Job Discussion Forums

[ozziaj]

I�ve been looking around for new jobs, and replied to an advertisement from what I think is a recruiting agent in or close to Jiangxi Province. Her name is �Echo�, though her email gives her out as a �Bi Liu�.

Her response to my initial application was at first enthusiastic, but turned rather quickly to somewhat less than that when I emailed her a list of questions regarding the position et al. Her answers seemed somewhat lacking, and when I finally called her, she seemed even less prepared to give me detailed answers to my questions relating to the working and living environment & conditions. BTW, her voice was rather deep for a female � but that�s besides the point.

When I pushed her for more details regarding the working and living environment & conditions, I finally got this email response (I quote unedited):

[lostinasia]

If anyone feel into a job that she got for them I'd like to know ... not that I'm interested - but her responses show the clear answer of whether to be associated with her or not ..... kind of funny. Had I gotten that message from her I'd e-mail bomb her just kidding.

[clark.w.griswald]

As someone who believes that recruiters can prove beneficial to some, this is clearly one to be avoided.

It seems to be an individual who has decided that she can make some easy money by introducing foreign teachers to schools. There is nothing wrong with that of course, but I would be concerned about how that can help the average foreign teacher. Seems to me that the service she offers is something that anyone could do by themselves, but perhaps without the attitude in the middle.

OP if you want to go through a recruiter do yourself a favor and stick with some of the more well known companies with verifiable reputations.

[arioch36]

She was trying to insult you because she thinks you managed to wiggle off her hook. So she lost face in whatever scam she was cooking up. Most everything she said was untrue

"the working place" , well, a school can have more then one campus. You make work at the school, or its campus two hours away through unbearably crazy traffic over pot-holed roads.This is where a recruiter must let you talk to the school itself, or find a new job.
But the school's name must be on the contract. Everything in the contract is negotiatable. If you are going to change money legally, the amount that can be changed must be in the contract. and so on (isn't my chinese good) {inside joke}

[tw]

[Ahchoo]

Actually her reply gives me to believe you were a bit of a pain in the butt with never ending trivial questions.
for example

[Leon Purvis]

Walk away from this one ASAP. Don't try to negotiate anything. He/she/it is TROUBLE.

I dealt with a recruiter once, and once I checked out her description of the accommodations, I gave up. She didn't even identify herself as a recruiter but rather as an employee of the FAO. She even had a school email address.

Promises, promises, promises. She became angry when I told her that I needed a Z visa. None of the L visa or F visa junk. Then she sent me pictures of some scantily clad Chinese model, claiming to be she.

Then she said that she was looking for a husband because she was in line to inherit her father's franchised tea houses, and needed someone to help her.

Man, I was outta that situation faster than a Frenchman in a shower.

[SnoopBot]

My advice = 1 one word



A V O I D

[kev7161]

Why do French men exit showers so quickly?

[fitzgud]

National trait, bad habit of dropping the soap.

[ozziaj]

Thanks to ALL for your comments and advice.

BTW, does anyone have anything good to say about Chinese recruiters? If so, just who would that be? Just wondering...

[vikuk]

Tell you what ozzi - when those thousands of, I'm satisfied with my recruiter, posts come pouring in - just sift through them a bit, and place your trust in those that come from real FT's (you can even ask the poster a question or two about their relationship to the China EFL industry - its amazing how some of them really don�t want to talk about it).
And why do this?????
Well recruiter types have been suspected of swimming through the muddy waters of these forums - and through their pro-recruiter spin - seem to be always on the ready to capture a new newbie or two!!!!!

[Sinko]

I worked for a recruiter 2 years ago, Ozzi, but it was not a nice experience. However, in my time there, I worked with a lot of people in the industry and did find that some of them were generous and helpful. If you want some assistance, pm me and I will give you some contacts. And I am a REAL foreign teacher!!

[vikuk]

Me being a real life FT (or indeed superman) is one thing - but at least I'm not asking people to PM me on the the subject of providing the names of "generous" recruiters. What's wrong with giving the information publicly - after all if they're so helpful I'm sure they won't mind a nice recommendation in this thread (or are these, obviously superior, recruiters only used by some sort of FT secret society)!!!! Watch out OP - it all sounds a little dicey to me

[arioch36]

Rule # 1 DON'T USE RECRUITERS without some sort of personal recommendation.

Rule # 2 ask questions to verify that the recruiter has personally been to the school. How can some recruter in Beijing possibly tell you anything truthfully about a school in another province they have never visited

Rule # 3 You must know what school, contact the school person directly

If the recruiter is on the up and up, they should insist you speak directly to the school. The recruiter still gets paid.

Rule # 4, ask how many foreigners worked there last year, who can you contact

Rule # 5 As soon as they say "we don't need that in the contract, trust me" BEWARE!

6 out of 7 recruiters I know, even one or two who started out ok, quickly changed their principles when they needed to get recruits. While wages are not going up, there is still a huge demand for us laowai. So many recruiters quickly change their standards to get recruits to accept things they shouldn't