Many teachers in China are constantly seeking another stream of income. It may be due to financial obligations back home, student loans, or because they’d like a little extra pocket money. Sound like you? One way of supplementing your teacher salary is through part-time recruitment. You can make excellent money by helping fellow teachers find a job in China, and I’m here today to explain how anyone can do this.
Step 1: Look for agencies to partner with.
The first thing you’ll need are clients – schools that are hiring teachers. Unless you have a close friend or business partner who can start a recruiting agency in China, you’ll likely need to find an outside source of contracts. Every expat teacher knows there’s an abundance of recruitment agencies that supply China’s schools with the foreign teachers they need. You can explore LinkedIn, post your interest in recruiting on one of the many online resume boards, or simply contact the agency you used to find your current teaching job in China.
Step 2: Compare opportunities (for you and for your future candidates)!
Recruitment is an industry that requires a great deal of trust between people who barely know each other. You could work for several agencies, or you could work for just one. Dipping your hand in multiple pots may have repercussions, as agencies prefer not to compete for the same candidate with other agencies. However, it’s a great idea to shop around and discuss the desired terms of your recruiting arrangement. Eventually you’ll narrow your options down to a couple of agencies that can offer you the best compensation for your successful hires.
When comparing agencies, take a very close look at the job opportunities they have available. As a recruiter, you want to have the best positions possible. Having high-salary, premium job options for your candidates will not only turn more heads, it will attract attention through word of mouth. If you’re known to have excellent job options, people will refer their friends to you, which means even more resumes to work with!
Step 3: Source candidates for your agency.
Once you have your job listings, you’ll need to begin sourcing candidates for the agency you’ve partnered with. There’s a multitude of ways to do this, but the most commons methods include:
- Posting to one of the many international teaching job posting websites
- Using social media to locate discussion groups dedicated to teaching job postings
- Asking your personal contacts if they or anyone they know are seeking a position
- Partnering with teaching certification companies
- Posting to the job boards of colleges and universities
It’s a smart idea to withhold the names of the companies you’re recruiting for. Revealing this information to the public may lead to other agents or agencies contacting your hiring clients and “undercutting” your service fee, thus stealing your business. You can and should, however, reveal that information to candidates if they ask you privately.
Step 4: Help your candidates find a job!
Once you have candidates who are interested in your positions, you’ll need their documents. Schools generally ask for a minimum of two things as part of the application: a recent resume and either a self-intro video or a professional looking photo. After your agency has submitted these documents to the employers of interest, the hiring managers will conduct interviews and hopefully offer contracts. This is, by far, the most exciting part of being a recruiter. Once your candidates have contracts to choose from, you (or your colleagues) may need to mediate between the candidate and the hiring party. Finalizations will be made to the work agreement, and a contract will be signed. Congratulations, you’ve made your first hire! But don’t celebrate just yet, as there is still one more very important step left.
Step 5: Help your candidate through their transition to China.
Travelling to another country is a big deal. Relocating your entire life to start a new career in another country is an even bigger deal. There will be a transition process that will take roughly one to two months to complete before your candidate is moved in started work. During this process, the school and their new hire will need to send a lot of documentation back and forth. The process will start with the hiring organization obtaining an invitation letter to be used in the work visa application. Other documents required for this application include:
- An authenticated degree from the candidate’s university
- An authenticated criminal background check
- A health check from a local doctor (document provided by employer)
- A completed visa application form
This process can be tense at times, but don’t worry! If you pay close attention to the questions and concerns of your successful candidate, they will make it to China safe and sound. After arriving in China, successfully placed candidates generally need to work for a month before the agency is paid their commission fee. Once your agency is paid, they’ll send you your percentage of the commission, and you’re ready to begin securing your next signed contract!
Start Recruiting Today!
Are you an excellent communicator? Do you like helping people achieve their dreams? China Jobs Daily is always looking for help. Not only do we have an amazing support staff for our freelance recruiters, we have the best selection of job options in China. If you’re interested in recruiting, please reach out to me at ted@foreignhr.com and I’ll give you all the information you need to get started today!
(By: Ted Salonek)
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