Teacher agencies. Good, bad, indifferent?

[smotherb]

Don't! Go out and find your own job. It takes some legwork and sure some schools have their own set of issues. But agencies are nothing but problems - search the Internet. Read the ad well, much is stated and not stated in their ads. Foreigners running and recruiting in agencies are always bad news. Doubly so if you meet them and they are a manager type rather than teacher type. Camps....just run. Anything part time is illegal work and so is teaching to Chinese over Skype.

Was happiest and worked with best teachers where no agency involved. Agencies are magnets for lazy people.

Agencies wrangle contracts from schools and in many cases you have no choice. Agencies provide the paperwork for schools - that is their real function. Be careful about any agency making high educational claims or standards. Why would you not use industry standard teaching materials? Money, only money.

*Watch out for the ten, eleven month contracts, bonuses that never come based on vague language. Paying your own visa, work permits, etc...

Most of all, you need a visa and wp. If the wp has not arrived by third month, ask to see your processing paperwork and when you will have your wp. AnIf they cant or won't show you, any nonsense, leave. If after three minths and no wp if they cannot demonstrate they are making effort toward your wp, you will teach the year illegally. You will never see it.

There are tins of bad agencies out there now and think nothing of screwing up your visa, wp, license, life, cheating you out of money...looking at the ads this year so far they seem worse, not better.

You have been warned.

Yeah, imagine that, an agency which staffs its management positions with managers.

I've heard all those stories--consistent double-talk, never-appearing WPs, no expense money, reneged contracts, non-enforcable contracts, no paid holidays, no sick leave, no insurance, late paydays, no bonuses, extra hours, extra duties, no classroom support, no supplies, etc., ad infinitum. However, its not just agencies; schools do it too.

But to a much lesser extent and schools tend to be more worried about problems with the Labour department than agencies do!

What possible difference does it make if schools are less prone to rip you off; if you get one of the bad schools? First, you have to realize that NES teachers are a dime a dozen in Thailand. They get paid and treated poorly, because they want ti stay here and they accept it--the ones who don't are easily replaced by the myriads of NES teacher wanna-bes. The tightening of Dept of Ed qualifications for teachers should be a good thing and result in fewer qualified teachers who can then demand higher pay--but that thought is based on the old economic law of supply and demand, and TIT.

[aarontendo]

Yeah Smotherb, more than likely what will happen is an endless turn of people on two waivers, more NES staff, and a continuation of stagnation or even decline in salaries at most schools. Some schools will continue to pay for NES qualified teachers, but those will more than likely be the high fee bearing institutions.

[granny salmons]

I guess the nonsense comments on here are a reflection of the people making those comments. The simple truth is that there are good employers and bad employers, regardless of whether they are agencies, schools or something else. After teaching here for ten years, I'm certainly aware of some bad agencies just as I'm aware of some bad schools to work for. I'm also aware of very good companies who make the whole thing of teaching here easier and pleasanter for their teachers. So beware of the idiotic broad-brush answers and try to research each individual employer. Beware also of the 'professional' forum poster who is so often negative...what is his/her real problem? Don't rule out the probability that somebody perhaps fired them for a very good reason!

[Mencken]

I guess the nonsense comments on here are a reflection of the people making those comments.

Genius. No wonder you are a teacher. Epic.

The fact is despite being dozens of agencies, none have even a mediocre reputation. They all range from bad to worse - to worst. I really do not know what would possess you to even contest that point. How is it even posdible?

No, the some good some bad is just bs cop out. Sorry.

No one gets fired from an agency genius unless:

1. Drinking on the job

2. Hitting a Thai

3. Hands down little boys pants

4. Active conspiracy to lay staff off to avoid payment

That is absolute, undisputed fact.

I assure you I have never fallen into any of those catagories nor have been terminated for anytbing else. Unfortunately, cant say the same for 60% of the others I have wotked with.

Please grannysalmon elighten us with your wisdom - which are these elusive agencies that pay top dollar for good tslent and treat its employees with respect. The ones that make certain all teachers are on correct visas and wps. Thanks.

EDIT: from ehat I have seen and read - most teachers leave because of the problems with agencies and the teaching riffraff rather than issues eith the school, teachers, kids, duties - even the administration. That's damning!

Edited February 20, 2015 by Mencken

[Mencken]

I have worked for 2 of the agencies in question here....Mediakids and Echo English.

1. Mediakids I DO NOT RECOMMEND. I almost got arrested due to paperwork not being done on time that they were responsible for. They also told me in writing (which I do have a copy of, and can verify for all you nay-sayers) to overstay my visa, it will be OK. Please PM me and I will share more details. Their communication is not great, and it is difficult t5o get things done, as all decisions are made in Bangkok, and the consultants that visit you generally pay lip service anyway. Worked for them for 2 years unfortunately due to the contract with school being written the way it was, and I did not want to leave my school. The school paid an insane amount of money to them as well. I was making 33,000, and the school was paying 52,500 per month....so they were pocketing 20k a month for overhead and 'expenses of running a business'. I called them out on it, and no longer work for them.......

2. Echo English I did my TEFL course through in Krabi several years ago, and still stay in contact with them now. I personally know 3 of the owners, and they do what they can to make things right. It is a young company, but they have their act together. The owners are Thai, British and Australian for the ones I know, and they do well with followup and keep up with paperwork deadlines for work permit, visa, teaching license etc from what I have heard. Never had a problem with them at all.

3. The last agency, which is the one my school now uses, is OEG. They help with initial paperwork for visa and work permit / teaching license, but then you are more or less on your own. The BIG plus to them is that you can sign direct with the school after your first term. OEG only takes a 1-time finders fee for the paperwork and getting you the teacher. The staff is nice, and all of them are bilingual. The manager is an American, really nice guy.

Thank you. I would never work for the first two, you've simply confirmed suspicious and chatter.

Never heard of the latter. +2

[jdinasia]

A correction on a post I saw above.

Part time work is not illegal. Most of the teachers where I am are part time and all have valid work permits.

I would never consider using an agency.

[WhamBam]

I have worked for 2 of the agencies in question here....Mediakids and Echo English.

1. Mediakids I DO NOT RECOMMEND. I almost got arrested due to paperwork not being done on time that they were responsible for. They also told me in writing (which I do have a copy of, and can verify for all you nay-sayers) to overstay my visa, it will be OK. Please PM me and I will share more details. Their communication is not great, and it is difficult t5o get things done, as all decisions are made in Bangkok, and the consultants that visit you generally pay lip service anyway. Worked for them for 2 years unfortunately due to the contract with school being written the way it was, and I did not want to leave my school. The school paid an insane amount of money to them as well. I was making 33,000, and the school was paying 52,500 per month....so they were pocketing 20k a month for overhead and 'expenses of running a business'. I called them out on it, and no longer work for them.......

2. Echo English I did my TEFL course through in Krabi several years ago, and still stay in contact with them now. I personally know 3 of the owners, and they do what they can to make things right. It is a young company, but they have their act together. The owners are Thai, British and Australian for the ones I know, and they do well with followup and keep up with paperwork deadlines for work permit, visa, teaching license etc from what I have heard. Never had a problem with them at all.

3. The last agency, which is the one my school now uses, is OEG. They help with initial paperwork for visa and work permit / teaching license, but then you are more or less on your own. The BIG plus to them is that you can sign direct with the school after your first term. OEG only takes a 1-time finders fee for the paperwork and getting you the teacher. The staff is nice, and all of them are bilingual. The manager is an American, really nice guy.

Mediakids and Echo English are two of the agencies I see advertising the most as I browse the internet.

Thanks for the post, it has given some insight into them. Paperwork regarding WP is always an important factor and helpful to know what the agencies really do in this regard. Also how helpful they are over the longer term.

[lostinisaan]

I did work for one from 2008 to 2010. At this time they're pretty fair, paid for all expenses and even good money when we had to cover somebody's lesson.All holidays paid for.

10 K were paid for November and April and I even received a 1,500 baht pay raise that pushed me to 36,500 baht.

Unfortunately does it look like they're currently struggling to pay their employees the full salary.

At this time the school's name was written on the contract, so you knew where you were.

I do know quite a few guys who're still with agencies, but I personally prefer direct employment with social security.

I've just met an ex student of mine when she was my students in grade six. She could communicate quite well in grade six, but after six years taught by agency teachers at a high school, she didn't even understand simplest basic English.

But at least the director of the school, plus some guys from the English department seem to be happy, a holiday in Europe, some goodies here, some goodies there.

Agencies' goal is to make money. Guess that says it all.

[TerryLH]

"Just remember if you are dumb enough (or have other income sources) to take eleven month contract, your annual pay decreases about 3k per month. So if they offer 33k, its now 30k."

If you sign an eleven month contract for 33k a month, and they pay you 33k for each of those months, they are giving you exactly what they said they would. I'd guess that the contract doesn't talk about averages over a longer term.

"And the agency people discover that their agency is taking about 50% of their paycheck,..."

I've heard misleading, if not deceitful, comments like this before. This would only be correct if you sign a contract for 24k a month, and they only pay you 12k, keeping the rest of 'your' money for themselves.

If you sign a contract for 24k a month, and get 24k a month, any money over that is not yours, it's the agencies. They are getting paid for the service they provide.

Wether they deserve what they get is another argument, but has nothing to do with 'your' money if they pay the amount you signed a contract for.

"Its normal for the agency to take 25-50% of your pay as commission. Once your placed, the agencies generally forget about you. Only about 10% of the people working for agencies are happy about it. Agencies are just money making companies that foreigners set up,..."

Again, a misleading comment.

I guess if you say things often enough, you might start believing them, even if you have nothing to back up your claim.

Maybe that's why there are multiple posts saying the same things by the same posters?

Not all agencies are set up by foreigners.

[lostinisaan]

"Just remember if you are dumb enough (or have other income sources) to take eleven month contract, your annual pay decreases about 3k per month. So if they offer 33k, its now 30k."

If you sign an eleven month contract for 33k a month, and they pay you 33k for each of those months, they are giving you exactly what they said they would. I'd guess that the contract doesn't talk about averages over a longer term.

"And the agency people discover that their agency is taking about 50% of their paycheck,..."

I've heard misleading, if not deceitful, comments like this before. This would only be correct if you sign a contract for 24k a month, and they only pay you 12k, keeping the rest of 'your' money for themselves.

If you sign a contract for 24k a month, and get 24k a month, any money over that is not yours, it's the agencies. They are getting paid for the service they provide.

Wether they deserve what they get is another argument, but has nothing to do with 'your' money if they pay the amount you signed a contract for.

"Its normal for the agency to take 25-50% of your pay as commission. Once your placed, the agencies generally forget about you. Only about 10% of the people working for agencies are happy about it. Agencies are just money making companies that foreigners set up,..."

Again, a misleading comment.

I guess if you say things often enough, you might start believing them, even if you have nothing to back up your claim.

Maybe that's why there are multiple posts saying the same things by the same posters?

Not all agencies are set up by foreigners.

Just trying to make it a little shorter. You better look for a "real job", work for a good school directly and you will never regret it.

Agencies are definitely good for "short-timers."

Edited February 22, 2015 by lostinisaan

[Mencken]

Terry and Lost In Issan - I agree.

Terry, I was pointing out not that the agency would not be dishonoring the contract, but the contract SUCKS. They are paid for the full year, this is pocketed or dribbled out as a "bonus" - run! If they honor the contract that is all that is required, legally and ethically. I'm not the one whinging about some agencies pocketing money, people and expenses need to be paid. Having said that, they have burned out their pool of teachers, especially at 35k a month. Id wush them good luck, but that would be disingenuous.

I have a very strong suspicion that it is going to becone very, very dicey to be employed by an agency. They have overhead, you will see pay issues. In this case, it is the larger agencies that will be the ones most difficult to meet their needs - paying directors, Thai staff, overhead and finally, teachers.

Thus year seems pivotal. Many of the ads are evasive and dishonest. But I think the pool is culled. Thailand needs an army of Filipinos at this point.

Between the government complications and chaos with teaching, government change of visa policy, low wages, burnout and historic distrust of agencies many schools will go without NES. It was already happening last year.

Schools will not go bankrupt or stiff you on the pay. Sure there might be other nonsense, but agencies - its not that they profit, they seek undeserved profits. Thus is especially true of western run business whether its a burger joint or a teaching agency. Foreigners need a crazy stsndard of living and that is what will be attempted to be extracted from the business. Just a guess but you might expect a foreign western national to try and hump out 150% over what a Thai would make in his or her place.

Really sad thing is why these people qualify for visas? Very easy to see dozens of Thais very able to do the job of managing the business, staff and teachers within a hundred agencies in Thailand. Thasnd doesn't need farang manager and you sure don't, lol!

Agencies do not have your best interests at heart. In fact, they do not even seek mutual benefit. You are a disposable cog.

Edited February 23, 2015 by Mencken

[Jimjim1968]

Fifteen years I have taught English in Thailand. I had sour experiences with two foreign run agencies, making casual threats about who provided my visa and trying to get me to do unwanted overtime. I left those agents behind. Then stayed 9 years with a Thai run agency and was treated very well. They even provided health insurance for my daughter. And every year I was given an easier time.

I now work direct for a government school and am treated very well, even though some of the Thai teachers seem not to like the native English teachers very much. That's their problem. Many of my friends are working for agents and have a constant terrible time; multiple trips to Penang as the agent can't seem to understand how to make a visa application.