Job Discussion Forums

[Prof.Gringo]

Saw some posts on other sites (use Google) and there are some reports of multiple Chinese recruiters having been implicated in various unsavory & illegal acts including assisting foreign teachers to get F/M visas and also in regards to certain docs being less than legit as well.

Some reports have said that foreigners who applied to certain job ads were asked to also bring along their passport, original degree, TEFL cert. etc and they were then met by undercover police who then proceeded to either arrest the foreign teacher on the spot or who were able to co-op the foreigner into working with the PSB to catch even more teachers. Some reports said that over 100 teachers have been arrested so-far, while dozens have been deported and the PSB already has a list of another 600 foreign teachers they are looking for...

Is any of this actually true?

[likwid_777]

If it isn't true, it was going to happen sooner or later. Be glad that you've experienced the "wild wild East" before it becomes as regulated as anywhere else. I'm not really talking about visa violations here, but such crackdowns on visa violations are a symptom of a dying sweetness or "innocence"...

[3701 W.119th]

I'm not sure about the stories from Beijing, but I haven't heard of any similar 'crackdown' happening in Shanghai or the East China region. Seems like business as usual here.

I have my original degree, CELTA, passport stamped with Z Visa and RP, and references, waiting in my sock drawer if it ever happens here, so it doesn't bother me at all.

Shouldn't we welcome China kicking out 'teachers' like this? Those who aren't qualified, or are working here illegally?

[Shanghai Noon]

[Prof.Gringo]

[asiannationmc]

[Simon in Suzhou]

I'm also skeptical of these internet "reports" on unnamed sites. There are a hell of a lot of bitter people who have been rightfully deported for working illegally who will post all sorts of exaggerated stories (using multiple names on message boards to "confirm" what they're are saying). They are eager to convince people that the PRC is evil and therefore shift the blame from their own wrongdoing onto the "unfair" authorities.

I say this story is BS.

[Shanghai Noon]

[SH_Panda]

Sounds like a fairy story started by one of the CFTU nutjobs like AussieGus.

[asiannationmc]

This may be the article spoken of in the op.

http://open.salon.com/blog/china_business_central/2014/10/20/china_arrests_fake_foreign_teachers_esl_job_recruiters

In what appears to be a nation-wide crackdown on fake foreign ESL & TEFL teachers, China's security police are not only now checking for the proper work visas (Z visas), but are now also verifying the university degrees and other certificates provided by foreign job applicants after a handful of unlicensed China job recruiters were recentlt arrested. See this story summary: http://chinascamalert.wordpress.com/

Although the local news media has cooperated in keeping the sting operation under wraps, relatives of those arrested so far say 27 foreign expat teachers have been "snitched out" by the recruiters in an effort to reduce their sentences after they were caught red-handed selling great fake university degrees from Georgetown, New York, and thirty other universities to foreign teachers who did not qualify to teach in China.

From the information collected from the relatives so far, the Chinese authorities used the smart phones of those arrested and some foreign teachers already arrested to find and bait other recruiters and foreign teachers with ads that read "Teach in China - No Degree Required" and others that include "TEFL Certification In One Weekend - Limit 50 Students". One Canadian recruiter working for a China ESL operation in Beijing is also amongst those now sought for arrest for a number of fraud and visa charges related to the sting operation.

Those foreign teachers caught using a fake diploma are being treated the same as those caught working without Z visas - as illegal aliens. They are arrested, detained until a substantial fine is paid, and then deported within ten days with a three to five year reentry ban. Those willing to cooperate with the authorities, might escape deportation, but are still being fined, and probably blacklisted from teaching as well.

One teacher was asked to wear a wire and approach some recruiters with a request to buy a Z visa and a diploma in exchange for no deportation. Although she refused, she said at least five of the other 27 teachers arrested in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen agreed to help authorities clean up the dark side of China's education industry. One expat teacher known as "Magnuson" (pictured below) was even caught publishing a blog to advise wannabe China foreign teachers how to fake all their documents.

Magnuson

The PSB had no official comment nor even acknowledged the arrests but one officer who asked for anonymity said that squads of three dozen agents each have been set up in five major cities and the crackdown would continue until the Spring Festival holiday break. He further confirmed another report that over 600 foreign teachers and another seven job recruiters have been identified and targeted for arrest. Assuming that phone numbers continued to be collected from cell phones of those arrested, the damage can be more than a successfull MLM operation. Here are some of the documents Mr. Magnusson fabricates at his blog:
fake documents

Parents of many students as well as some China foreign teachers seem grateful for the recent enforcment as Paul S. of Pittsburgh explained, "I'm glad they are cleaning up all the fake, unqualified, teachers that give all of us teachers a bad rep in China." Rachael T. of Sacramento also chimed in "Its about time they grab these recruiters which are the real source of the problem." One of the teachers nabbed was allegedly provide a fake TEFL certificate by her own chain school employer, as she claimed they did for most of their full time teachers for free. Recruiters typically charge 500 to 3,000 yuan for a counterfeit certifiate with a seal.

Jason from China Scam Patrol (pictured below), has volunteered to help lure more unregistered recruiters into the PSB trap and has already got four of them on tape offering to sell Z visas for up to 20,000 yuan.

Jason

One China job agent Jason stumbled upon had just been released from prison three months ago for yet another more famous forgery scandal http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10816725 Two of the four recruiters CSP will soon reveal are actually American and Canadian - not Chinese. Jason was one of the three CSP investigators who exposed the Echinacities & Sinocities resume scam recently. Not wanting to steal CSP's thunder, they will issue the big update to this story as they are cooperating directly with the Chinese aurhorities.

Unless you are one of those now being hunted down by the PSB, there does not appear to be a down-side to this current sweep. Children in every city and village on Earth deserve to have qualfied teachers and the best education possible. Gregg Finch of the CFTU agrees, but says teachers should be given a 30 day amnesty period to resign voluntarily and avoid the humiliation and expense of an arrest and deportation. "We obviously don't condone any fake diplomas or certificates, but most of the unqualified expat teachers already working in China simply put too much trust in China job recruiter." At present there are almost 30,000 foreign teachers employed in China, and Finch estimates that 75% of them are truly qualified to teach according to current standards.

However as this link at echinacities.com, many China expat teaching colleagues in China apparently disagree with Finch's assessment: http://answers.echinacities.com/node/197611#cmt_anchor

Recent exposure by the South China Morning Post, China Daily Mail, and China Scam Patrol has shined too many spotlights on the wide-spread academic fraud, and China rightfully had to act. Unfortunately they also do not recognize some 379 "online universities" as accredited universities and a list of these unacceptable universities can be found at http://www.chinaforeignteachersunion.com

At this time it is safe to assume that in 2015, China will have an acute shortage of qualified foreign teachers. Hopefully by then SAFEA will establish an online registry of bonafide licensed recruiters. Until this becomes reality all new China foreign teacher job applicants are urged to avoid recruiters who cannot produce verifiable identification and a SAIC business license that vouches for their authenticity. As you read these very words, one in every five expat teachers in China remain a target of identity thieves, many of whom masquerade as ESL & TEFL job agents and recruiters. We just hope the kids in some 19,000+ Chinese schools and universities benefit from the current purge.

AND

http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/expat-stuff/teaching-esl-in-china/cctv-asks-expats-unqualified-language-teaching-china/

[SH_Panda]

[Guerciotti]

Now that CFTU (STFU) clown has others posting his links. His plan is working splendidly!
God help us all.
I think the CFTU wrote the original article based on nothing, then multi-linked it to free blog and forum posts. Well done, CFTU.

[asiannationmc]

Open Salon is a hybrid blogging platform only and is not a news site.

http://open.salon.com/cover.php

https://www.facebook.com/OpenSalon

[Clicker]

I thought we were rid of the CTFU 'ambassador'.

My other account got banned for calling them out too many times. I make a new account to see how things are and it's still the same!

[Prof.Gringo]