| I regularly receive emails from teachers asking | | | | contact them through the website to ask about the job |
| whether certain teachnig job offers are 'legitimate'. This | | | | offer in question. |
| interconnected world allows scam artists to thrive. As | | | | 5. Compare the job offer to others. If the terms and |
| the global economic environment continues to change, | | | | benefits are far greater than the industry norm then it |
| the number of employment scams increases. In | | | | is probably not legitimate. |
| addition, the scams become much more creative and | | | | Please note that some scams have become very |
| ingenious with their tactics. I would hope everyone | | | | sophisticated with glossy websites, etc. to attract the |
| follows a very simple rule when looking at teaching job | | | | unwary. Best to always Google search potential |
| offers or any type of employment offer: "If it sounds | | | | employers and do some basic research prior to |
| too good to be true, it probably is". | | | | accepting a job offer or responding to an unsolicited |
| Whenever I receive a complaint about an actual ESL | | | | job offer. |
| TEFL TESOL teaching job posting from an ESL site, I | | | | I have added a Teaching Jobs Employment Scams |
| investigate the ad to see if I can find anything | | | | Listing to my site with some of the most infamous |
| questionable. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop all | | | | scams that I have been alerted to. This would be a |
| unscrupulous individuals from contacting teachers with | | | | helpful list for teachers to review though it is by no |
| fraudulent offers even when there is no ad in question. | | | | means complete. There are always new and unique |
| Regardless, all scams tend to follow a general format: | | | | scams being generated. Every time I confirm a scam, I |
| (1) make a very generous offer, (2) ask for a | | | | add it to this list so that teachers can have a broad |
| response with documentation/personal information, (3) | | | | idea of how to recognize potential scams. |
| make a request to send money for services (i.e. visa | | | | I would suggest reading through my article Evaluating |
| or airline ticket) or promise of employment. Since the | | | | Teaching Job Offers so that you know what |
| scams ultimate goal is to retrieve money or | | | | questions to ask. There is also some good |
| something else of value such as personal information, I | | | | Employment Scam Advice on Wikipedia. |
| find the routine rarely varies because the end result is | | | | Remember: Anyone using the internet to find any |
| always the same: to obtain something of value from | | | | employment, regardless of the industry they work in, |
| you, whether it is information or money. | | | | should use caution and discretion. In addition, you should |
| In addition, you should do some very basic background | | | | limit any personal information you send/share (i.e. don't |
| work on any ESL TEFL TESOL teaching jobs offer | | | | send government ID numbers or credit card |
| such as: | | | | information) and never send money for a promise of |
| 1. Did they actually post the terms of the teaching job | | | | employment. Legitimate employers do not ask for this |
| offer on a public job board or are they just contacting | | | | type of up-front monetary guarantee. Finally, follow the |
| teachers at random? If they did post, do the terms | | | | simple rule: "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably |
| they state match what they are offering or is there a | | | | is". |
| very wide variance. | | | | If you are ever a victim of internet fraud and want to |
| 2. Ask for contact information for present teachers | | | | take action, you can report it to the Federal Trade |
| employed with the school and speak with them. | | | | Commission (ftc.gov) at uce[at]ftc.gov or to the |
| 3. Ask them for their contact information (Name, | | | | Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov). In addition, |
| Address, Phone Number, Website, school email, etc.). If | | | | there are international agencies such as ICPEN |
| they don't give this, don't continue with the application. | | | | (econsumer.gov) that handle cross-border/international |
| 4. Google the school name to gather information about | | | | internet fraud. |
| them. Double check it with the information given in item | | | | Best of luck in your job hunt and wishing you continued |
| #3 above. If the school or agency has a website, | | | | success. |