I am sure you are aware but there is a skills shortage within education and therefore recruitment companies are clamouring over themselves to work with qualified language teachers and fill ever increasing vacancies. This may sound like heaven as you will be inundated with jobs, but is the recruiter all that they seem?
Be wary.
After 15 years in the recruitment sector I am fully aware that there are a large number of unscrupulous organisations out there that proceed to ruin the reputation of the ethical recruitment firms simply by being in the same sector. Remember, anyone can have a fantastic website built, but is there any substance behind it?
How can you tell if your recruiter is worth dealing with?
Well, firstly, don’t believe everything you read on the forums. It is very rare that anyone will post a positive review of a recruitment company, forums breed negativity and therefore you cannot obtain a true picture from just reading the thoughts of a few teachers. There are always two sides to every story.
Ask other teachers for a referral. Check the company out on Linked In, are their consultants listed and how many recommendations do they have? How long has the company been in operation? Do they operate from a fixed address or just a mobile? Is their website updated regularly, how proactive are they? By looking deeper into a company you can begin to build up a good profile of them.
Demand for money
Remember that recruitment firms make their money through the placement of teachers. However, the ‘fee’ is paid by the hiring company, not the individual. So, tip number one, if you are EVER asked to part with any money by the recruiter, run for the hills. No professional recruitment organisation will ask for money from you, if they say it is for visa and medical fees, again, resist. You should ONLY pay this money to the visa agent directly.
Offers without interviews
I assume you will have uploaded your CV onto several job sites as well as applying for a number of roles with a number of recruiters. If you receive an offer by email without having had an interview or having discussed the role in detail, alarm bells need to ring. Ethical recruitment companies will NEVER ever simply present a contract of employment to you without having had an in depth conversation to discuss the role, location and organisation you will be working for. Obviously I cannot prevent you from accepting such an offer but I cannot understand why anyone would move countries / jobs on the whim of an email.
Lack of communication
Even if you have a conversation about a job, make sure all lines of communication remain open and the recruiter exhibits complete transparency at all times. If you get the impression they are winging it or being evasive, walk away. A good recruiter will know everything about the role, mobilisation process, package, location and start dates. Unfortunately there are too many companies that have the opinion that once the teacher has accepted the job, their work is done. Nothing is further from the truth. You should be in close contact with the recruiter up to mobilisation, after all, they are supposed to be your confidant and support mechanism. If this breaks down I would seriously question whether the role is all that is seems.
Be realistic
Of course, even the best recruitment company in the world cannot legislate for its clients or external factors that may hinder the offer and / or mobilisation process. If I can be so bold, don’t have unrealistic expectations and try not to become impatient if the process isn’t going as quickly as you would like. As I stated earlier, a recruiter makes their money by getting teachers jobs, so why on earth would they knowingly slow down the process? If you antagonise the recruiter, they may not prioritise your application, so play fair too.
Teachers are not perfect either!
Securing a new role via a recruiter is a two way process. The recruiter will expect you to be professional, communicative and react to reasonable requests too. Remember, if you are dragging your feet during the offer or visa process, the hirer may become concerned about your commitment and rescind the offer. You need to be open and honest with your recruiter, the world of education recruitment is not as big as you may think and burning bridges is never a good idea. Recruiters are not naïve enough to think that you are not applying for other roles and will then consider all offers, but if you accept a role, tell them. Don’t just vanish off the face of the earth, we do have very good memories…
In conclusion, once you are happy with your recruiter, stick with them and work together as a team. Build a good relationship and this will stand you in good stead for future positions and contracts.
How do I know this? Well, as Managing Director of m2r Education, we haven’t won 5 international business awards and received numerous glowing references plus recognition from the British government for nothing you know….
m2rglobal 