I hope this thread doesn't turn into one of those bickering things back and forth. Seems just like all other disagreements in life, truth and accuracy is somewhere in between the two.

I've never used a recruiter in ESL job placements, so I have no direct experience with it. But I think the point of a recruiter, and there are recruiters in every industry, is to give people an option, and a starting point. To get as much info about as many places as possible without having to do all the leg work yourself. Of course a recuiter will steer a client to a particular group of employers; thats how they earn their money. It is a business, after all.

Quite often in these threads the recurrent theme is over contract disputes. Unfortunately, often TEFL teachers are young and relatively inexperienced in business or contract negotiation, so often times they get "taken." (That also is the nature of business. Who ever negotiates better, gets the profit. Have you ever bought a new car, tried to get good value for a trade-in, and get a car loan to buy the car? Steep learning curve the first time, isn't it?) I'm not condoning abject dishonesty or deceit, but somewhere along the way we all need to remember this is business, and people want to make as much profit as they can. Recruiters use teachers as product, and managers/emloyers see teachers as tools to an end. And teachers want to earn as big of a paycheck as possible. And contracts are generally gap fill documents, and are negotiable. Also, when you arrive on the site to sign all the documents in person, be sure to get an original set for yourself, signed and dated with all the red and blue stamps on them, for your safe keeping, not photocopies. (Keep the original residence permit, your passport, etc. also. It is YOUR permit, nobody elses.)

There's a steep wisdom/learning curve to all this, and--just like anywhere in business--you need to watch out for your own best interests. Nobody else will!