This guy is a creep. So rude and without any kind of class.
As they say "There's no cure for being a c***"

I emailed him about a job and added him on wechat.
The first message he sent he addressed me as DUDE.
Hardly professional in my book.
Asked me one or two random questions and then disappeared..... an utter waste of space.

Adkins must be a one-man show. Stay away.

Seriously, how this guy stays in business is just mind-boggling.

He has been rude to many people as this thread clearly indicates. He must be either mentally ill or a complete idiot, and there is nothing professional in his behaviour. Don't waste your time on such a maniac like him! He's a complete waste of space!

Gabriel, my story about you is true. You are a truely horrible human being. Why did you insult me? Here is a brief summary of our history, including your insults tonight.

I just had yet another terrible experience with Gabriel Adkins from Golden Staffing. I responded to a job advert on an employment site. The advert did not mention Golden Staffing, or I would never have applied. Next thing I knew, I had received an email from Gabriel wanting to set up a Skype call. I told him "If you recall you called me on my birthday and then accused me of lying about my experience, education and salary. But that was probably the 10th time in 6 years that we had spoken and each time you initially claimed that you had high paying university jobs but it turned out that you didn't. Do you actually have such jobs now? If not, we could both save some time."

Gabriel's response was "We do, but every time you disqualify yourself like so. Happy belated birthday. How is conning your way through life going? Go to Mass and get yourself cleaned up. God bless..."

And just like the previous time he accused me of lying, I asked him why he insulted me like that, but he had already crawl away. Do not work with this guy. There is something seriously wrong with him.

I just had a horrible experience with Gabriel Adkins this afternoon. He told me that I am a disgusting person inside because he was handing out my resume to jobs that seemed crappy. He also had a habit of Skyping me without setting a time. He proceeded to tell me I am an ugly person and I should have been born black. STAY AWAY FROM GABRIEL ADKINS

Sounds like a load of old todge to me /a pack of lies. It's unlikely in the extreme that even a bad recruiter would be so careless in his words. I wasn't born in a barn but there's plenty of vintage posters here that are from distinct rural stock. The poster who answers you immediately before me takes the wild fabrication even further and bandies around 'paedophilia' to cover recruits he doesn't like..and that's the oldest kitchen-sink-weapon in the book. Might be one himself for all we know.

Dunno if you are good or bad, but your style is trumpish, and that's enough for me to tell you: Fuck off!

Should have been born black? Fake Story. Lots of nasty people out there. All the negative or ugly reviews are from people that were rejected as potential pedophiles or people "unsuitable" for healthy and gainful employment. If you were to read reviews from anyone that actually went through our FREE services there is only praise and thanksgiving. Smile and have a little purpose in your life helping others.

Had a similar experience with Gabriel. He is the worst excuse I have ever had the displeasure of meeting in recruiting.

Words are not sufficient to explain his despicable rude communication. Clearly Golden Staffing must actually be his company - no one in their right mind would actually employ Gabriel as an employee. He is the biggest liability risk to an employer I've ever imagined...how there are not legal cases brought against this guy daily, I am not sure.

I certainly would have no dealings with Golden Staffing ever.

Same - I had plenty of experience and education and Gabriel is by far, one of the rudest individuals I have ever had to deal with.

After a few email exchanges, it was clear this was not someone I would ever do business with. Even after telling him I wanted never to hear from him again, he mistakenly still sent emails. When I reminded him again that I said absolutely no contact from him, he was rude some more. I haven't posted against him for fear that he will be in touch again, but it is worth it if I stop one person from having any dealings with him. I am sure others feel the same. He is notoriously rude, as one can read from the many, many posts here.

Stay safe - and in my opinion and advice - STAY FAR AWAY from this recruiter and Golden Staffing. Consider yourself WARNED.

And just a word about other recruiters - I've dealt with at least 10 or more, and never had any ask me or money or never had a problem. All were very professional and truly interested in helping me out. Nothing but good things to say about other recruiters I've dealt with. They were all above board - happy to provide their names and organizations. I got a job in China on my own, dealing directly with schools and other helpful resources from my TEFL/TESL provider and GOOD recruiters (definitely not Gabriel). No one, and I mean NO ONE should put up with his belittling comments.

MM - Canada

Gabrial Adkins is a terrible recruiter and an awful person

Over the past 5 years he would call me every few months, seemingly forgetting that we had just spoken. And every time I would tell him he doesn't have jobs at my level. I am a university professor with a PhD, teaching in a joint venture program and the jobs he was offering paid less than half of my salary. This year, I have taken a new position as program director at another joint venture for more money and when he called me, I told him he had nothing for me. He insisted on hearing my salary and degrees, and when I told him, he accused me of lying. I earned my PhD in China, and it has a serial number on it for verification, so I sent it to him and he said "You're stroking your own ego." No, I am giving proof that what I said was true, and I demand an apology. A few days later, he called and said, "You seem sane now." I decided that he couldn't help me with a job, but maybe I could get some information from him. So I asked, "In your experience how much should a program director in a joint venture get paid?" And he said "Universities pay shit." So I countered, "I am not asking about an average Chinese university. I am asking about a program director in a joint venture." He said, "Universities pay 6-8,000". So, I repeated, "I am not asking about Chinese universities in general, I am asking about program manager in a joint venture." He then accused me of being arrogant and a liar. And he told me, "If you really want to work in a university, the first step is to be a good person, the prove yourself, and someday you may make the money you claim you are making." I flipped out! I am a published author and an expert on China economy. I have a great job in university, but was curious if there was a better one. This guy has seen my resume every few months for 5 years and now he acted as if I had never worked in a university. He also didn't seem to understand what a joint venture university was. I demanded an apology again, and he blocked me on Skype. I can't imagine anyone wanting to do business with this guy. He was either not listening or accusing me of lying, neither of which would result in a successful placement.

I just had a horrible experience with Gabriel Adkins this morning as well. He told me that I should I was an ugly person inside because he was handing out my resume to jobs that seemed super sketchy. He also had a habit of Skyping me without setting a time. I asked him to stop that. He proceeded to tell me that Korea had made me an ugly person and that I should consider suicide or abortion (? because I'm not pregnant) since Korea has high rates of both. STAY AWAY FROM GABRIEL ADKINS

I am caring and believing in professional attitudes but I see few care or are professional. I don't believe in god but science and people who care little about money or ego. You strike me as one who believes but writes desperately rather than professionally. You may have found a soul mate in FTinPRC who by the way is also a doctor with multiple user names most likely not in PRC. Not that I suggest that you're of the same profession but of the same nature. I believe in your name but your nature as much as I believe in FTinPRC's user names but his character. Based on what I have read from both of you/about you and on what I've learnt about recruiting "services" and FTinPRC's web of tirade, I believe that the two of you should start up a business together. In the current deceitful market where unethical behaviors are well structured within the laws, you and the witch doctor would most likely have your stock rise dramatically. Anyhow, however it's nice to see some hitch themselves so well, it's hard to taste what people like you two have been cooking. Whether the supplies improve or get worse than they are remains to be seen as much as it does whether we break out of the dark ages of lies and deceit.

Over and Out
Caring

Professional losers like this will tell you they know better and everyone else is wrong. I
will agree with this person to a small extent in that if you are going through an
unsympathetic or uncaring recruiter then going through a school directly might be
beneficial, but it is extremely careless and in fact can be quite precarious if you
don't know what you are doing or if you are stubborn enough to not admit otherwise. In
any case, if you do go through a good, caring recruiter then they can get you a safe and
secure job and make sure you live happily after. If the school violates the terms of the
contract you have an ally on your side. I will leave it to everyone to decide for
themselves. I am not going to sit here and dictate to everyone like everyone else in
this board what right and wrong is. People are smart enough to figure it out themselves.
If you want to do it all yourself, then you have no one else to blame except for the
person in the mirror if anything goes wrong as often does in China. God bless…

If I was a recruiter I
would be more concerned about my reputation and trying to prevent negative feedback
later. If you have a school that has shafted an FT then drop them and help the incumbent
FT find another job.

A recruiter that helps a FT leave his client during contract loses his fee and probably loses the client.

If you were a recruiter, would you prefer a great school as a client where every new teacher stays for four or five years or would you prefer a terrible school where the FTs leave at the end of every year, insuring that you get repeat business and multiple fees every year?

As far as negative feedback, recruiters change their English names repeatedly but never change the Chinese names by which they are known to the schools.

Golden Shower Staffing will no doubt soon flush their name.

The thing with recruiters is finding a good one is like finding a needle in a haystack. There are good ones, and as the more prominent posters seem to keep pushing there are the ones who simply see the FT as a commodity in a financial transaction.

When I first came to China I was hoodwinked by a certain company in Chengdu. Luckily I had the financial resources and ability to walk away from the mess they caused me and found another job myself, however there are those who once arrive and realise what was told is fiction not fact then the negativity and ill feelings prevail.

Certainly for new FT's now, having to go through all the hoops, expenses and such, if I was to use a recruiter, the job they would be offering me would have to be solid and worth the hassles. There is a risk that anyone coming to China or indeed any other foreign countries accepts and takes. Those of us who have been here a long time also realise that contracts are largely in favour of the employee rather than the employer and simply do not have the same meaning or value as they do in western countries.

I have no experience of Golden Staffing so I am not being critical. If I was a recruiter I would be more concerned about my reputation and trying to prevent negative feedback later. If you have a school that has shafted an FT then drop them and help the incumbent FT find another job. Sadly, with most recruiters, once the FT has arrived and the fee(s) paid, that is the last the FT will hear from them.

Professional losers like this will tell you they know better and everyone else is wrong. I will agree with this person to a small extent in that if you are going through an unsympathetic or uncaring recruiter then going through a school directly might be beneficial, but it is extremely careless and in fact can be quite precarious if you don't know what you are doing or if you are stubborn enough to not admit otherwise. In any case, if you do go through a good, caring recruiter then they can get you a safe and secure job and make sure you live happily after. If the school violates the terms of the contract you have an ally on your side. I will leave it to everyone to decide for themselves. I am not going to sit here and dictate to everyone like everyone else in this board what right and wrong is. People are smart enough to figure it out themselves. If you want to do it all yourself, then you have no one else to blame except for the person in the mirror if anything goes wrong as often does in China. God bless…

Well our doors are open to everyone and we try to help everyone, but there are people like this that will twist your words and recommendations to suit their own needs. You will not find a single individual that does not have an extremely positive view of Golden Staffing that has ACTUALLY utilized our services. We am very happy about this and my door is always open to anyone who genuinely wants help. We are not interested in helping individuals that want to make up lies only to make themselves feel better…

I agree this guy is rude. I added him to my travel blog mailing list because we have previously discussed jobs in China. He responds to the form letter like this:

"Sure looks like spam. Just call me on Skype like real person… My Skype ID: gs-gabriel"

So rude. You just lost a client.

I think people are smart enough to figure things out on their own. I have a Facebook profile and a LinkedIn profile, but you can go ahead and confuse everyone if it makes you feel better :-)

It's important to note that there is not a single complaint lodged here made by anyone that experienced our services. In fact, although it is somewhat muffled by negativity, all people that actually experienced had extremely positive things to say. We look forward to helping you and getting you out of all this negativity. Be positive and you can do virtually anything… :-)

I didn't reply to your concerns, but I guess it should be addressed so we can help others. If prospective teachers read the other replies, this individual has been eaten alive by other teachers we have helped. It is a year for your life and we will see you through the process entirely and answer every single question you have.

I myself am a volunteer and yes, I'm quite blunt with individuals wanting attention and wasting my time when i could be spending time helping others. I have over eight years of experience and will be more than happy to help you every step of the way. If it makes this guy feel better about himself to criticize others, fantastic for him, but let's try to be civil and helpful to each other, how about that…

If an employee is "being taken care of", they are NOT doing a "Hong Kong visa run".
Legitimate employers provide Z visas BEFORE you are in China, then FECs, Residency permits, and renewals once you arrive.
They DO NOT send anyone to Hong Kong.
Run away from any recruiter that uses the term "Hong Kong visa run".

LOL

What a load of nonsense. The recruiter isn't offering good advice (neither are you); his advice is tailored in the way so he can get his fees considerably easier while knowing full well that the teachers will be working ILLEGALLY in the country. I'm leaning more towards the possibility that you're a recruiter lying out of your teeth. If by chance you are a teacher and have been teaching for 7 years, then you, my adorable friend, are a grade A piece of crap. Martin hit the nail on the hit with your BS. You're just telling foreigners to be taken advantage of just so recruiters can get their fees.

Hi Bob, thanks for taking the time to post intelligently. As someone who is interested in teaching in China, or elsewhere abroad, it is sometimes confusing to wade through the opinions of others who are not as experienced as you are, and so I am thankful you posted. I have received very different offers from different recruiters from Golden Staffing and even from Mr. Adkins...I received a more interesting offer from another recruiter though (also from Golden Staffing)...I am wondering if there is usually any leeway with regards to time...I'd like to go abroad in January rather than rush about for September.
Do you suggest applying directly to the schools for a better package or would you say the good recruiter earns his/her wages by making life easier and negotiating a good package for the teacher living in the US (I am Canadian, but have taught in Latin America, currently reside in the US, but would like to teach abroad and save money while working over there...)
What advice do you have for me?
Thank you, in advance, for taking the time to reply.
P.S-I am also looking at the UAE....any experience over there or knowledge of teachers over there that liked it, felt safe, etc?
Daniela

Interesting, Golden Staffing posting a message on this necro thread at the exact same time this so called "teacher" Dan Moses posted one.

You are being flippant. People don't need recruiters in the first place, so why even suggest using them? Yes, Turnoi and Silverboy may be unsavoury types but they are right about recruiters.

Hahaha! I don't think either will relish having you on side. 'Unsavoury' indeed! Nothing unsavoury about Turnoi I've decided, but SB will take it as a compliment.

All they know is where the best brothel in each town is.

I heard that the noble Brutus/Silverboy was stuck for cash so can't stretch it to the best brothel in town. I'm surprised he hasn't picked up something life-threatening by now apart from a paunch hahaha, only joking lol.

To be honest I have[just recently]heard on the grapevine some good things about Turnoi but of course he is wrong about recruiters...mostly.

Agreed, that is why it is a "SUGGESTION". If you don't feel comfortable with it or think you are smarter somehow, don't do it that way, but don't be surprised if you become a slave to your school…

This is why he is suggesting you come here first, see if you like it and then, go to Hong Kong to obtain your work visa.

Dangerous advice given that lots had to go to the USA or UK to get the visa from there. It may be ok for some nationalities, or may well depend on the mood of the immigration officer at the building in Wan Chai. Risky, and you would be out of pocket....an Italian I knew had neglected to bring his medical report with him, or his FAO had not given it to him, as a result the bitch of a woman in the chinese office in Wan Chai refused to put his application through.

Be very very careful with the HK visa run is all I am saying, anything could go wrong, and you could end up stranded in HK. Would your employer send you money and buy you a ticket home then?

Actually Doug, this recruiter is offering you some good advice.

I have been teaching here in China for 7 years and what Golden Staffing is suggesting is a good idea in the current climate. China is a huge country so the quality of school can vary quite significantly from good schools and really really bad ones. So his suggestion of coming first on a tourist or business visa is a good idea. You should check out the school, check out the city and check out the culture. So many Americans come her expecting China to be exactly like the US. Well, it not the same... AT ALL.

His suggestion about the visa is not a bad one. One of the requirements about obtaining a work visa here is that you need to apply from outside of China. This is why he is suggesting you come here first, see if you like it and then, go to Hong Kong to obtain your work visa. This loophole may close sometime soon and they may require you to apply for the work visa from your home country, but for now, you can still apply from Hong Kong.

And he is correct about changing jobs. When you work for a school, your contract is normally one year in length - this is a requirement by the government. Just like the US, your visa is tied to your employer. If you don't like your employer, you cannot simply just go to another school. There are financial penalties for cancelling your contract before the full year is complete. So Golden is correct is advising you to be sure of the school before you commit.

Doug, please be careful about making statements like " anyone who would suggest such a thing should be avoided at all costs." Based on this one post, I would not agree with your characterization.

When you come to China, you have to come with the right attitude. The culture is different here and it is more than just the food. The way that they do business, the way that your manager will deal with you, the way that you teach. It will all be different. if you come with a positive attitude that you are willing to learn and adapt to the culture, then you will last longer. if you come with an "colonization" attitude or a "American superiority" attitude, then you will hate it hear and will be on the first flight home.

Steve (if that's your real name),

Thank you for the promotion. As you can see, we don't let nutballs in like this. Many of the jobs are with children. We certainly do not want to introduce pedophiles or emotionally disturbed individuals into these jobs (they really don't need to be around adults either).

People like this will come around every now and then wanting attention and many times it's the only thing keeping them from suicide. However, if you are sincerely seeking help in your employment, we would love to work with you.

Best regards,

Golden Staffing

Quite right, we want to keep such types unemployed and busy on ESL forums. By the way it's 'paedophiles' of which their are precious few among working FT's. They merely make us feel good because no matter how twisted we might be they outdo us.

Over the period of a few days I received emails from Chinese companies whose emails seemed so
unprofessional that they had to be a scam or a phishing attack on my information.

Dude, this is just the way hiring unknown quantities--i.e. teachers in positions where power can easily be abused coming from half-a-world away--takes place in East Asia. It's the vetting process. This is a respected firm with the /wsj and Disney as clients. Bug off.