Job Discussion Forums

[argonfly707]

Hello Forumers,

I noticed most people on this site say not to go with recruiters. I would like to say instead of don't go with them, you can go with them but make sure you do your homework about the recruiter. The first recruiter I talked to I rushed in with. She was a recruiter talking to another recruiter trying to get me a job. In the end after getting my Visa and my plane tickets she cancelled in the last 3 days before I left. So I decided to give Dewey a try. I sent out my plea that I am leaving within 2 days and I would like a job before I come and that I was just dropped. I got numerous calls and the set me up with a school very quickly. I talked with the school and had an interview with them. The school was very proffesional, they arranged my pickup and I had a really "soft landing". I am not saying all recruiters are good nor bad as I am a green horn here and this was only two experiences. What I am saying is if going with a recruiter Make Sure to Talk to the School Directly. Don't come over working for the recuriter. I know this has been said before but from one noobie to others I just want to stress the point. Also Dewey is very good they don't charge the teacher the school must pay them. Well that is all my rambling.

Thanks,
Argon

[clark.w.griswald]

Interesting post Argonfly, it is always good to hear first hand experiences especially good ones. We hear too many bad experiences, which I guess is human nature, but recommendations of schools or recruiters are more valuable in my opinions as they help newbies know which direction to go in rather than preaching about where not to go.

In line with your comments above, it might be a good idea to give teachers an idea of what to look for and what to look out for when researching recruiters. Let me make a start and others can add to the list.

What to look for!

1. Look for a company that has an established record that you can research. Google the name of the recruiter or search boards such as this one, fourmosa.com and buxiban.com to see if you can get an idea of what experiences others have had with them in the past.

2. Before making a committment to any position ask to speak with teachers who have worked at that school and/or with that recruiter before.

3. Speak with the school directly if possible, but this will not always be possible. Any reluctance here on the recruiters behalf doesn't automatically indicate that they are hiding something, it may just mean that they are concerned that you and the school may cut them out of the deal. Be sure in the very least to visit the school with the recruiter just prior to making a committment if you are not able to do so earlier on.

What to watch out for!

1. Most importantly don't accept a position under which the recruiter collects your money from the school to pay you. It may sound convenient but it is just a way for some unscrupulous recruiters to collect an ongoing monthly fee for their work. The problem can arise that the school is paying you a lot and expects a lot, but you are only getting a little bit of money so are only willing to do a bit of work. The only winner here is the recruiter who effectively gets paid for doing next to nothing.

2. Ensure that any position offered to you comes with a guarantee of an ARC with the schools name on it. To my knowledge it is not acceptible to have any other name on your ARC but the name of the actual school that you are working for. I would ask for this guarantee in writing as it is a pretty important one, and would add the proviso that you reserve the right to leave any job that does not comply with this one single requirement. It is not worth working illegally no matter what the recruiter may tell you.

3. Be aware of 'bait and switch' techniques used by some recruiters. I don't think that these techniques are often used, but they are used by some companies. This involves the advertising of a high paying position only to be offered a less well paying position as the high paying one is no longer available. It is of course a distinct possibility that things did happen this way and the easy way to check this is to ask to speak to the teacher that took that position. It is a bit of a bluff, but it would be interesting to speak to that teacher if he or she did exist as they would be able to give you the lowdown on their experiences.

4. Don't sign anything through the recruiter nor make a committment to a recruiter before arriving in Taiwan. You don't need to do this. The recruiter may insist that the job will be gone by the time you arrive, but if it is then you can always ask them to find you another one.

In addition to the above, you may like to have a look at this article about recruiters.

[Ki]

I agree. Although I haven't seen any jobs advertised through any recruiters which look anything special there isn't anything particularly wrong about taking a job through a recruiter. Just make sure you don't use the wrong recruiter.

[Aristotle]

[Pop Fly]