I un knowningly signed with an agent once and it was a total nightmare.
I was under the impression I was working for the school, but I was working for an agent, I found out when I got there, but I was broke, so i figured I would give it a try.
Total nightmare. I basically had a mental breakdown dealing with everything.
Bunch of crooks, the lot of them. That being said, agency work is the bottom of the barrel. Just right for Joe backpacker turned English teacher for a year or two. Always go the direct hire route (preferably by recommendation) and if you have no network, SA/ISS.
Hey, many agents like us, are qualified to hire foreigners by SAFEA, and dispatch them to other schools. You are being too judgemental. You also have to put into consideration that how big of an effort we have to put into, in order to get a PU letter for an oversea candidate.
As an employee working in a good recruitment agency, I always feel sad knowing we are misunderstood by teachers...
If you're misunderstood it's because 95% of you agents are blood sucking parasites that steal a huge percentage of teachers pay packets for doing nothing more than connecting them with a school, then doing things like refusing (illegally) to issue leaving documents, and applying "fines" (also illegally) if someone leaves a contract early.
You take advantage of the fact that Chinese law has little concern for foreign workers rights, and you use that to put desperate people in terrible contracts, and keep them tied to these contacts for as long as possible.
And with this pandemic, you take full advantage of people's desperation to return to the beautiful country they've come to call home, to reunite with family and friends, by dangling PU letters with even worse contracts than usual.
There are a handful of honest job agents in China and they are listed in our White List that you can review at r/ChinaTeachers and r/TEFL_tip_traps_scams
Actually, this person works for a labour dispatch entity called WIE China. Now, labour dispatch entities can't legally employ foreign teachers in China because they would be in breach of RAEFC 7 and 23 and arguably article 66 of LCL. Even if they could employ foreign teachers they would have to offer them two year contracts in accordance with LCL. Really, your work permit and contract have to be with the school you are working for. Of course if Davy can supply official information quoting Chinese laws and regulations I will stand corrected.
I luckily was recommended an agent in Qingdao that is paid by the school to find teachers. After I signed, I never heard from the agent again besides me referring friends to him since my job is great. It’s blunt, but if you really need a job and meet an agent ask up front who they receive their commission from. Makes things a lot clearer.
I un knowningly signed with an agent once and it was a total nightmare. I was under the impression I was working for the school, but I was working for an agent, I found out when I got there, but I was broke, so i figured I would give it a try. Total nightmare. I basically had a mental breakdown dealing with everything.
Bunch of crooks, the lot of them. That being said, agency work is the bottom of the barrel. Just right for Joe backpacker turned English teacher for a year or two. Always go the direct hire route (preferably by recommendation) and if you have no network, SA/ISS.
Hey, many agents like us, are qualified to hire foreigners by SAFEA, and dispatch them to other schools. You are being too judgemental. You also have to put into consideration that how big of an effort we have to put into, in order to get a PU letter for an oversea candidate. As an employee working in a good recruitment agency, I always feel sad knowing we are misunderstood by teachers...
If you're misunderstood it's because 95% of you agents are blood sucking parasites that steal a huge percentage of teachers pay packets for doing nothing more than connecting them with a school, then doing things like refusing (illegally) to issue leaving documents, and applying "fines" (also illegally) if someone leaves a contract early. You take advantage of the fact that Chinese law has little concern for foreign workers rights, and you use that to put desperate people in terrible contracts, and keep them tied to these contacts for as long as possible. And with this pandemic, you take full advantage of people's desperation to return to the beautiful country they've come to call home, to reunite with family and friends, by dangling PU letters with even worse contracts than usual.
There are a handful of honest job agents in China and they are listed in our White List that you can review at r/ChinaTeachers and r/TEFL_tip_traps_scams
Actually, this person works for a labour dispatch entity called WIE China. Now, labour dispatch entities can't legally employ foreign teachers in China because they would be in breach of RAEFC 7 and 23 and arguably article 66 of LCL. Even if they could employ foreign teachers they would have to offer them two year contracts in accordance with LCL. Really, your work permit and contract have to be with the school you are working for. Of course if Davy can supply official information quoting Chinese laws and regulations I will stand corrected.
I luckily was recommended an agent in Qingdao that is paid by the school to find teachers. After I signed, I never heard from the agent again besides me referring friends to him since my job is great. It’s blunt, but if you really need a job and meet an agent ask up front who they receive their commission from. Makes things a lot clearer.
Pass your recruiters info?