As I am in the midst of a job search in Nanjing, I responded to a typical cryptic posting from Jiangsu Ministry of Education about a month ago. I was promptly contacted by two different people with the agency asking me to send Passport page and telephone number (I had already supplied resume and all support educational/professional documents). I usually withhhold the passport page and telephone number until I am sure it is a position worth pursuing further.

After the two representatives from JMofEd persuaded me to send the passport and telephone number, poof!, they disappeared, leaving me feeling, well... you can imagine.

Last week, a few potantially interesting (blind) job leads appeared from -- guess who -- Jiangsu Ministry of Education. With hesitation, I sent a letter of inquiry, but told them I did so with hesitancy (and trepidation) because of the disappearing act they had pulled a month earlier.

The project placement manager promptly replied with apologies and assured me the situation would not repeat itself this time, and that he would contact me "again within a few days with some appropriate offers to consider." That was the last correspondence I received from him.

Perhaps the most telling thing in his reply was that JMoEd was concentrating their efforts on recruiting new teachers, not experienced ones. Wow! What does this say to you??? In my mind, it means they are seeking what some posters would call "greenies" who are not so skilled in asking any and all vital questions before venturing to China and signing contracts.

Based on my two, brief and failed encounters with this outfit, I would
say they like to avoid more experienced FTs who ask to many questions and require too many details.

I always agree so much with Raoul Duke's advice. Why didn't I listen to him on this one??? Sorry, Raoul!