The following is an email I sent last Saturday to two teachers whose names I was given by Mr Michael Howard of Contek as a response to my request to write to teachers working at Contek as a way of validating their school. To date I have had no replies to this latest email from me, although these two did reply originally (out of four names in total) and they described the school and staff in positive terms.
Contek also sent six photos of the school and students which seemed genuine.
All this made me accept a position, and thru a series of increasingly personable emails with Mr Howard, I arrange my affairs to travel to the UK last Tuesday, 11 July.

Read on:

Chucks and Jeanne, you already know me as we have had
email contact before. The other two teachers I wrote
before but so far have not replied. I beg you all
respond to this email please.
Last week today, Saturday, I sent 272 British pounds
to Skyview Travel agency, under the instructions of
Michael Howard of Contek Institue. I had offered to
pay for my flight via the airlines webpage but Mr
Howard insisted that I do it through their 'official'
agent because they were also picking me up from the
airport and somehow it made invoicing and paperwork
sense to Contek. Although it seemed an uneccessarily
circuitious route, I did what I was asked.
Due to a delay with Western Union the money was not
picked up until late Tuesday. I was informed by both
Skyview and Western Union themselves. The payee was
the Skyview accountant.
Skyview wrote in that last email that the accountant
had not arrived in the office at their time of writing
and so they would email me the next day with my flight
details.
That is the last I have heard by email of both Skyview
and from Contek Insitute. Today is Saturday, so it
makes four days of no contact, which is very strange
because prior to recieving my money I was sometimes in
daily contact with either Mr Howard or the Agency.

I have phoned Contek three time over the past two
days. I apparently spoke with Mr Howard once and he
promised to email me the next day, which he didn't.
Both times I phoned the first time the office ambient
noise was very high and it did not have the
'professional' feel of a school's reception.
Yesterday I called again and spoke to a man who
answered to the name of Mr Mack or Matt Berkley. He
told me not to come anymore and that Skyview had
'ripped off' Mr Howard, not just with my ticket money
but, 'All the other teachers who were coming.' He said
Mr Howard was suing the travel agency, but that their
recruitment programme was now suspended
indefinitely.The reason he gave for no email contact
by Mr Howard was that he was so caught up in this new
development.

Obviously I am very concerned. In my emails with Mr
Howard I discussed my difficult financial situation
and he seemed genuinely understanding. I now don't
know if the whole school, or the job, is a fiction or
not. The generous salary package does seem almost too
generous, but there are some International schools
that pay similar.

I have not been given a street address for the
Insitute, and there is no website. But, I asked for
and recieved your four email addresses. Two of you
wrote back and allayed any misgivings that I had up to
then.
I was sent 6 photo of the school, students, and staff
quarters, which all seemed reassuring and genuine.

I now beg you to answer this email and hopefully give
me the answer to these questions:
Is Contek Insitute a geniune Language Institute?
What is the street address of the school?
Is their a Head Teacher or DOS? Do you have their
email and/or telephone number?
How many full-time employees are there, and can you
suggest who might be able to answer my phone calls
more easily? - as the two gentlemen I have spoken with
both seemed to have communication and pronunciation
difficulties.
Did you have to also use Skyview Travel Agents when
you were recruited?
Who recruited you?
Were you recruited via the web, like me?

I don't want to think what is increasing becoming
apparent to me, ie. that I have been ripped-off.
To use a Professional ESL Recruitment channel on the
internet and target a group of often selfless
underpaid individuals is too despicable for me to even
want to think this.
So, as a matter of urgency to me, because I have been
packed and ready for the past four days to leave for
my new job - and I am financially stretched, could you
please give me some answers about Contek, Mr Howard,
and Skyview?
I need contact names, addresses and phone numbers
mostly so I can speak to someone to verify the
situation.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
James Pipp