Job Discussion Forums

ellethecat · Joined: 11 Apr 2004 Posts: 75 Location: edmonton

has anyone ever worked for EC academy in Japan? are they reputable.
Ive been offered a job with them through a recruiter based in thailand.

**Actually, ive just found some BAD news about "the recruiter" on the thailand board here. i guess people have not heard back from tehm after sending the documents. ESLASIA...*** I found them through this cafe...

so I assume its not legit.

Experienced · Joined: 31 Mar 2004 Posts: 18

Check out the forum on gaijinpot.com. I know I've seen the name EC Academy come up at least once.

Otherwise, you can always use EC Acad. as a stepping stone.

ellethecat · Joined: 11 Apr 2004 Posts: 75 Location: edmonton

Im afraid the recruiter offered me a job and sent me a contract but i suspect its bogus. i hear suspicions that they take the original documents people send them and sell them. (they are in thialand.)

just checking to see if people know this?
its good to know ec academy exists at least

zebra_fish2000 · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 14

Hi,

My wife and I inquired about employment opportunities through ESL Asia and got this great job offer with the Center of International Language Studies in Tokyo, but we could never find anything on them on the web. When I went to the ESL Asia website it was pretty scant. (Anyone ever hear of them?)

Yesterday, I sent an email to the Japanese Embassy in Washington asking if they had anything on either ESL Asia or the Center of International Language Studies. In short, if they're legitimate. I have yet to hear back.

My wife and I sent them an email, with lots of questions, asking for clarification on the contract they sent us. We'd a lot of questions because the offer sounded so much better than anything we'd seen out there: 320,000 yen starting, fully-paid apartment, fully-paid medical insurance, paid airfare, etc. And they haven't responded. So it's looking like our gut suspicions might not have been ill-placed afterall!

Anybody know of any credible recruiters?!

Wolf · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 1245 Location: Middle Earth

Credible recruiters? As a general rule, recruiters are not to be trusted. It's a shame to the trustworthy ones. But a good rule of thumb to the individual EFL teacher - especially one without a lot of experience.

In Japan, the largest companies and programs (JET, NOVA, ECC, GEOS, AEON, Westgate, and a couple of others) do their own overseas recruiting. A lot of the smaller schools simply advertise domestically for teachers, and hire teachers who resign from the larger companies (which aren't very good places to work, especially in the long run.)

Even small companies willing to hire from overseas need only put a couple of ads online, and will still get flooded with responses.

Any school in Japan, other than the big 4 who recruit for themselves, that knows what it's doing probably doesn't need a recruiter.

What kind of job is this? 320 000/month, plus airfare, insurance, and accomodation sounds too good to be true for an eikaiwa job. Is this info from the recruiter?

http://www.ohayosensei.com/
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/jobs/
http://www.jobsinjapan.com/
http://www.eltnews.com/jobs/index.shtml
http://www.pacificnet.net/~sperling/jobcenter.html
http://www.gaijinpot.com
http://www.tefl.com

Don't deal with recrutiers for Japan. Look at these sites and send your resumes directly to schools who adversite. Be careful, though, many jobs will say APPLICANTS MUST CURRENTLY RESIDE IN JAPAN or APPLICANTS MUST ALREADY HAVE WORK VISA. There are many ads that don't have such a requirement, so best of luck.

joncharles · Joined: 09 Apr 2004 Posts: 132 Location: Beijing

I was asking about this a couple weeks ago and eventually deleted my topic because there were no responses.. Now I am happy that I am not the only one who sent them stuff. This company found me through my resume I put up here on Dave's site and they seemed to have a position not exactly where I wanted, but close in Shizuoka Pref.. They seemed to rush me on it and I finally gave in and sent them the signed contract and the fees they said they needed for the visa. You know.. it never occurred to me that the cancellation fee would apply to me unless I presonally told them to cancel. Nooooooo, it doesn't matter who canceled.. the school, ESL Asia, Me..... I still pay the 2000 baht or I don't get my documants back.

Live and learn. I still have a valid visa and it would not take long to change sponsorship on it. Now to just get a school to hire me... and if I can ever get my stuff back.

ellethecat · Joined: 11 Apr 2004 Posts: 75 Location: edmonton

wow. well, at least you got the work visa-Im surprised.

zebra_fish2000 · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 14

Thanks for the advice about recruiters, Wolf. Appreciated.

Yes, it was the recruiter that sent us a contract with those wonderful terms of 320,000 yen, paid apartment, paid airfare, etc. While we're new to ESL teaching, my wife has 13 years elementary school teaching experience and I've 2+ years teaching experience working with at-risk youth here in California. We thought the great terms and benefits had something to do with that. Then I started mucking around the postings here and it sounded more and more suspicious. Wow, what an eye-opener!

Well, it's back to the drawing board.

Thanks, everybody, for all the valuable input!

annae · Joined: 06 May 2004 Posts: 4 Location: hirakata

I too was lured into the promise of a 'perfect' job with ESL Asia, but I soon learned that they are bad news. After sending them a list of schools I was interested in, they sent me a contract to sign - the situation was identical to many of the other posts I've read on this forum. However, I actually sent them my documents, believing that my long job search was over. But the very next day I read the posts on this thread and instantly knew that I had been suckered. I felt so stupid! But I think "someone" must have been watching out for me, because when I checked the status of my Fed Ex package to cancel the delivery, I saw that it had been marked 'return to sender'...it was never sent because I had forgotten something on the packing slip. Good karma I guess. So of course I never resent the package. Then this morning, I got an email from ESL Asia, telling me that THEY RECEIVED MY PACKAGE AND WOULD I NOW PLEASE SEND THEM THE PROCESSING FEES! I couldn't believe it! I emailed "Mr. Adler" back, saying that I was rather confused as to how they could have my package when it was sitting on my desk at home. I then vowed to make sure that I would tell everyone about them and their evil ways. So here I am. Moral of the story: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is...

Mike L. · Joined: 28 Feb 2003 Posts: 519

post the scumbag's full name and e-mail!

Let's circulate it.

naive · Joined: 11 May 2004 Posts: 4

I got similarly done like everyone else.
Sent my original documents off and now nothing.
Is there some action we can take against this guy.
Does anyone else know anything about him or has anyone else got their stuff back.
I'd be interested to know. Are there any teachers in Bangkok who can go check him out?!!!
And what can he actually do with the degrees, get 10 bucks for them on the street???
These are his details:
Paul Adler
Director of Operations - ESL Asia
ESL Asia
MBE suit # 120
99 Ratchadapisek Road (New Thapra) Bookkaloe,
Thonburi, Bangkok Thailand 10600
E-mail : [email protected]
Web : http://www.ESLAsia.0catch.com
Phone : (66) 04-003-7232 or (66) 06 540 5021

joncharles · Joined: 09 Apr 2004 Posts: 132 Location: Beijing

I have been waiting to find out if anyone else got their stuff back too.. but I might go for broke here and send the cancellation fee and see what happens.... It costs less than getting replacements from my University and if I still don't get them back.. well then I know for sure...

Now if I can just get schools in Japan to overlook my age ...... Laughing

zebra_fish2000 · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 14

The plot thickens! After weeks of getting no reply from Paul Adler to our questions about ESL Asia's contract, we got a reply from ESL Asia today. But it wasn't from Paul Adler, it was from Anthony Martin. (By the way, none of our questions have been answered.) Martin listed his title as placement director - Jobs Japan. The email address is the same as the one Paul Adler used. Maybe it's the same guy using a different name? Wink

joncharles · Joined: 09 Apr 2004 Posts: 132 Location: Beijing

Well folks, I am taking the chance. Within a few weeks I will be able to tell you if I got my documents back. I am sending the 2000 baht fee. I figured I'd do this just to see if they really would send things back or take my money again. I will post the results later. BTW, The last letter I got back from them was signed by a David Smith, Recruiting Director.

Mike L. · Joined: 28 Feb 2003 Posts: 519

I was thinking a few mails or phone calls to certain Thai authorites and maybe some sort of action might be taken.

Probably a shake down or whatever. That is if he isn't paying for some sort of protection already or if the whole thing isn't run by the minister of immigration or something!

I was in the position of one of the "ripped off" people I'd be stirring up some trouble....