Job Discussion Forums

jjdaniels · Joined: 25 Jul 2010 Posts: 1

Hello,

I am new to this and would like some advise, and if I need to go to another forum just please advise.
I am contemplating teaching ESL in Taiwan, Japan, or Korea. Can anyone tell me about the recruiters called "Footprints" or De-Wey(Dewey)? I have not sent any copies of my documents because I am very cautious and I have not been asked for $$.

Thanks

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Have never heard of either of them here in Japan.

My advice for Japan is to come to the Japan forums and ask your questions. You will not need a recruiter, but it also depends on what you mean by recruiter. Some people's definition is a bit strange. Just apply directly to the jobs you see advertised.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

Heard of Footprints, they're pretty good. Dewey, Taiwan, right? is ok. All in all, use recruiters as a back up and try to get a job by applying directly to schools

FoundWaldo · Joined: 01 Jun 2010 Posts: 47

The argument for and against recruiters is a common one in these forums. My personal opinion is for, but as a full discloser I did work for one last year (Reach To Teach).

It has been my experience that when you enter a new culture like Taiwan there are bound to be hiccups. For example, when I first arrived in Taiwan in 2007 I was expecting my school to provide housing until I found my own place. No such luck and I soon found that I would be spending the week at my boss's house until something else could be arranged. To make matters worse, a typhoon hit the island and I was literally stuck in a small confined room for 48 straight hours with my new boss.

If I had gone straight through the school I would have been on my own in this situation. However, I quickly called my recruiter (again Reach To Teach) who thankfully also thought my situation was ridiculous, and arranged for me to stay elsewhere.

So it pays to work through a recruiter as long as they are reputable. Search through these forums for more information about each, but between Footprints and Dewey, I say Footprints. They are a Canadian company so they are better able to relate to the needs of Western teachers.

Good luck!

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

FoundWaldo · Joined: 01 Jun 2010 Posts: 47

You don't agree that exceptional circumstances warrant an exceptional mention?

This thought just occurred to me, and since I went through a recruiter I really can't answer it, but what do you really gain by going through a school directly? All the problems I generally associate with teaching abroad have to do with adapting to the local culture and worth ethic. Am I missing something?

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

I disagree with using exceptional circumstances to make generalizations. I agree with your "if they are reputable" clause, though.

d

tianjinrobbie · Joined: 31 Jul 2010 Posts: 12

I have little experience with recruiters outside of China, however I think there is some good advice that applies where ever you are when dealing with a recruitment agency for schools.

If you get two contracts, one in English and one in their native language do not sign anything until you can get them checked over by someone trustworthy and make sure they match as the one in their native language will be the legally binding one.

Before travelling to the country in question, ensure you have checked that they are getting you on the correct visa, many FT's have come to China and had no knowledge of which via is which, confusing a business visa with a working visa, only to get caught working illegally and screwed.

Search as many websites as you can for the names of the people you are considering working for. Bad press tends to get posted more often than good press in most cases. Some bad press is often sour grapes, posted by a disgruntled FT who expected too much or expected unreasonable things from his company, but that is not to say that all bad press is sour grapes. If there is a lot of it, and it is backed up with some facts and evidence that you can look into yourself then the chances are its true.

That said schools, unlike leopards, can and sometimes do change their spots. Managers and owners come and go so you can have what was a terrible school becoming a very good place to work an vice versa.

One good place to look for information is a local expats website, they tend to have uptodate information and you can always post up yourself and ask the question if there is nothing there to begin with.

killthebuddha · Posted: Fri Aug 06, 2010 4:42 am Post subject:

Do a search of Footprints here. I came across a post where someone was accepting a position through them. Then somebody posted a link to the exact same position and, all things being equal, the Footprints placement was paying $1,000 less. (They were taking a bigger cut of your pay.)

In a recent article here (U.S.), a company called TeachAway made the news because so many laid-off American teachers were going overseas, and they were going through them. Might be an okay recruiter?