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haleynicole14
Joined: 20 Feb 2012
Posts: 178
Location: US
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 Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 4:54 am Post subject: Chinese Culture Center - Warning |
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Just a word of warning about Chinese Culture Center, based in the U.S. and recruiting people for Chinese teaching jobs for a fee. The fee isn't worth it. I went in 2010 before I knew what I was doing (so I didn't know I could get a job without a recruiter). My boyfriend and I each paid an almost $1000 fee that was supposed to be good for 10 years of placement. Now we contacted the organization, and were told that we need to pay the difference between the old fee and the new $1800 fee to be placed again. This was not part of the original deal, but I don't have documentation to prove it. Lesson learned.
I wouldn't pay for a recruiter again anyway but the organization did make it nice and easy the first time, which is why we contacted them again. Dang, back to scratch on the job search.
Also, in addition to the $1800 fee, the organization makes you pay your own visa fees. I thought that schools usually paid for this; it seems like I have seen a few ads saying so. Who usually pays for visa fees? |
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kungfuman
Joined: 31 May 2012
Posts: 1749
Location: In My Own Private Idaho
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| Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 5:15 am Post subject: |
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^ Maybe your mistake is paying for something that is usually free?
You fell for a scam - so you will be victimized more if you pay them more. |
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choudoufu
Joined: 25 May 2010
Posts: 3325
Location: Mao-berry, PRC
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| Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 5:24 am Post subject: |
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| kungfuman wrote: |
^ Maybe your mistake is paying for something that is usually free?
You fell for a scam - so you will be victimized more if you pay them more. |
not really a scam. just a waaaaaaaaaaaaay overpriced service.
they do stuff you could do yourself. for a fee. granted, a ridiculous fee.
did they get what they paid for? yep. was it worth the fee? nope.
| haleynicole14 wrote: |
| ....the organization did make it nice and easy the first time |
asking for an additional $800 appears to be scammish, but then we can't
know without reading the contract.
otherwise any service is a scam. hire a maid to clean your apartment weekly?
that's a scam..........'cause you could clean your own toilet yourself?
OP: FT's generally pay the cost of visas and health exams in their own
countries. once in china, the school usually picks up the cost of health
exams, residence permits, expert certificates, and so on.
Last edited by choudoufu on Fri Aug 16, 2013 5:28 am; edited 1 time in total |
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roadwalker
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 1750
Location: Ch
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| Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 5:28 am Post subject: Re: Chinese Culture Center - Warning |
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| haleynicole14 wrote: |
{...}
Also, in addition to the $1800 fee, the organization makes you pay your own visa fees. I thought that schools usually paid for this; it seems like I have seen a few ads saying so. Who usually pays for visa fees? |
There is no rule, but generally fees from outside of China are paid by the teachers (z-visa) , and fees inside China (Chinese medical check, Residence Permit) are paid by the school. Some teachers report having their z-visa paid or reimbursed, or at least I think I remember reading it. |
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doogsville
Joined: 17 Nov 2011
Posts: 924
Location: China
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| Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 6:11 am Post subject: |
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It seems like a mirror image of the kind of thing Chinese people do a lot. I've come across so many students using agents to get them places at overseas universities when they could do it just as well themselves, at least if they're going to the uk. Ditto with travelling. why pay an agent money to get you a plane ticket, book you a hotel and sign you up for a bunch of crappy tours when you can do all that on the internet for much less money. And you can skip the crappy tours!
I'm Scottish, so I'm naturally careful with money  , so whenever I see an agent involved in anything I just figure out if they can do it I can do it too for less money. |
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johntpartee
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 3258
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| Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 6:15 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Some teachers report having their z-visa paid or reimbursed |
Yeah, I did after I raised hell about the vague wording in the contract, but it seems that more often than not the hiree is being asked to shoulder all out-of-country fees. That's changed in the last few years, useta be all that stuff was paid by the school. |
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haleynicole14
Joined: 20 Feb 2012
Posts: 178
Location: US
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| Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 7:04 am Post subject: |
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| kungfuman wrote: |
^ Maybe your mistake is paying for something that is usually free?
You fell for a scam - so you will be victimized more if you pay them more. |
| choudoufu wrote: |
not really a scam. just a waaaaaaaaaaaaay overpriced service.
they do stuff you could do yourself. for a fee. granted, a ridiculous fee.
did they get what they paid for? yep. was it worth the fee? nope. |
I don't think it's a scam, just not worth paying for, and like choudoufu said, a ridiculous fee. The fact that she wouldn't honor a previous agreement is shady. I absolutely would not pay the extra $800 to go through them again.
This was a company that advertised on my college's career services website when I was looking for a job right out of college. There are a lot of similar companies, better and worse than this one, but I wouldn't recommend anyone pay for such services when you can arrange it yourself for free. These types of companies take advantage of people who don't know they have other options, like me a few years ago. I didn't find this website until a few months after I got back to the U.S. from China, it has been a wealth of information. |
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chinatimes
Joined: 27 May 2012
Posts: 478
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| Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 7:12 am Post subject: |
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It is a scam because you got nothing and gave something.
If you want me to explain, send me 500 USD and I'll mark up the fee while I wait 
Who knows, you may never get an explanation from me. |
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kungfuman
Joined: 31 May 2012
Posts: 1749
Location: In My Own Private Idaho
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| Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 1:08 pm Post subject: |
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| It's a scam - and you fell for it. Pay $1000 for a job in China? Unless that job pays 35,000Y a month - you've been scammed. |
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haleynicole14
Joined: 20 Feb 2012
Posts: 178
Location: US
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| Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't like unfairly posting bad reviews of companies, so here's an update. My boyfriend got an email from the organization saying that considering our "special" circumstance, the board decided to waive the extra fee. Now all we would need to pay is our visa fees if we wanted to be placed again. This should have been offered the first time, but at least they are keeping their word. |
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kungfuman
Joined: 31 May 2012
Posts: 1749
Location: In My Own Private Idaho
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| Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 3:46 am Post subject: |
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| haleynicole14 wrote: |
| I don't like unfairly posting bad reviews of companies, so here's an update. My boyfriend got an email from the organization saying that considering our "special" circumstance, the board decided to waive the extra fee. Now all we would need to pay is our visa fees if we wanted to be placed again. This should have been offered the first time, but at least they are keeping their word. |
They don't call it a Ponzi Scheme for nothing. Wait and see what happens next... |
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choudoufu
Joined: 25 May 2010
Posts: 3325
Location: Mao-berry, PRC
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| Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 4:35 am Post subject: |
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| chinatimes wrote: |
| It is a scam because you got nothing and gave something.... |
| kungfuman wrote: |
| It's a scam - and you fell for it.... |
not a scam. they paid (overpaid) for a service. service was provided.
they got jobs, and according to OP "the organization did make it nice and
easy the first time." where's the scam? nothing fraudulent about it.
| kungfuman wrote: |
| They don't call it a Ponzi Scheme for nothing... |
they don't call it a ponzi scheme, if by "ponzi scheme" you mean ponzi scheme. |
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kungfuman
Joined: 31 May 2012
Posts: 1749
Location: In My Own Private Idaho
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| Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 8:01 am Post subject: |
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| choudoufu wrote: |
they don't call it a ponzi scheme, if by "ponzi scheme" you mean ponzi scheme. |
I'm pretty sure I meant Ponzi Scheme |
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choudoufu
Joined: 25 May 2010
Posts: 3325
Location: Mao-berry, PRC
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| Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 9:27 am Post subject: |
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| kungfuman wrote: |
| choudoufu wrote: |
they don't call it a ponzi scheme, if by "ponzi scheme" you mean ponzi scheme. |
I'm pretty sure I meant Ponzi Scheme |
ponzi schemes are illegal (unless run by the government).
charging outrageous fees? immoral maybe. probably unethical. but not illegal. |
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NoBillyNO
Joined: 11 Jun 2012
Posts: 1762
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| Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 12:43 pm Post subject: |
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| ponzi schemes are based on payouts of other investors or pays returns to its investors from their own money ..... in China they are highly illegal thus Amway had to go to a up line down line payout incentive... |
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