Tutor scam or common law?

[laurab]

I went for a job interview today for a English tutor at a place called Do-it Tutoring Center. I was promised 120 per hour if the student came to me and 150 if I go to them. This all seemed fine until she told me there would be a 240RMB fee for me to pay after the first two sessions. She explained this was a one time fee and the students would pay me after each session in cash directly. Has anyone else experienced this fee? I ask her way the students don't pay the fee and she explained that they pay as well. What if I pay and the students mysteriously stop coming? Do you smell a scam? It was a small office in the Beijing Agricultural Production Material Building. I found their add on That’s Beijing's website. Any thoughts would be useful! Thanks, Laura:help

[md1101]

scam or not there's no way i'd accept that. they need you so why the hell should you pay a fee?! does sound like a scam to me.

[Yang Rui]

I suppose they might justify the 240RMB charge as an introduction fee, as they are acting as an agency bringing students and tutors together. But like mick, there's no way i would pay that. If you want to teach english, i'm sure you can easily find a job which doesn't charge you for the pleasure.

[adrianlondon]

Tell them you're happy to pay the charge after the 20th lesson or something. Or tell your new students that there's a 240RMB admin charge they need to pay you after lesson 2 :-)

[trevelyan]

Come on guys. It isn't unreasonable for an agency to charge freelancers money to set them up with work. And two hours isn't out of the park. If the agency is delivering quality students one job will often lead to another anyway.

If you're worried that the student will skip off after two classes, either take Yang Rui's advice, or make sure the agent will set you up with other students free of charge if your first student falls through within a month or so.

[mrtoga]

Why would the student skip off? Of course if you are a poor teacher you would not be able to maintain your students.

I have a friend who is doing a similar thing in Wudaokou. He seems pretty happy with it and maintains most of his students at a good rate per hour. Sounds like a reasonable deal to me.......