ESL TEFL TESOL Employment Job Scams Advice
ESL TEFL TESOL Employment Scams Listings

Dear Total ESL Users:
We regularly receive emails from users asking whether certain job offers are 'legitimate'. Please note that as the global economic environment continues to change, the number of "scams" increases. We would hope everyone follows a very simple rule when looking at job offers: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is". Whenever we receive a complaint about an actual posting from the site, we investigate and delete the ad if we find anything questionable. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop all unscrupulous individuals from contacting teachers with fraudulent offers even when there is no ad in question. Please note that we have built in a "Report Job Posting To Admin" button on all job postings. If you feel that a job is fraudulent, please feel free to use this Total ESL contact form to report it to us along with any information as to why you feel it may be fraudulent. We will then investigate the information and delete the Job Posting in question. In addition, we added an Employment Scams Listings to the site for teachers to review. Every time we confirm a scam, we will add this to this list. In addition, please feel free to contact us with any known employment scams that you are aware of. We take internet fraud very seriously and will continue to due everything we can to keep teachers safe and provide a clean ESL TEFL TESOL teaching jobs listing. I would suggest reading through my article Evaluating Teaching Job Offers. There is also some good Employment Scam Advice on Wikipedia. In addition, do some very basic background work on a job offer such as:
1. Did they actually post the terms of the ESL TEFL TESOL job offer on a public Job Board or are they just contacting teachers at random? If they did post, do the terms they state match what they are offering or is there a very wide variance.
2. Ask for contact information for present teachers employed with the school and speak with them.
3. Ask them for their contact information (Name, Address, Phone Number, Website, school email, etc.). If they don't give this, don't continue with the application.
4. Google the school name to gather information about them. Double check it with the information given in item #3 above. If the school or agency has a website, contact them through the website to ask about the job offer in question.
5. Compare the job offer to others. If the terms and benefits are far greater than the industry norm then it is probably not legitimate.

Please note that some scams have become very sophisticated with glossy websites, etc. to attract the unwary. Best to always Google search potential employers and do some basic research prior to accepting a job offer or responding. Regardless, anyone using the internet to find any employment, regardless of the industry they work in, should use caution and discretion. In addition, you should limit any personal information you send/share (i.e. NEVER send Government ID numbers or Credit Card Information)...and NEVER send money for a promise of employment...Legitimate employers do not ask this. Some things to be aware of in order to limit the information shared:
1. You can share your passport number (after confirming the legitimacy of an employer) but never send a copy of your passport page. The bar coding on the passport should always remain private.
2. You should never send your social security or Government ID number. There is never any reason an overseas school needs this from a teacher since this is for you and your government for tax purposes only. This would only be needed from teachers who have already been hired by a school in their native country (for tax reporting purposes).
3. You can share your date of birth but only disclose the month and year, keeping the day private.
4. Don't disclose your full mailing address. In other words, you can give the street, city and zip but keep your street number and apartment number private.
5. Any documents you send, such as degrees or photos, should have a watermark across them stating something such as "For Application Purpose Only" "Copy - Only For Application Purposes".
If you ever encounter what you believe to be a scam and want to take action, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission at uce@ftc.gov or to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). In addition, there are international agencies such as ICPEN that handle cross-border/international internet fraud. Finally, if you are not sure if it is a scam...send it to me for my advice. I have been in the ESL industry for over 10 years so can help you to evaluate the position. Please note - this is only if you think it is a scam. I am not an employment advisor/recruiter nor am I a contract negotiator.

We at TotalESL.com wish everyone the best and hope for your continued success.

Thank you.
Admin
TotalESL.com