Job Discussion Forums

[emmahewitt]

For the past three + years I have known that I want to teach abroad for at least one year. I have been working towards my bachelors with this goal in mind, and now one main thing has me worried. I’m not worried about culture shock or being in a dangerous environment, I’m worried about the employers.

I didn’t even consider employers to be out to “scam” people until the very first night that I started applying to jobs. Within about 10 minutes of applying to one company I received an e-mail which said “we have a job for you!” My thoughts were something along the lines of “oh wow, it really is easy to get a TEFL job.” Then I googgled the companies name and found reviews which lead me to believe that the company is not one that I would want to work for.

Lately I have been looking at many ads posted for jobs in China, and whenever I look up the company there tends to be a mass of terrible reviews. I can deal with the “working a few extra hours” thing, but most of the complaints talk about how management treats them poorly, they break many promises. One of the main promises that I hear that are being broken are that the company never helps them get the proper visa. I have read about certain situations where people have been deported because of this.

So my question is, how worried should I be about getting scammed? I see more bad reviews than good, and the schools that I suspect are legit tend to have no reviews at all. I want to look for jobs in person (mainly Thailand and Japan,) but does this really reduce my risk of being scammed, and treated poorly? I figure that while the building may have a pretty face in person, it really tells nothing about how the company actually runs.

[eihpos]

mmm, if I had believed all of the negative reviews I read, I would probably never have gone abroad! I've taught in 6 countries now, and my experience in all of them, so far as employers go anyway, has been positive. I have never been scammed. That said, obviously do your research and if there are alot of negative reviews about a particular company - don't take the job! That's why daves is so useful!

I felt the same way as you before I went abroad the first time. All I seemed to read online were horror stories about Korea, dirty apartments and terrible employers. It made the whole thing seem very scary and my imagination started running all over the place! However, I took the plunge after speaking to a native speaker who worked at the school. He said it was fine and it was. If you are unsure about a job, just ask for contact details of current/previous employees.

[emmahewitt]

[nomad soul]

Additionally, be wary of negative forum posts that don't give specifics. For example, comments such as, "The employer is horrible to work for. Avoid this school!" Okay, but why? Perhaps that teacher's lousy experience was due to cultural differences, their unrealistic expectations, or personality conflict. Other complaints like, "The flat was filthy; I saw a huge roach and there were no plates..." are rather petty---such problems are easily remedied. (Maybe that roach was simply looking for a new roommate!) You might even notice that the same posters complain about every one of their employers or living situation. Sometimes you end up reading between the lines.

Anyway, regardless of which country you choose to teach in, do your research. Moreover, go with an open mind, low (realistic) expectations, and a healthy sense of humor.

[spiral78]

I think one of the most important indicators of whether a newbie is going to be ok with it all is his/her level of tolerance of ambiguity.

Those newbs who need things to be as similar to 'home' as possible, or who freak out at having to shop using sign language, or who are worried about eating local food - they suffer more than those of us who can handle a higher level of unknowns.

[Sashadroogie]

Be strong! Be brave!

Do your research! Avoid obvious traps!

You'll probably be OK. Take a calculated risk, and then the plunge.

Best of luck to you.