Shenzhen English Teaching Program Legit?

[Loopy J]

Hello everyone.

I will be graduating with a BA degree next month, and my next move is to work and study in China.

I did a little searching online for some options, and without any effort, I found a website for an English Teaching Program in Shenzhen, China.

Over a week ago, I applied. Last week, I had a telephone interview with an American guy in Tennessee. Just today, I received an email saying I was accepted in the program. This is great news, however I want to make sure that this is legit. I don't want to get ripped off.

Here is the website: http://www.chinaprogram.org/

They want $300 up front, and $1900 by July 1 to cover the month in Beijing to cover visa fees and TEFL training. That is what I am concerned about. Sending these people $2200 is a hefty chunk of change from my wallet.

My questions are, for this forum, Has anyone heard of this program? If so, is it legit? Any advice?

[feihong]

It looks legit as far as I can tell, but I think the fee is just too high. You should look for a better offer, in my opinion. Perhaps the training is excellent, but it's unlikely that you need any training for the kind of English teaching you will be doing (in most cases your class is just supplementary to the one run by their real English teacher). You should also ask around on other online forums that specifically deal with finding English-teaching jobs in China.

[Loopy J]

Thank you for the response.

The April 1 deadline is over, so I have to make a decision soon. I did speak with someone from this program on the phone, so I was fairly confident it was legit, however you could never be too sure. I've heard horror stories of scenarios where people send money to come work in a foreign country, and when they arrive they get drugged and their kidneys removed and sold on the black market.

I have never been to China, so I am not sure what to expect. From what research I have done, Shenzhen does seem like a very interesting place to be. Lots of people, and more cities close by to explore. I am leaning towards committing to this, even though it does have a very high fee. More opinions are very welcome.

[abcdefg]

Any advice?

At the very least you should ask for names of several people who have used this service and then talk with them directly.

They aren't likely to steal your kidneys, but your greenback dollars might be another matter. Paying a deposit in advance is not unusual, but paying the whole amount up front kind of raises a red flag for me.

[anonymoose]

What is it you actually get for the program? Do you get a recognised certificate at the end of it?

If your main objective is to get proper training in English teaching, then I'd advise that you do more research on the actual content of the course and compare with other programs.

On the other hand, if your main objective is just to get to China and teach, then there are many schools which will provide you with training (although likely only to last a couple of days) without you having to pay anything.

I only had a quick look at the site you linked to. Maybe I am missing something, but it seems $2200 is a ludicrous sum for what they are offering (1 month of training?). In addition, being paid 6500 RMB per month for teaching is a little on the low side.

[Loopy J]

I've had a chance to do more research, and the more I look into it, it does seem paying $2200 to these people is a bit much.

I think because it was one of the first programs that I looked into and got accepted, is why I was so interested. Thank you again for your advice and comments.