There are several things you need to know before you sign up:
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How do they charge? Do they charge the school or you? How much do they charge? This is a tricky question because your agency will probably not tell you but at least you should know your money is not taken away by them.
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What kind of services they will do for you: pickup,temp accommodation, apartment, moving, setup utlilities, visa, ARC, health insurance, etc. They would probably not do them all for you, but make sure they help you with first three and visa, ARC and maybe visa run if needed.
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Read through the contract and have someone review the Chinese version for you: majority contracts are cited in both Chinese and English but they all say that Chinese one is the one they follow once disputes occur. For your best interest, you should review them both before you sign. If you could not find someone to review it for you, you should have them translate the Chinese one for you and watch their responses in case they fool you.
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How far would they negotiate for you when you have a problem with the school? An agency should be the liason for both parties. You shouldn’t argue with the school yourself, have the agency do it for you. The agent probably speaks better English so they should be quite helpful for this kind situation. But keep this in mind: agency makes money from the school, not you. They usually take the side of a school unless you are absolutely right. If you are legal, remember you can always call the hotline and the Labor Bureau should be able to help you.
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How much would you lose if you breach the contract?
The normal lenghth of a contract is 12 months, which is required by the Labor Bureau. Yea, you could get a shorter work visa but the fees are the same so why get a shorter one? The best way is to make sure you would not lose your pay when you resign, but you will have to review your contract before you do anything. -
Could your agency help you if you are unsatisfied with your school?
Would they charge for the relocation? Would they help you to start over? This is quite common at your first school. It’s like you need to put up more for your first job because your immune system hasn’t built up yet. Make sure your agency helps you to deal with the relocation, then your life would be much easier.
Experiences shared by Kingruei Enterprise 