OT Paging TOG and other phising experts, advice sought..

After thinking about teaching in China a while back I bunged off my CV
to a website in a half hearted manner. I got an emailed application
form back which I completed in a half hearted fashion - on it there
was a space for passport number and a little voice said 'hmmm' so I
put 'full passport held' Then in email tonight I get this...

We are happy to inform you that the school has agreed
to invite you as their esol teacher. Please find the
attached contract. Your salary will be , as the
contract doesn¡¯t show that (refer to Contract 5.4 5-)

About the process of finalizing and implementing the
contract, here is a step by step instructions we
suggest you follow to finalize and implement the
contract,

This bit screamed phising at me. This is a scam to get my passport
number/other details right?


ONLY IF YOU ALREADY MADE THE DECISION, ONCE
THE PROCESS IS ON TRACK, WE WOULD NOT WANT TO SEE YOU
CHANGE YOUR MIND AGAIN, please understand this,
because we do put a lot of effort and time into the
process.

Again, capitals, awooga alert.

Sending your Identification and Qualification to
school. You need to have
1. two copies of your passport and two copies of your
family members passports if they are coming with you,
2. copies of the highest qualification and/or teaching
certificate,
3. copy of your resume
4. two reference
we will pass them with your signed contract to the
school, to help them to keep an internal file of you.

When the School received your contract, they will
start apply for a government approval document, and
this will take about two weeks.

Then the School will send you this government approval
document, which states your name, your
nationality, your purpose to China, your passport
number, and above information of anyone who is
accompanied with your trip. You need to take this
document to your nearest Chinese Embassy or Consulate
to apply for your Chinese visa. For other documents
needed for applying the visa, please refer to the
agreement page 6, section 5.28. This application
process will take up to one week.

Please do not PAY for your air ticket until you have
got your visa. For reimbursement of international
round trip airfare please refer to the agreement page
3, section 5.4, sub-section (1), (2).

This contract is a one-year based contract, but it is
renewable. Conditions apply when renew the contract.

If you accept the offer, please fax, or post the above
documents, or email the scanned ones to us. Fax
number: , post address:

If you have decision on this job offer, please advice
me as soon as possible. Any enquiries, please feel
free to email me, or call me at

I hadn't even started to look at visa stuff so I've no idea what the
process is but I find it hard to believe they'd appoint without
interview. So IIAS, IAS? Or did I just get a job in China without
trying?

 

I feel you are right to be cautious, pet.

 

I've bunged an email off to the Education Department of the Embassy.
The school exists and was advertising for teachers on known safe TEFL
sites with a Dec 2004 start date. So I guess their details have been
lifted from there. I've seen TEFL scams and this is thorough down to
the provision of a bicycle for the duration being included in the
contract

 

what's the phrase? if it looks too god to be true - it probabaly is.

As to the detail of the documents, perhaps they transposed a set of real
one, adding their own fuckups in?

HB too....

--
Dnc

B1200 - +30bhp ~|~ VS800 - borked
TS150 - squatting ~|~ V2300 - flat cap and rug

MIB#26 two#54(soiled) UKRMMA#26 BOTAFOT#153 X-FOT#003

 

Oddly, you might have done.

First, they are *desperate* for English teachers. Secondly, what they've
asked is all standard stuff, from the little I know from people who've
worked there.

Problems: a lot of schools out there are, apparently, utter shitpits.
And they *will* hold your passport in the school, rather than let you
have it.

They aren't asking for any money, and they're inviting you to go to the
Chinese Embassy where, presumably, you can get this checked out.

I think it's genuine, but I also think hat you might want to try and
find out some details about the school as well.

 

This was very common in 'former times' Eastern Europe. In many ways this
was to protect the passport as they're valuable (monetarily) documents,
that and it prevented you 'wandering off'.

 

You may find the school will sort your visa, as they'll be your sponsor,
and they actually need your details to achieve this.

If you do it I'll be quite envious. I think I'd be even less popular at
home if I upped and went.

 

Becoming an ESL teacher in China is easy, they'll take anybody, you
just need to be able to speak the language.

The quality of the companies hiring you varies widely, if you can,
please name them, I have a few contacts, and you can probably find a
few details about them online, maybe in forums or blogs.

Do you know where the job is offered? Which city/school? This can make
all the difference. If you get a choice I can help, I've spent a lot
of time in China (and it looks like i'm going back, too....)

 

Oddly, you might have done.[/QUOTE]

Oddly enough it appears I have. Anyone want to feed my cats for a
year? I'm working through the logistics. Still I always said I'd leave
the country if the Tories got in again - maybe I should see if they'll
wait until the election results for my decision.

Yes, package includes accommodation, meals, net access, tuition fees
for children amongst others bits.

Investigating more. It's a huge school 6000 boarding from 5 to 18.

And do a lot of thinking.

 

Did you use an agency? 6 weeks sounds a lot less daunting than a year.

How does the communist machine and the capitalist ethos together
manifest in impact on daily life from your time there?

Flat with meals on campus all paid for.

Ouch.

 

Well that's a birthday to remember, eh?

--

jeremy
'02 Fazer 600 in blue
_______________________________________
jeremy at hireserve dot com

 

I've ESOL qualifications and experience plus previous education sector
experience so I didn't think it would be difficult, just amazed as
this is all from a 5 minute google and now I'm contemplating altering
4 lives.

TESOL China Network placed the original advert.

I've been merrily googling though any info you or your contacts have
to offer would be appreciated, thanks.

Wonderful, UKRM has come up trumps on this one. Drop me an email at
the address in the headers and I'll reply from my relatively spam free
address.

 

Even better I got confirmation of my decree nisi <woot>

It's turning into a most interesting day. And work got me a bottle of
wine and sent me home early so any deterioration in post quality is
their fault.

 

oops bit missing here - they seem dubious, the job isn't.

 

just don't get on the scales later and totally ruin the whole day,
love.

 

You work at British Miracles PLC?

 

A little-known fact: the Passport Office will issue you with *two* (or
more, I think!) passports, if you tell them you're travelling to a
country where they're likely to seize your passport at a moment's
notice for payment of bribes, or just to apply pressure.

My brother had two when he went to Kazakhstan.

Anyway, if you have two, obviously you keep the one that has the
important exit visa stamps or whatever, andn if they impound the other
one, just look downhearted and smile secretly.

 

This, my dear, is what we used to call a red-letter day.

Sweet.

 

*Snort*

 

On Wed, 06 Apr 2005 15:41:38 GMT in uk.rec.motorcycles, SteveL says:

[China]

Friend of mine spent a year in Shezun{sp} with 2 trips home during
that time. On one of them his GP diagnosed his general lethargy as
dietary[1]. He always thought that the folks who were working on the
same project in Bejing did better in the way of accommodation and food
with those in really rural areas doing the worst YMMV.

He swore it was the worst place he'd ever worked, until he ended up in
Russia for 18 months.

[1] He found obtaining decent regular food a problem