Job Discussion Forums

[mizzoumike76]

Okay, this is the SPAIN forum, but I didn't know where else it should go. If I put this in the wrong place, I apologize.

The following was listed on a different website:


International English School of Portugal.

It is the mission of International English School of Portugal to provide a balanced, quality education of an international character predominantly through the medium of English based upon sound values and high expectations in all fields.

International English School of portugal seeks for qualified English teachers, young and mid-career professionals, and recent college graduates who are eager to use their leadership skills and prior achievements to help the students most in need.

Commencement date is 21st of January 2009.Class size is between 20 and 22 students per class and work starts from 8:30 am and terminates 1:30 PM from Monday to Friday.Students age varies from 6 to 12 for the juniors,12 to 19 for the seniors.

Benefits include:

-1300 euro tax-free monthly salary
-A return air ticket.
-Visa & work permit Sponsorship
-21 days paid Holidays.
-Accommodation assistance.
-Medical insurance, 50/50.
-A renewable one year contract.

To be qualified for this position, you must have a university degree.TEFL or any other English related certificate is an advantage.

Please send your CV/Resume, a recent photograph to: [email protected]

Please contact, Joaquim Velez, the recruitment manager.


International English School
Rua de Santiago,
7, Lisbon, 1100-383,
Portugal

I later found:

http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/scamalerts/index.pl?read=86

Looks to be a scam. Warning signs would be:

No website for school

yahoo.es email, and a separate email to send credentials (as I stupidly applied for this job and got an email back).

Should anyone like to see the email, I can copy/paste it here for you.

Cheers,

Michael[/url]

[nick s]

These people have offered me the job.
I sent them copies of my quals, references and completed an online interview questionnaire. The questions were quite searching and professionally related. Then I got offered it and sent a contract, plus a letter requesting 1000 euros deposit against accommodation to be sent via Western Union. To their branch in Spain.
It might be the same email as yours. Loads of pictures attached that look like another world to anyone used to doing ESOL in random rundown chaotic places.
Then a phone call to my mobile from a private number from somebody with terrible English asking if I'd checked my email that day. So I did, and there's something about a Certificate of Pedagogical excellence that's legal requirement to start working, and I got suspicious and prickly and wrote back to them and they wrote back same, quote

Hi Nick,

Do not misunderstand us, we alreay have your certificates here,it is our duty to present your credentials to the office that will be issuing the pedagogical aptitude certificate together with the 950 euro. After reviewing your credentials ,they will issue go ahead and issue the certificate..What is suspicious there?Any way it might sound strange to you from a distance,but it is necessity.Hope tohear from you soon.

Regards,

Joaquim

No phone number or IP on the email.

What's suspicious there? Quite a lot. Looking for a nice Christmas present are they?

[spiral78]

ho ho ho

Hope no one is going to make Joaquim happy over the holidays!

[mizzoumike76]

Nick,

Don't feel bad, I almost got burned by a similar operation purporting to be in Madrid. Same as your experience, very nice and professional emails, photos, contract, etc. They didn't tell me a price on the visa work, just said it depends on where I was from. They are very good at this, as they know if they are too eager it will send up flags.

Kinda makes you wonder if maybe these unscrupulous (sp?) people once worked for a English school, and thus know the game?

I hope you didn't send them money. If so, maybe you can tell them you would like to make sure you have the accommodation, and are willing to put up more deposit if necessary, to see if they bite. Maybe you can have the Portugese authorities meet them at the Western Union office.

Best of luck, and I hope you come out of this okay!

Merry Christmas,

Michael

[nick s]

I sent them an email to the effect of "send me the plane ticket". Bet that's the last I hear from them. If not, I'll post up whatever bullshit they serve.

Need my head examining for believing that jobs like that can be got via the net anyway.

[MO39]

[Insubordination]

...and I got a job from the internet without an in-person interview which worked out fine for both of us, so not all experiences are like this one. Actually, it�s quite an effective ad. They�re getting harder and harder to spot as scams.

[IanMWashburn]

Uh...NEVER...uh...send money...uh...for ANY...uh...ESL job

It really is very simple.

If it is a job, then...

...they pay YOU.

You don't pay THEM.

Not for anything.

Ever.

--Good luck!