I'm beginning to think that recruiters have a think tank wherein they all gather to swap new ideas - ideas that they hope will lure in unsuspecting teachers. Newly graduated teachers, full of hope for their new teaching careers and recognizing that teaching abroad can be a nice springboard to launch said careers are especially susceptible to the scams of these recruiters. Asking for money to process a letter of invitation is a new one to me. Obviously, recruiters are quite aware that the visa rules have gotten more stringent; therefore, they recognize the importance of a letter of invitation, and some bright scam artist has come up with this new idea for extracting money from your pocket and putting it in their own. A letter of invitation must come directly from the school for which you will be working and has absolutely nothing to do with a recruiter.

Thanks for including Ms. Sylvia's name in your post. Obviously, a recruiter such as her should be blacklisted. Unfortunately, Guangdong and especially Guangzhou is full of recruiting piranhas. Be careful about swimming in that pool.

As has been said again and again in this and other forums, recruiters are unnecessary, and, more often than not, extremely dishonest. DO NOT SEND MONEY TO A RECRUITER!

I've yet to hear of a job in Inner Mongolia that was worth the trouble. I'd love to go there myself, but when I do, it will be as a tourist - not as a teacher. If you really want to check it out as a teacher, though, there are plenty of job listings here at eslteachersboard for jobs in Inner Mongolia; however, pay close to attention to which ones are offered by recruiters and which ones are offers directly from the schools themselves. In addition, save yourself a headache and avoid private schools until you've learned the ropes.