I've been reading horror stories of people who've been duped or misled by schools or recruiters, so my question is this:

Is it better to arrange a job pre-departure, OR just pay for your own flight/accom and go to the city you want to teach, and search for jobs on your own?

I'm considering Japan, Taiwan or Europe ... any experiences from 'freelancers'? Can you find teaching jobs in a city where you don't speak the native language? Can you negotiate more money by cutting out the middlemen (recruiters)?

I'm a 25-year-old Canadian, native English speaker with a Bachelor's and a Master's degree (and, since it apparently matters in Asia, caucasian).

Thanks!

PS -- if you prefer, email me at timhughes at hot mail dot com (trying to avoid those spam spiders ...)