I received a similar email from a gentleman telling me he needed an ESL Teacher immediately to educate his 2 small children and wife in English. He claimed he was working for the international oil and gas company GEOMAXX and that they were originally from Southern Australia, residing in Nigeria. He offered to pay me $4500/month and that I could either be a live-in or live-out teacher. He said on the weekends he and his family went to amusement and water parks.

The first thing that tipped me off aside from recognizing that Nigeria is near the top of the list for scams, is that they are a poor country and offered to pay me that kind of money. Granted he said his family was originally from Australia, but I have been doing a lot of research on teaching abroad and that is even higher than what Japan or South Korea pays for college instructors. He also added that their original language is Kaurna, which is an ancient Aboriginal language that was thought to have died out, along with the tribe in the 1860s. I asked him what his role was at GEOMAXX for which he never answered. He did state that he would pay for my visa and ticket and that I could start very soon.

After all this research was said and done, I thought I should pass on the position as I would be residing in a country of political and civil unrest. No thanks. I stated this in a candid email and a few days later received a formal letter from "The Nigerian Goverment" stating that I am mandated to come to the country and teach per my contract (never received nor signed anything) and that my cooperation is appreciated. I should also mention the incredible amount of typos and grammatical errors I found in the government document. What can I say, I can't help myself - I wanted to proofread it, but I certainly do not recommend anyone travel there. Too bad - since I have always wanted to travel to Nigeria.

Teachers Beware! Always look to be sponsored by a school and/or organization BEFORE you get there and ALWAYS ask to review a formal contract! Also, always know where your country's embassy is - you never know when you might need their help!