (with interviews and all that jazz). If it's part of the general business of the department then it will be something for which people are collectivley responsible, so if anything goes terribly wrong then everyone's ass is on the line.
I can spot a likely problem person much more easily than my Chinese co-workers so I see this as a great way to help make sure that my working environment is good.
It's alot of work to be sure, but that's what contract re-negotiations are there for.
Of course OP, if your school is just going to use a recruiter hen this option is never going to work. |
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wonderingjoesmith
Joined: 19 Aug 2012 Posts: 910 Location: Guangzhou
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 4:27 am Post subject: |
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GuestBob wrote: |
Just FYI, instead of recommending people you could see if the FAO will work with you to run a recruitment cycle (with interviews and all that jazz). If it's part of the general business of the department then it will be something for which people are collectivley responsible, so if anything goes terribly wrong then everyone's ass is on the line.
I can spot a likely problem person much more easily than my Chinese co-workers so I see this as a great way to help make sure that my working environment is good.
It's alot of work to be sure, but that's what contract re-negotiations are there for.
Of course OP, if your school is just going to use a recruiter hen this option is never going to work. |
People do not seem to be “collectively responsible” on mainland. Scapegoats bear blames for others to my brief knowledge of the culture. Rarely, “everyone’s ass is on the line”, especially when it comes to loyal employees, leaders or the actual people running the show. My colleagues that have been here for a long time have found the “collective responsibility” quite amusing actually.
An American can truly see what issues another fellow American may have much better than a Chinese and this is most likely one of the main reasons why local employers or their managers/directors would ask for help from their foreign employees. Another one, as indicated here on the thread, may be the costs and troubles of seeking outside recruiting assistance. This one, for an employer, most certainly is a longer shot than using his/her workforce, although I wouldn't go as far as to say "never going to work". Problems that may arise out of aids to local employers are numerous; not only that the new foreign teacher but also local terms and condition may not be suitable. There’s so much to consider few can guess what may or may not go wrong and the frequent management changes in some places are just a tip of an iceberg.
Our work environment surely depends on our coworkers; however, how our academic programs are run or how our students and we are evaluated is often out of our hands. So, working with a cool foreign fellow may only be a patch on the wound; and it likely backfires at the ones who have for longer time been accepting the practices of our employers.
Contract re-negotiations are more often based on our willingness to take what’s offered. I see old-timers with plenty of baggage and ties to places where they are, so they’ll bite the bullet. |
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GuestBob
Joined: 18 Jun 2011 Posts: 270
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 5:47 am Post subject: |
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wonderingjoesmith wrote: |
Our work environment surely depends on our coworkers; however, how our academic programs are run or how our students and we are evaluated is often out of our hands. So, working with a cool foreign fellow may only be a patch on the wound; and it likely backfires at the ones who have for longer time been accepting the practices of our employers.
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Well, my whole suggestion is based on the premise that the employer is worth the time and effort to assist. If not then the discussion is kind of a moot point. |
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rogerwilco
Joined: 10 Jun 2010 Posts: 1549
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 9:44 am Post subject: |
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You guys are right, I probably do not want the potential hassles involve in recommending someone.
My school is looking, and I was curious about other's experiences. |
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MozartFloyd
Joined: 12 Jul 2013 Posts: 66 Location: Guangdong, China
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Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2013 9:44 am Post subject: |
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It sounds noble in theory. In reality, it's a recipe for disaster. |
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Bud Powell
Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Posts: 1736
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Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 9:44 am Post subject: |
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Going rate for a recruiter in my neck of the woods is Y5000 per scalp, paid on arrival.
I have been offered the same amount for a recommendation and a warm body. I did it once, and I got burned royally by the person whom I recommended. It's not worth it if you value your reputation, even if you "know" the person from another school, and/or the person has a stellar resume. I recommended someone after doing what i thought was a pretty thorough check on her, and after a week, the students refused to talk to her, and the school released her from her one-year contract before the end of the term with no penalty or a change of visa because she brought her misery to another school and secured a job elsewhere.
I know someone at one university that trolled the job forums for names and resumes and made about 30,000 rmb every year from the FAO. Until the FAO stopped asking him for warm bodies, the FT faculty lineup was a train wreck. |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China
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Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 9:57 pm Post subject: |
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GuestBob wrote: |
Just FYI, instead of recommending people you could see if the FAO will work with you to run a recruitment cycle (with interviews and all that jazz). If it's part of the general business of the department then it will be something for which people are collectivley responsible, so if anything goes terribly wrong then everyone's ass is on the line.
I can spot a likely problem person much more easily than my Chinese co-workers so I see this as a great way to help make sure that my working environment is good.
It's alot of work to be sure, but that's what contract re-negotiations are there for.
Of course OP, if your school is just going to use a recruiter hen this option is never going to work. |
Good advice. |
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