i think for rental real estate, the agent gets like a month's rent as a commission if they manager to get someone into 1 year contract.

how about recruitment agencies?

It depends. Some receive a percentage from the school for each teacher and others receive a management fee. In general they work with schools that can't find teachers by themselves and teachers that can't find work by themselves for whatever reasons. They usually take responsibility for paperwork for the teacher.

And just like a rental real estate agency nobody is forced to use them.

Years ago I got a great job 40,000 per month, the agent was getting 55,000.

Be advised there are some cowboys out there, and some right a*seholes. My mate (not the best guy around) was invited for

an Interview by a well known TEFL based company at a school, as my mate was keeping his options open, he got an offer

with a few more benefits. He did not tell the TEFL based company straight away, after telling the owner in Bangkok, he was

bombarded with childish emails, about his lack of professionalism, and informing him that "he should go back to digging holes

in England". Yes my friend is not the best person around, but those who send stupid remarks like that do not deserve to get teachers.

Also some agencies offer you a salary and an accommodation allowance, well 3 guys I know have just found out that their

accommodation allowance, discussed on the phone with the owner of another prestigious language institute (always on ajarn.com)

will, instead of paying 7000 accommodation will now only pay 2000, this came after they all accepted the jobs, not yet signed their contracts, but are all in the city where the school is, and it's not a very big city.