Job Discussion Forums

[jrwilheim]

Anyone know of any good, reputable firms recruiting new teachers for Taiwan? I intend to get my CELTA in August and start hunting immediately after. Are there groups I should know about besides Dewey, Hess, and Reach to Teach?

[clark.w.griswald]

Have a look at this thread as it is similar to your question and it seems that the answers may be helpful:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=54108

[jrwilheim]

Thanks...I'm not really trying to figure out which are the best recruiters as I am just trying to get names of as many different agencies as possible. Guess I'll have to break down and pay for Buxiban.com.

[Ki]

Why don't you just come to Taiwan and not bother about recruiters altogether? No matter what you are promised no position is certain until you come here anyway 'cause the schools will need to see you in person anyway.

[captain_fat]

if you have a celta you can command a much better job than any recruiter will be able to provide you with.

my suggesion is to go on tealit.com check out some jobs in the city youd be interested living in and set up some interviews/demos

[jrwilheim]

[Jamer]

Has anybody watched the TV show, "Penn and Teller BS"...It's good, documentary show that exposes the BS of many things such as alien abductions, psychics and 9/11 conspiracy.

I'm seriously considering doing my own version of the show on English teaching recruiters.

They really anger me. First and foremost, they do a job for a person that the person could easily do themselves, and make way too much money for it. In Taiwan (can't vouch for other places). If a school hires a teacher through a recruiter, the recruiter makes 10,000-30,000 NT for basically selling a teacher. Additionally, many recruiters will then charge a small fee to the teacher. The teacher, however, could easily just have gone to school themselves, interviewed and got hired. The only hard part for the teacher may be the fact they don't speak Chinese but still at least one or two at an English school will speak enough to conduct an interview and check out the candidate. Total BS! (I remember I went to a recruiter once and she had the nicest home office I've ever seen in Taiwan-her job teaching recruiter)

Second, they do a disservice to schools. I find the people who use recruiters fall into two categories: unhirables and newbies. Many of the recruiters really don't look much into the background of who they are selling($$$$$$). Not all though, I'll concede that. Consequently, I've seen too many times schools hire through recruiters, who IMO are not the best teachers. As for newbies, well maybe it would be better if you knew more about what you're getting into at a school, by talking to the school themselves rather than having some person(recruiter) sell it to you, might save some time and pain for both the school and you.

I was going to post this on a previous thread as I find others have the same sentiments as me but hey maybe I can save the OP in this thread. Anybody want to support my move to make this documentary?

[clark.w.griswald]

Jamer your comments about recruiters may apply to some bad recruiters but they certainly do not apply to recruiters in general. As they are generalizations that you imply to be true of all recruiters I think it pertinent to point this out. Oh and no I am not a recruiter nor do I have any vested interest in recruiters...I just hate to see recruiter bashing the same as I hate to see people suggesting that all foreign teachers are unreliable based upon the bad behavior of the minority!

Recruiters do a job and they earn money for the work that they do. Just the same as you expect to get paid for the work that you do teaching, they expect to get paid for the work that they do recruiting. I don't think that this is unreasonable. Foreign teachers are almost exclusively unwilling to pay a recruiter to find them a job placement so it is reasonable that the recruiter will collect the money from the school.

Jamer you suggest that the recruiter does a job that you could do yourself. Maybe in your case this is true but for someone new to Taiwan or for someone looking for work in an area other then where he or she lives recruiters perform a valuable service. So for those who are outside of Taiwan perhaps you would like to outline specifically how to get work by bypassing recruiters? You mention going to the schools themselves, interviewing and getting hired - but how exactly do teachers find these schools short of walking the streets - something that is not really possible for the majority of teachers who are not even in that location? I am kind of looking for specific suggestions here as what you are writing is often suggested but never backed up with any useful information!

You mention the fact that recruiters charge teachers a small fee. I am aware that some recruiters do charge teachers but they are in the minority and it is certainly not standard practice. Perhaps you could elaborate!

Finally you suggest that recruiters do not filter teachers. I think that this is certainly true of bad recruiters but not true of good recruiters. Good recruiters filter schools and teachers. So perhaps your comments are aimed at bad recruiters rather than recruiters in general but you failed to clarify this in your post!

The OP is looking for good recruiters and his request is not an unreasonable one. Your anti-recruiter rheteoric is not helpful as it is generalized and is wrong when it comes to good recruiters.

OP - in most cases recruiters will be able to line things up for you when you are due to arrive but there will be no guarantee of a job until after you have arrived and interviewed successfully with the school. I think that lining up interviews both through recruiters and directly with schools is the best way to go. Once you get here and have done the interviewing you can then select the position that you are most happy with regardless of whether it is offered through a recruiter or not. Don't get hung up on the recruiter debate - this is all about getting a job!

[Ki]

Hmmm, being my first experience abroad was the same reason I, and perhaps most people, use a recruiter to find a job in Taiwan. I got royally screwed but I do realise that the right recruiter can offer you a service.

But with or without a recruiter you can't really have a job secured unless you are already here. No matter what they tell you. So use a recruiter if you want but make sure you don't use the wrong one. And never ever sign a contract with a recruiter unless you want to be in a world of hell. The contract should always be signed with the school. Let the recruiter take the initial fee but don't let them take this fee every month. And don't let them own you.

[dvasas]

[merc_wilson]

Wow! Talk about bitterness! Some people have clearly had bad experiences, but your noise kind of drowns out the good ones!

I came through Reach to Teach, and yes, I like them so I'm advertising on their behalf... but no, I don't work for them. I have enough on my plate teaching my 13 x 4-year-olds each day.
So, I came through R2T, didn't sign any contract with them, didn't pay them any money, and had a job SECURED before coming to Taiwan - which I did last year, July. All my questions were answered, timely and accurately, and even now they still help me out when I need something (like finding a Chiropractor in Taipei, actually it's quite difficult).

So what if they get paid a fee based on your job acceptance? If the companies don't want to hire a few people a year and pay yearly salaries just to look after job applications, then they pay a fee each time a recruiter finds them one instead. It's called outsourcing.

[Hounds]

the problem with recruiters is that they're generally out for themselves first and foremost. and this can often be at the expense of the teacher. if the teacher's background and desires match the jobs the recruiter has available, then it can be a mutually beneficial relationship. however, that often is not the case and the recruiter still attempts to place the teacher in an unsuitable or undesirable position instead of simply being honest about the situation. recruiters are not your friends and they're not a reliable source of information. i'm basing this sentiment on first-hand experience...

[Mr. White]

[Hounds]