5 Reasons to Research Employers/ Recruiters Before You Apply for a Job

1) Fees/ Scams

Do I have to pay a fee?

Am I being scammed?

He said I'd have a job if I sent $5,000 via Western Union

You do not want to send anyone money to secure you a job. And sometimes this information is not explicit in the job posting. You have to browse the website (if the employer/ recruiter has one) and determine if there is a price tag involved. As these employers/ recruiters do provide a service for a fee, this is not a scam. However, I suggest candidates do their own search for reputable employers that offer a comprehensive employment package without you paying them any money.

Furthermore, people will try to scam you. You should research any names of contact persons, employment organizations and email addresses. 1) Google is a highly proficient search engine, barring you enter in the proper key words in your search; 2) Use websites to check if they are scams. For instance, ScamAdviser and Scambusters allow you to check if the website is legit. Scamchecker provides a list of points to consider if the website is a scam or not. Consumer Fraud Reporting and Scamdex provide general information about internet scams. More specifically related to TEFL jobs, my blog helps you understand the strengths and weaknesses of particular jobs, sift the good from the crap, and has information available to candidates about potential risky employers/ recruiters.

2) Reputation

Is the employer/ recruiter reputable?

Not a Bad Ass Reputation

Teachers have good and bad experiences whilst working for any employer. If you discover complaints on a forum, like Dave's ESL Café, you have to determine if they are valid. What is the person complaining about? Low pay, a massive number of contact hours or personality conflicts, I think, are not valid complaints. First, you do not have to sign the contract if you do not agree to any terms therein. Second, people will clash no matter what the job is…it's life.

However, complaints like inefficiency of HR, not being paid salary, bonus or severance in a timely manner, not being reimbursed for costs, like airfare, medicals or visas, and overtime hours not compensated for, are only some examples of valid complaints.

After research, and you still question the reputation of the employer/ recruiter, do not send your resume. Look elsewhere…

3) Job Information

What are my duties?

A very important duty...deciding on which shoes the boss should wear.
But it's not  related to teaching!

A teacher should, of course, be responsible for teaching. Overtime hours must be stipulated in the contract and the corresponding overtime pay. If your duties involve extracurricular activities, including, but not limited to, organizing games, attending school functions outside of normal workday hours, creating textbooks for which will be used by other members of staff, you need to get this explained in writing. You do not want to arrive at a new job, finish teaching for the day and then your boss demands you wash her car or hit the street.

If she's your employer, well then, you should maybe think about washing her car.

 

4) Employer Information

Who - exactly - am I going to work for?

That's why you research...to avoid working for a Chechen terrorist. 

My biggest pet-peeve, one that screams the employer/ recruiter is not reputable or smart enough to invest in purchasing a website, is the use of free email accounts. Send your resume at your own risk.

Is there a website for you to research the mission, vision and goals of the employer? Are there pictures that show where you'll be working? Can you contact other teachers to ask them questions about the job?

Recruiters work on commission. The bad lot will promise you everything under the sun just to get you to sign the contract so they get paid. When you arrive to start work, you might find conditions are bottom-of-the-barrel bad. Trust only what a recruiter says if you can verify it by another source: teachers who work for the employer, message boards and unbiased reviews from a Google search. 

5) Personal Preferences

What do I like/ dislike about the job prospect?

Yes...you've got to decide!

You have to manage your expectations before sending your resume. Expect a worst case scenario, and ask yourself if you still could work there. 

Can you last a seventeen week semester if you're teaching thirty contact hours? What happens to your salary if your contact hours drop because student enrollment has dropped? After six months, will I want to flee the country? Can I live on the salary offered if a sizable chunk of that money is going towards renting a flat? What is my savings potential? Are promotions available?

These are just five of the reasons anyone should conduct research about potential employers/ recruiters. You should brainstorm other aspects to think about which may be of personal value to yourself. If you have other points you'd like to suggest, I'm all ears. After all, this blog is about helping the underrepresented TEFL teachers share information about employers, good and bad.