Job Discussion Forums

[jaw96]

Dave's ESL Cafe is great, but it has made me paranoid. Seems like you can't find a job teaching abroad without being scammed. I'm looking for a first-time position in the following countries.

China: (prefer Beijing, Shanghai)
Taiwan: Taipei/Major City
Korea: Seoul/Major City

I need a reputable recruiting agency - know of any?

- Josh

[saint57]

Even if an agency is not a complete scam, you can still run into a lot of problems. Just find a job yourself. The chances of getting in trouble only increase when you add recruiters to the mix.

[tedkarma]

A good discussion of whether to use a recruiter - or not - is here:

http://tefldaddy.com/Recruiter_or_not.htm

Regardless of whether you use a recruiter or not - a series of questions to ask of your potential employer to minimize problems is at:

http://tefldaddy.com/Accepting_a_Job.htm

I have found most of my jobs myself - but did use a recruiter for my first TEFL job - and it worked out well.

Even now after fifteen years in TEFL, to get the right job - I would use a recruiter if I thought they might get something for me that I couldn't find otherwise.

Keep your eyes open, don't agree to anything you wouldn't ordinarily - and be sure to make a personal contact with the employer yourself (as in the questions at the beginning of this post) - and it should go alright.

Every new job (as is every new employee) is a bit of a crapshoot - but you can minimize the odds of surprises and difficulties by doing your research and asking the right questions.

[nadi1016]

Hello,

I have a degree in Poli Sci. I want to take a TEFL class or some such certification for teaching overseas, but, am curious if I should take the certification in the country I am looking at teaching in? I am specifically looking at Korea and China, because I hear the pay is better and I like Asian culture (spent short time teaching in Thailand and loved it). I want to make some money as well, so do you think these are good countries to look at? Is it best to just look at internet sites and start researching when looking at recruiters or jobs? Does anyone have any recommendations for schools in these countries that offer certification? Or do you just suggest I visit the China and Korea forums as well as the websites that were offered on previous posts in this forum? Thank you, I will look forward to any responses. Kind regards to all.

[Jetgirly]

[nadi1016]

Thanks for your reply...will do.