It's true that you don't need to pay anyone to find a job in China. You can find a job here for free. If this site doesn't work out, you can also try out Dave's ESL cafe as well: http://www.eslcafe.com/

I went to Hangzhou, China from 2006-2007 with the help of ITA. Could I have found a job without them? Sure, no problem. But what would I have found?

My teaching schedule in Hangzhou was 14 hours a week for 4,300 RMB, everything included (including airfare). I wanted to teach adults, and so I was placed by him to teach at the 2nd best University in Hangzhou, working with postgraduates. I was extremely pleased with the position he placed me with, and was really able to do some good in that city.

There were occasionally some disagreements with the administration over what sort of Holidays we were allowed, as well as getting additional furnishings for my apartment. Not only did Keith make sure we got all of our holidays (Christmas!) off, but he also negotiated for a couch to be supplied by the school.

You're not paying for a job. Anyone can find a job. You're paying for ITA's years of experience of putting people into the teaching positions they want, as well as the support from people that know how China works. Alternative services to this cost upwards of $2,000 for unnecessary ESL courses, and then you could end up teaching 40+ hours a week in some language mill screaming "DOG!" "CAT!" "BALL!" at a classroom stuffed full of 6 year olds.

With the rising value of the RMB, I'm shocked to see that their prices haven't gone up. Ignore the naysayers that have never used this service. If you want to teach in China, go through ITA. Hell, the better wage he'll find you will probably pay for itself.