Job Discussion Forums

curioustraveler · Joined: 01 Feb 2009 Posts: 13 Location: United States

Does anyone have input about the Buckland group's operation? I know they don't pay very much but seem to be legit. I was able to find some blogs on the web where people said they were left stranded and didn't get all their money etc. Please let me know what you think.

eddy-cool · Joined: 06 Jul 2008 Posts: 1008

They certainly are legith. What you have read in cyber-space has been spread by people who most probably didn't follow the rules they willingly accepted when they signed a contract with Owen.

Owen is the most accommodating recruiter and employer you can meet. He has been around since the early 1990s, and his business has continually been expanding.

Tomato_Can · Joined: 02 Feb 2007 Posts: 88 Location: Suzhou

Buckland is a great place to go if you are new to teaching and new to China. I worked there for a year when I first came to China... and I recommend it.

They do a good job training you (you get an idea of what to expect both in and outside the classroom), making sure the school they send you to is providing you with everything you need (apartment/visa), and making sure you are paid on time. The school fulfills their end of the contract... if not, Owen will pull you out of the school and send you to another one.

The bad: Their pay is a little low... grant it, you have enough to live fairly comfortably, but compared to other schools, it is low. Also, a lot of the schools are in smaller towns and cities. There are not a lot of other foreigners around, very little western culture, but the chinese in these places are typically more friendly. Some people prefer it, others do not.

Buckland did give me experience both living in China and teaching... something that has allowed me to move on to bigger and better things.

arioch36 · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589

people have had problems and complaints about Buckland, but compared to the number of laowai Buckland has brought into China, there are bound to be few problems .. sometimes because of the laowai, this may be hard to believe, but not all FTs are like the fine representative sample here at Dave's. Every once in a while a real loser manages to sneak their way in

I think I can say everything I know about Buckland corresponds exactly with Tomato Can. I have never used their services, but as my number of posts show, I have been here for a while (8 years) about the only agency I can think of that has been around as long as Buckland is maybe Helen'sChinaTefl site.
Buckland is as legit as you can hope for in an agency

nickpellatt · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 1522

I have recently found a Buckland page on facebook. I intend on returning to China later this year, and will be heading for Yangshuo....I think Buckland have some kind of operation there, maybe head offices?

As noted above, China and EFL isnt for everyone, so some of the complaints and bad mouthing can be taken with a pinch of salt. I have actually met as many people who hated China and EFL and left early, as I have teachers who stayed for their entire contract. Those that left early ended to have the loudest voices too.