Hi,

I am quite happy that I found your website. I quit my job at AFA this monday. The past four months I experienced the most unethical business behaviour I have ever seen. And I am happy to be honest to myself and my values, priciples and believes. I should have know from the beginning that this industry was a whole scam. However, I leraned a lot and will use this experience to do honest jobs.

G.

Hi,

I have been to their 'brainwash' selective training camp in Madrid and I cannot understand how naive young people looking for an exciting job opportunity can be.

Why does a company need to sell itself in such a way?

It cries out loud that the business is involved in shady activities.

I hope somebody will stop this.

C

As many of you I have been working for one of these companies.
I knew since the beginning what kind of business is it and the kind of people I was going to deal with. During the trainee everything is said between lines during a 2 to 10 days brain washing process levels of true and acceptance:
Once you accept you are not a real journalist, then they say you are for the advertising sales, then you learn that you have to reach the customer in any possible way (bad… specially for a girl), at the end you get to know that there are some corrupt ways to sale expensive publicity.

An exciting international career?

“Living for 3 months in one of the most dangerous countries and try to sell bad quality advertorials, earning a non expatriate salary” is very different of being an international reporter and traveling around the world.
In resume:
You are not protected by any country law.
You can not demonstrate your experience because the company won’t exist when you will need to do so.
You have a minimal emergency health insurance. (Not social security)
Don’t need to worry about what are going to do with the money (after not paying taxes after two years) because it won’t be too much.

Hi,

I worked for AFA for 11 years,from 1986 to 1998 so as you can imagine, I know it inside out. At the beginning, I went through two stomach ulcers just from the moral wrongness of what I felt I was doing. Believe me, now they may have prestigious publications like the NYT as their media outlet for advertorials,but when I started it was trashier,tabloid-style newspapers and we were supposed to sell these $50,000 ads to businessmen who would only use those newspapers, as one put it,"to wrap fish". I could tell you a million stories corroborating your article and the comments posted....unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of having enough time to do it but someday I WILL sit down and write maybe a tell-all book.....I worked in 23 countries and did over 30 advertorials during my time in AFA so there is much to say.
I am glad that somehow this is becoming public knowledge. It is a mystery to me how this advertorial scheme (or scam as some may call it) still works and I am glad I got out of it. Trying to look at the glass half full, I can say that my years of trekking around the globe and fighting it out in each country have contributed greatly to who I am today. Once you have managed to sell a $50,000 ad in an obscure company that makes tractors in the middle of Hungary (to name just one example), you feel like you can do anything. So at least my confidence was built up and that helped me in my present career,but I do agree the shadier side of the business is predominant and it is a business I would not want to re-enter ever again.

T, how come it took you 12 years of your life, during which you learnt so much to realize that you have selling ads in newspapers which only use to to "wrap fish"!! I think you are a very very slow learner. So I cannot see how much you learnt. Perhaps you are different person but a far worse human being I would say.

DG

Daniel, you like to always look at the negative side in everything,don't you? I knew the job wasn't my "ideal job" but it paid very well for a 20-something year old person that would usually not earn that kind of money in a "normal" job.You get used to the lifestyle,you see people around you your age who are slaving away at 9 to 9 jobs and you keep at it.Your criticism surprised me,I thought you'd be more sympathetic but I can see you're full of bad feelings and the only way you can express them is to fling criticism at me.I wish you could have been in my shoes,that is really the only way you can express any judgement.Anyway,given the "warm reception" I have received,I will refrain from commenting on these blogs any further....all I wanted was to provide an additional forum for any constructive comments or questions there may have been...not a full-fledged attack...unbelievable....go and unleash your venom elsewhere...don't blame me for working somewhere where I was paid well while my country (Spain) had a job crisis that left most people on meager unemployment checks. Another positive thing is that I met the main players in each country I visited and I was able to learn from their interviews...brilliant brains who just by meeting them enriched my life too. Anyway,why I should try to explain myself to someone as venomous as you is beyond me so that will be my final entry for today. Have a glass of wine to cheer you up or something and analyze your own life afterwards to see if your choices have been perfect or not...but don't berate others, for goodness' sake!It just makes you look dumber than you are (which is pretty dumb to start with, by your comments).

There is one last comment I wish to make before exiting this forum. My comments on AFA,the company I worked for, were exclusively dedicated to the people that run AFA. Other companies that at first glance do the same thing have branched out from AFA, but thankfully,their moral standards and the quality of their work has risen way above the AFA standards. Their products DO help countries that are struggling to create a more serious image because they are well written and published in much more serious publications than the ones I used to work for (the ones used to "wrap fish").
I can think of several examples: Vega Media and Impact Media are the ones that come to mind first because I have either worked for them (Impact) or know people working in them now (Vega Media). Another publication that publishes beautiful reports that have a high impact on the right readers is The European,for instance....there are companies out there who are really worth working for nowadays and who practice high business ethics. I wish they had been around when I was in AFA but it took the people who formed those companies years of going through "AFA-style" training to perfect and improve their product to today's standards. Think about it: If Vega Media, Impact Media or The European did not put out quality products that were useful and if they did not keep their employees happy, how could they be so succesful for so long? When AFA was around, they were not put under the looking-glass as today's companies are so they could go about their business quietly. Today's companies are held to a much higher standard and they are scrutinized more carefully. I never meant to offend anyone in the "new companies", my comments were exclusively towards AFA and I wish to clear this up. If I could have worked for a "better" company, this may well have been the field of choice for my whole professional career, but when I left AFA in January 1998, a series of personal circumstances made me look for a job in another field and I found I was succesful in that field too, so I never thought about going back. I hope this explains my earlier posts,thank you for reading this and I am sure it will add new ingredients to this forum so that people can avoid generalizing about this business and look at each company as a different entity that does business in totally different ways.

I am looking for a career in global sales. I am interested in extensive travel for long periods of time.

Despite shady selling techniques, would anyone actually recommend working for Summit Communications or the other companies mentioned above?

If not, do you know of any similar types of jobs, with "legitimate" corporations?

Thanks.

Hi everybody,
I worked for 4 months for Media Plus Consulting and it is exactly how Mr. Salomon described it. We were thrown in a middle eastern country trying to selling these ads for Fox5 to government and companies.We realize while we were there they in the past projects, that nobody mentioned us, they sold ads without even shooting the programme..a lot of people were angry at us and they understood that even if we were from a different comapny (another name but same stuff), we were part of the same scam. It was actually dangerous. I decided to quit right away as soon as I realized what was going on. Media Plus thretened me askingme to leave the country the same day because I was dangerous for the market..
If you apply for working at Media Plus just be aware that it is unfair, dishonest and you have to lie in order to sell the ads. That's their policy.

incredible reading guys(guys used in the sense my fellow human beings not in any un Pc way)
i have had the privilage of working for one of the compaies mentioned and ethics is an incredible subject. can every one honesty say that they re always ethical? in your own lives. ok i am guessing the point to be bounced back is. dude its a totally diffrent ball game. but reall guys it is not. Media plus is a verygood company to work for. and the CEO is a very intelligent business man. and thats what it is business i have never been told o lie and we are very honest and still sell.

Ciao tutti

Hello, Felix and everyone. I found this website while I was looking for info about AFA Press. I read their job offer in the website of monster.it and I immediately sniffed I couldn't trust. When a job offer sounds like they are giving you the easy way to richness and carreer, I am always suspicious (everyone should read the novel Pinocchio, in my opinion). I wasn't able to find further info about Alvaro Llaryora. It's like he was erased from google. Anyway thank you for the information you gave us, felix. And thanks also to all the people who posted their experience here.
Young people looking for a job should have a sort of sentinel. It is jungle out there.

Thanks for all the perspectives and comments on AFA. I saw the sales job post on Infojobs.net few days ago, planned to apply but this saved me going through all the trouble. Ciao.

I accepted a job with Media Plus Consulting and the day before I flew out to Belgium for training; I discovered this blog which was more than enough for me to absolutley change my mind. I am literally blown away to think that such a company exists...for the love of money ;-(..e-mail me if you need more info..I have lots!

cheers
JB
Back on the West Side

I tell you guys, I read absolutely every word of the blog and i have to say that I am surprised, i have worked for many years with Impact Media and not only they have a great ethic but always try to have all clients satisfied, keep on their words and are VERY trustworthy. YOu can check it out. www.impact-media.com
xx

hi all, i had the same experience as Romi. I used to work in a sales company on a high level which also promises everything and while the CEO is a billionaire, people are being treated like...well badly, and they sell outright lies. My manager over there once told me: if it's too good to be true, well then probably it IS too good to be true. Somebody pointed me in the direction of AFA Press, I saw the website and to me the site looks like a sect. It's very very vague and immediately alarm bells started ringing in my head. I must admit- the add sounds great, travelling around the world, excellent renumeration, meeting top people in all places. And I already wanted to apply, but something stopped me and I googled the company name and came on here. Thank you for giving inside tips. I have worked once already for a company that treats its employees as slaves and once for a company that is in fact a scam and I realized this is not what I want to do. I am a human being and I will treat others as I would like to be treated. And I certainly wouldn't like to be cheated...

I have worked for Media Plus for several years (since 1999) as a field sales executive/journalist, as a trainer and as a recruiter.

I think the main thing to keep in mind when reading this blog and trying to form your own opinion about these companies is that they tend to hire young adults because they have the flexibility to travel 330 days per year. Unfortunately, many of these young adults have not had any "real world" sales experience and end up getting jaded. I'm sure after a year or two back in the US selling for a US firm, they will realize how good they had it with MP.

That being said, here is some basic sales training advice: A sales pitch is not a lie. One could say that sales trainings "brainwash" the candidate but I believe that it is done in a GOOD way so he/she can believe in their product and sell it. The sales training that you do for MP has the same basic effect as any other sales training I've done for other jobs. You learn to talk the talk of that company, believe in the product and basically regurgitate that information in a convincing way to sell your product. The same goes with overcoming objections. My favorite example to use is when talking about creating urgency is the shoe store example. If you are at a shoe store trying on a pair of shoes and you think you want to buy them but you tell the store clerk that you want to “think about it” the typical response they will give you is “I would love to give you all the time in the world to think about this but I just wanted to let you know that this is the LAST pair in your size.” The sales clerk just created an urgency for you to buy the product NOW. Is this a lie? No, it’s part of the game of sales.

Last, MP has been working with several reputable publications for over 15 years. If we were doing anything unethical we would be losing these contracts, not gaining more. In recent years we have gained contracts with magazines and we products segments for major tv stations.

I can not speak for Impact Media, AFA or any other companies mentioned in this blog as I have never worked with them in the past. This comment only pertains to Media Plus.

I just need to point out a few things.....

1st – employees go into countries under different names, because each time they are selling content for different publications/titles. These titles – like New York Times, New York Daily News have entered into binding contracts with these companies like Media Plus, and have been working together for years. Why would such a reputable company work with Media Plus if it wasn’t reputable itself?

2nd –We have never at Media Plus been allowed to say we work for the title that the report will go into. Our business cards all have the company’s name on it that produces the report. We are not allowed to tell clients we work for New York Times/Daily News etc, not on the phone, not in meetings, never. We do present the title in our presentations though to showcase where their editorial and ad will be published. And I have never, never called myself a “journalist”. Our business cards always say “project coordinator” or “project manager” if you’re a manager.

3rd –Media Plus employs young hungry people with no sales experience bc they are just that: young enough not to want families and are able to travel non stop, and hungry enough to motivate themselves in the field when there are no managers or water cooler gossip to make sure they are doing their jobs

4th-Of course we use recommendations from ministers. Ministers want these promotional reports to be done so the positives of their country can come out and if it can help at all with FDI, IMF loans or any form of investment, its great for the government. We do their work for them. And they always, always know that the reports need to be funded by advertising in order to happen. We do include important editorials even if they havnt bought advertising, to give the full picture of the country.

5th-to the girl who said you don’t make money......you must have gone through the job with the same negative attitude you are displaying on this blog. No other job could you make this kind of money, tax free, at 23 yrs old.

6th – you defiantly learn a TON from traveling, meeting ministers and CEOs (who later become your friend if your one of the consultants who don’t lie, don’t act “shady” and don’t pressure people to do anything they don’t want to do), you learn about every industry and what it takes to well, on your own, to make things happen. Only the hungriest, ethical, smartest people survive....and if that’s not you, then you prob quit or were fired and then decided to write on this blog to bring the rest of the industry down.

Hi! I just got this link from a friend of mine as I am invited for the assessment center of AFA. I would really appreciate if anybody could write to me about his personal experience with AFA. From what I have read, I am kind of shocked! Thanks for any comment! kati

I know and speak only of AFA press as I went to their training and worked for them for almost 6 months. And though I don't think this business is necessarily unethical, the folks at AFA indeed are scumbags. It should be possible to produce promotional reports with hard salesmanship and remain courteous and ethical. But that is not the culture at AFA. With very few exceptions people are poorly educated and it feels like they'd steal you'r wallet if you let them. Somebody mentioned above that they're like a sect. In fact they are very close-knit and new hires are essentially used and flushed. Ever wonder why they keep a perpetual hiring policy in place? Indeed they'll use your cheap trainee-labor and, unless you really become one them, you'll soon be out. And they'll keep hiring the uninformed. (To become one them it is necessary to smoke and void your sense of morality). Most people didn't go to college to be around this sort of people, but you get to travel and it is an intense experience.

I also used to work for AFA Press' slave-drivers. I can completely relate to the comments about inhumane treatment and a complete lack of moral. Does anyone know how many of these "press comunication agencies" exist and what they are called? - to warn future, young and naive career-seekers.

Yes. They are opportunistic and it is the worst possible work culture. But Salmon's speculation about being in bed with the NYT is a joke. Anyone in the business can get an advertorial in there, even with the quality standars of these people. The people suck but the business is quasi-legit. It works well for those who are on the inside of the company, like picornell, and who enjoy serving the corrupt. Thats pretty much it.

I should add that trainees are basically underpaid clerical workers. that's also true

Hi. I have worked for Media Plus a few years ago. I remained about a year in the company, conducting 3 different projects. My name card said "business journalist" not "project coordinator" or so. I had several fake press cards by the way. With regards to the use of minister letters and the habits of this company, you may visit this site: http://quickstart.clari.net/qs_se/webnews/wed/bn/Qnamibia-justice-us.RDXw_DSA.html

Mr Thieu Cuypers, his sister and his plant-like girlfriend will teach you how to bullshit people. Even an ex-employee mentioned that during a presentation he was making to the glory of the company... my god. Training was real brainwash but it hasn't worked on me. Employees turnover is about half to 2/3 coming in/leaving MP every six months. And it is not because of the job difficulties... it is because of the shitty minds of the managers. Finally, the advertorials they produce is of the lowest quality. I really wandered if after all these years of bullshiting, Thieu Cuypers and Co have actually started to believe in their own lies.

Oops, i forgot one thing: Media Plus also asked me to open bank accounts under my name, in foreign countries, in order to send company cash for the project. Very often the amounts were far too high and I had to fly the cash back as in some countries I was not allowed to make international money transfer with such a "young" account. Really guys, run away from them or you might turn out to be just the same. The ones I know who remained in this company for a few years are just disgusting people.

Yeahbaby,

You are absolutely right. Oh the cash deals and the utter disrespect for employees! Undue responsibilities and unscrupulous preassures! But really, if you look at it there is certainly tax fraud and contractual breaches. A quick lawsuit, perhaps in the UK might quickly push them off the NYT partner list.(Reference to AFA Press which started what they think is 'hard ball for bums').

WHO WANTS TO FILE AND QUCKLY SERVE AFA'S REGISTERED AGENT IN NY?

MY DAUGHTER HAD WORKED FOR ONE OF THE AGENCIES CONNECTED WITH AFA. SHE CONFIRMED THE ABOVE AND IT WORRIES ME.

I WILL ADD THEIR USE OF FEMALES AS SEDUCTRESSES TO GET CORRUPT MONEY FROM THIRD WORLD LEADERS. SOME WOMEN, BY HER ACCOUNT ARE DO EXCHANGE SEXUAL FAVORS.

I WILL GAGE THE RESPONSE HERE THAN WE CAN DO THIS VERY QUICKLY AND CHEAPLY.

Hi,

interesting reading your experiences guys. You know, I always say, it is you the one that has to make the difference. AFA style, maybe you don't like it, you had bad experiences, whatever..and I respect that you have your own opinion guys. But let me tell you a couple of things:

1. I started working very young. At the same time I got 2 degrees, a master degree and for 6 years before discovering AFA I had great salaries, great job experiences and never did inmoral things, and unethical things as you call them all the time. I didn't do them because it is not my style, and I would never belong to a company that asks me to do that. I managed a company and learnt a lot. When I thought it was time to run away of traditional ways of life, friends getting married and the city becoming to small for me, I applied for AFA. I never sold before, people used to come to buy things from me, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to do the job properly. This job, is teaching me to sell..a knowledge that is priceless.

2. I have already done 3 projects, all our interviewees are aware of the promotional aspect, and I don't tell lies, if you want to have a strong presence in this report that is a suplement you take it or not. And "surprisingly" they are taking it, and they seem very happy with our job. Now is my duty to make sure that the arworks meet their expectations, that the report will be published on time, that the copies will be sent..etc etc..giving a good project guys is easy, and you don't have to tell lies or be corrupt. So what is all that shit?

3. Another thing..all these statements I am reading about this supplements being useless, and bla bla bla. I guess your frustration comes from the fact that you don't have a proper communication background, and nobody informed you about the strength of building country image through this supplements and giving the opportunity to this poor people to have positive exposure besides the bad press they are used to get everyday. Have you read about the long life of a supplement? do you know that printed media are the more respected and powerful tools of communication?. I learnt that in the uni, where I studied for 8 years. As you can see, I am not a nerd, I have education, I tell you I am smart, an independent woman, and yes, I am having also sex in these wonderful projects. But sorry to dissapoint you guys, I bring to my bed the one that turns me on, since the product that I am selling is so good, that I don't need to sell my body to convince them. By the way, the Mc donald's example is is..I can't describe it. You really believe that medias such as NYT sign an agreement and don't give a shit about what they are distributing?. Cough cough..

4. What AFA does with their money, is not my problem, and is not yours. I don't give a shit if they spend all the millions they make buying flowers. How can you dare to talk about it? is not your bloody business. The business is, that I am learning a lot, visiting places I would have never been in before, meeting beautiful people.. Developing my skills, getting to know myself better, learning how to deal with a team, feeding myself with culture and knowledge, and the best part..I get paid, I get commisions, I live like a princess, and my dietas allow me to travel and to give extra salaries to all the people that for a couple of months thanks to our projects have the chance to earn enough money to feed their families for 3 years. It sounds amazing ah?? it is not a slogan, is reality and that is what happens in the projects I have seen.

Before saying bye, and inviting you not to generalize and not to treat us as if we were retarded people managed by AFA, I tell you..I don't get extra money or better destinations for saying this. I just get the satisfaction of giving a fair testimony of what AFA is. Then you can be a robber, a lier, a bastard and steal everthing you can when you go to a country, but that is up to you, if you follow your common sense and you take advantage of all the facilities you have with AFA, you have a great career and end up contributing to help countries that deserve to be known by their potential. I believe in it, and I have no regrets.

I also have stomach problems, and I took the decision of working for 18 hours a day. Nobody forced me..did someone force you guys?. Talking about slavery shocked me..they are far enough not to know how many hours I am working. It's me the one that understands that the more you work..the more you sell. Sorry I am too ambitious, I think this is what you lack and makes you have a distorted image of reality.

Mr. Felix, you want to communicate people your experience? then communicate. But be aware, there is a big difference between communicating and spitting shit.

A happy AFA member somewhere in the world, contributing to make a lot of people happy

Hi everybody,
As Kati I am also invited to the Assessment Day of Afa. Well, I suppose I was min or less sceptical when I read the job offer but now I'm quite shocked!
Thank you all for your comments, you are opening the eyes of many graduates as myself.

To KATIE: did you finally participate to the Assessment? If you did, how was it?

Lay

Hi guys,
I have to thank you all for your comments as I was just about to go to the AFA Assessment day tomorrow in Regent Street but I decided to do some searching about the company before hand. It surprised me the way they interviewd and how simple it was to get my CV apporved. Also, my first suspicious came out when they asked my for a CV with photograph.... i know i'm a bit cautious but asking for a photograph in your CV is not something that pleases me.
After readin this information I decided not to go for it, although I regret all those who had to go throught the experience. Now, there's something else that intrigues me: how come a company with such reputation is allowed to be represented in Graduate Fairs, recruitment agencies, such us (toplanguages( etc????? I think the recruitment agencies should also protect themselves and the potential candidates by doing a little bit of searching and become more aware of their clients. I will no longer use Toplanguages website as a result of their lack of professionalism for putting an agency with such reputation on their webpage and I'm disappointed that most of the Graduate Fairs allow AFA to be represented knowing that this can be a problem for new graduates and young people in their careers, by deluding them. These Graduate Fairs are also respoonsible to assure that they provide secure information and reliable companies for their candidates.
thanks
s

A,

You are absolutely right. The standard for the graduate fairs is almost non-existent. And they are con-artists, they lie to sell and pride themselves on lying to sell their way into anything.

But they can still claim no real fault. I think the guy who suggested just filing suit on th right track. There is plenty of good reasons for it. I wont go into now.

Yeah, the picture thing is to see if you are not black, or another ethnic who would not appear rightly European and condescending to con ministers of poor countries who are flush with public cash and large egos.

The many agencies they hope will diffuse legal reaction.

In the meantime it is certainly easy to just write to the job-fairs and let them know.

AFA needs to keep hiring so they can keep exploiting. This forum indeed is awesome.

To the AFA Girl Yelling Above,

WHAT THEY DO WITH THEIR MONEY IS CALLED TAX EVASION. AND COURTS WOULD BE INTERESTED. SWEETIE, ITS A CRIME. AND NOW YOU KNOW.

THEY THINK THEY ARE TOO SPREAD OUT FOR LEGAL ACTION. I AM VOLUNTEERING TO CHANGE THAT AS I HAVE INDICATED BEFORE.

I WILL NAME AN ATTORNEY WHO CAN SPEAK CONFIDENTIALLY TO ALL WHO HAVE BEEN DAMAGED OR HAV INFORMATION ON AFA AND LOYOLA AND THE REST OF THE GANG.

I want a job at AFA,
I am Swiss but I'm not currently living in Europe, will they still review my CV and give me a response????

Do you know of any other agencies with similar job opportunities as AFA.

Can someone please mention their names and website if possible?

Currently I have a desk/sales job in a grade-A multinational in Asia, It pays very well but I'm sick of looking at a computer all day long. Life is too short to be stuck in a cubicle and meeting foney people an reviewing protest blogs....

Help me out will you...

Thanks

MR-E

MR-E,

Are you Mr. E or are you MARCOS MELO?

You come to this blog, where people are telling you the truth about afa the quality of tehur people and ask for a job?!!! Right!???

YOU ARE HAVING PROBLEM RECRUITING SLAVES.

BY THE WAY, AT AF YOU LOOK AT A COMPUTER 90% OF THE TIME

anybody who wanted a job would not mention it here. they'd go to the websites.

YOU ARE LOSING SLAVES BECAUSE THE TRUTH COMES OUT.

LAWSUIT PEOPLE: THEY GO BY CHERRYWOOD HOLDING, THE UMBRELLA OF THE LITTLE ONES, WHICH ARE A DIME A DOZEN.

CHERRYWOOD HOLDING IS INCORPORATED IN PANAMA.

THEY DO THIS SO THEY CAN KILL THE SMALLER COMPANIES AS THEY GET SUED BUT KEEP ALL ELSE IN A TAX HAVEN INSOLATED FROM CIVIL SUIT.

I RECOMMEND JUST TELLING THE TRUTH AS WE ALL DO HERE AND WRITING DIRECTLY TO THE PUBLICATIONS. THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THESE PUBLICATIONS CAN BE AFFECTED. SHOULD BE AFFECTED.

Wow, what an interesting debate! I'm a late comer but I bring in a lot of AFA knowledgde. I worked for them for 2 years, which is ussually the maximum anyone stands. Much of this is true, but the women that work for them, as you know, are pretty.

Yes, they pimp the women out. This is a cornerstone of their busness, using women.

Thanks for all these interesting comments! I have never worked for Afa so I don´t want to give any wrong comments, but I was very close to accept the sales job.

I went to their selective week and was under the last 6 candidates. I can just say that everything seemed to be very unprofessional. We were only 2 girls at the end and I think the prettier you are the better are your chances. To give an example, I speak 4 languages fluently, have lived and worked in many countries abroad and applied for the job because I AM interested in social economic isses, 3rd word countries and love reading about politics etc. But they didn´t seem to care about that at all, I didn´t even have to talk about my CV/experiences.
The other girl was accepted - 2 languages, university not finished yet, no work experience, as she told me she was not interested in socio-economic issues and politics at all, etc. BUT PRETTY.

Anyway, you have to kind of "play" the sales pitch in front of 3-4 people and they decide whether they accept you or not at AFA. I did this, with a successful sales pitch, but they told me that they couldn´t decide about my case, half of them wanted me to "accept", the others were not convinved. So I had to do the whole thing again - how unprofessional is that? Then they told me no. At nite there was a party going on, all Afa people drugged (the biggest cocaine lovers on earth, I guess they spend all their money on that), and there I was told that I should insist to get the job - they wanted to make me a new proposal within the next days, because they were coming to my city anyways and we could meet up and talk. So I flew back to my hometown and on the arranged date they never called me. The next day I got a mail from them asking for my tel. number, saying that they had left it at the office and couldn´t contact me in my city. ??? How can sb be so unprofessional ...

As you see I only had a short experience with Afa people but I have the impression that everybody there must be "cool, naice and pretty". Maybe I am wrong, again I have never worked for them. But as I got another good job offer, I decided to never get in touch with them again. So my experience with Afa ends here.

All, Recently graduated here in Holland and the jobs at Media Plus seemed quite interesting. After applying i decided to have a look on the net and happily found this interesting discussion. I have to agree with one of the earlier comments posted: "if it sounds too good to be true it probably is". Reading the rest of the comments i will in no want to be a part of this kind of immoral&sleazy organization.

So to all of you thank you for posting this messages! This is the only way for young people to be warned about these kind of scams.

Unfortunately the job search is on again but anything better than wasting time on Media Plus.

Regards,

from sunny Holland!

Miss X:

The sleazy and the cocaine thing are there, but your entire post shows how willing you were to give them a benefit of doubt and chances, to the very end. That's what job-seekers will do, and are treated poorly in part because of it.

I sympathize but really, just attending their Madrid thing with that Neurotic bufoon should be sufficient evidence that you are not working where your family and friends expect you to be, much less in decent company. Same for MediaPlus by the way, a spinn-off.

Does anybody remember their training freak?

http://209.85.207.104/search?q=cache:w2PkUKv4mI8J:madamearcati.blogspot.com/2006/10/indys-odd-business-bedfellow.html+ray+corbis&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3

I spent 2 weeks in prison! Because of them! In africa, one of the minister asked me of much money we were taking out of the country! At night 2 men took us! When I called the office, nobody came to pick us up
8% of 500 000$ is it worst it?? I had to pay 10 000$
to get out!!!!

So don't bother with Media Plus?

-

Can't speak about the other companies mentioned, but I can say that the phony losers at Media Plus are not worth your time. They will definitely ask you to conduct unethical business and lie to people. They're shady!

"I used to work for these unsavory characters. I commend you are on you research. This is as you mention a network of companies all dircted by one extremelly paranoid and mafia Argentine named Alberto LLyarora. The purpose of creating so many companies is to deceive the governments he licks ass to in order to send back team after team but without having to explain the terrible quality of the reports he produces. This man is worth an investigation and should be in jail!For more info, send me an email". ~ Thierry De Pins

But some of them have been jailed.

This is super important for anyone considering work for AFA. They do not get health care for trainees. They'll only pay for your healthcare after 3 months and if you get hurt someone is going to have to foot the bill. This is of major importance for all newcomers.

Afa hires only those with European looks. That's why they ask for a picture along with resumee. If you are black don't bother.

THer is one darker girl. She is really pretty. But that's the exception. Usually they have to try to be white in 3rd world and want pretty girsl that close deals.

I have just quit Media Plus. I contracted Malaria and they didnt provde care.

Hello,

I don’t work for AFA or Media press or similar and I have no reason nor need to be in favor or against those companies. At first sight, I just found fascinating the kind of work they do and I would like to know more.

It is actually true thought that some of those look a bit “strange”…no telephone numbers, vague web sites,…

On the other hand, I read all the past posts and I have also found a lot of anger and naïveté. It really seems to me that many people who expressed their bad experiences in this blog were also quite young or just out of uni, with no work experience, especially in the tough world of international sales.

I am interested to know more about these companies and the industry but from rational, neutral and structured points of view. I would appreciate if some people who previously worked there or still work there could give some inputs, rather than expressing pure frustration.

In particular, I have found more or less always the same comments related to the following groups of issues. I have focused on the ones that just don’t convince me and add some comments. Thanks a lot for your insights.

- Many comments are related to how pretty / good looking people should be to work for them: well, do you really think it is a surprise that in a sales oriented company (with face to face sales) people have to be good looking and with a “presence”? Do you see many ugly girls selling make up in super markets?

- Many other comments are related to how bad colleagues are. Well, it may depend from each one’s sensibility but in sales jobs, people certainly tend to be more cynical and tough. That may be the sad side of the sales world. If you were working in the trading department of a top-bank, would you expect to find the tender-lovely-pals of your life to exchange kind words and smiles, while petting your teddy bear? Come on guys, mummy is getting old, uni is finished, life is started… If you don’t like it, well, there is nothing bad, just don’t do it.

- Many other comments are on the several brands used by those companies. Many comments refer to this practice as the attempt to sell and resell because of the awful quality of these reports. These comments just don’t convince me: these companies may be evil or not but, realistically, how bad can be a report to still be accepted by “the economists” or NYT? Sure, these newspaper or magazines make a lot of bucks out of ads, but adv can’t be that bad to ruin the reputation of the magazine/newspaper itself: they would not keep on offering the space for ads anymore.

- Moreover, I see several strategic reasons to use several brands. Beside possible fiscal advantages there are sales strategies involved. I give you a couple: 1. One of the many is often employed in “cold sales” (which works well in absence of exact marketing analysis on the Return On the Investment to increase the image of a country). The principle is this: the first brand team contacts the targets and helps them to familiarize with the industry; it may sell or may not. The second brand team coming finds the potential client already aware of the industry and knows the reason of failure or success of the first brand sales team and on them builds a new sales strategy and so on… strange? 2. Moreover, several brands related to the same holding also give a strategic positioning in the market: the market demand for these services tend to be saturated increasing barrier to entry for new comers

- Many comments are related to the need to say lies to sell: can you give precise examples, please? Again, I feel these comments come from people with no experience in sales. In fact, I don’t understand why people should lie to sell an adv space to improve the image of a country. A sales pitch is not a lie: if you sell cookies won’t you tell how good and crispy they are, instead of saying that if you eat too many you are going to have stomach ache?

- Last comment is for Antoine: your adventure is terrible…where did it happen? What did you reply to the ministry when he asked you how much money you were bringing out of the country to end up in jail…?

Thank you,

AK

Hello,

I don’t work for AFA or Media press or similar and I have no reason nor need to be in favor or against those companies. At first sight, I just found fascinating the kind of work they do and I would like to know more.

It is actually true thought that some of those look a bit “strange”…no telephone numbers, vague web sites,…

On the other hand, I read all the past posts and I have also found a lot of anger and naïveté. It really seems to me that many people who expressed their bad experiences in this blog were also quite young or just out of uni, with no work experience, especially in the tough world of international sales.

I am interested to know more about these companies and the industry but from rational, neutral and structured points of view. I would appreciate if some people who previously worked there or still work there could give some inputs, rather than expressing pure frustration.

In particular, I have found more or less always the same comments related to the following groups of issues. I have focused on the ones that just don’t convince me and add some comments. Thanks a lot for your insights.

- Many comments are related to how pretty / good looking people should be to work for them: well, do you really think it is a surprise that in a sales oriented company (with face to face sales) people have to be good looking and with a “presence”? Do you see many ugly girls selling make up in super markets?

- Many other comments are related to how bad colleagues are. Well, it may depend from each one’s sensibility but in sales jobs, people certainly tend to be more cynical and tough. That may be the sad side of the sales world. If you were working in the trading department of a top-bank, would you expect to find the tender-lovely-pals of your life to exchange kind words and smiles, while petting your teddy bear? Come on guys, mummy is getting old, uni is finished, life is started… If you don’t like it, well, there is nothing bad, just don’t do it.

- Many other comments are on the several brands used by those companies. Many comments refer to this practice as the attempt to sell and resell because of the awful quality of these reports. These comments just don’t convince me: these companies may be evil or not but, realistically, how bad can be a report to still be accepted by “the economists” or NYT? Sure, these newspaper or magazines make a lot of bucks out of ads, but adv can’t be that bad to ruin the reputation of the magazine/newspaper itself: they would not keep on offering the space for ads anymore.

- Moreover, I see several strategic reasons to use several brands. Beside possible fiscal advantages there are sales strategies involved. I give you a couple:
1. One of the many is often employed in “cold sales” (which works well in absence of exact marketing analysis on the Return On the Investment to increase the image of a country). The principle is this: the first brand team contacts the targets and helps them to familiarize with the industry; it may sell or may not. The second brand team coming finds the potential client already aware of the industry and knows the reason of failure or success of the first brand sales team and on them builds a new sales strategy and so on… strange?
2. Moreover, several brands related to the same holding also give a strategic positioning in the market: the market demand for these services tend to be saturated increasing barrier to entry for new comers

- Many comments are related to the need to say lies to sell: can you give precise examples, please? Again, I feel these comments come from people with no experience in sales. In fact, I don’t understand why people should lie to sell an adv space to improve the image of a country. A sales pitch is not a lie: if you sell cookies won’t you tell how good and crispy they are, instead of saying that if you eat too many you are going to have stomach ache?

- Last comment is for Antoine: your adventure is terrible…where did it happen? What did you reply to the ministry when he asked you how much money you were bringing out of the country to end up in jail…?

Thank you,

KA

Hi Amy,

I will try to answer your questions objectively.

1- to employ good-looking people: to me, there is no problem with that. In order to sell, it is definitely better to have good looks. If I had to hire sales people I would do exactly the same. The problem comes in the picture when you tell your employees that they should sell by any means, if you see what I mean.

2- bad colleagues: there are good and bad people everywhere. Personaly I kept contact with some ex colleagues who I really appreciate. Most people that were hired at the same level as me were nice and coming from all horizons. On the other hand, management people who have worked for a long time in this type of company were almost all liars and greedy.

3- quality of reports: they have almost no value for the countries themselves and the companies featured in them. The contents are very basic and the looks are average. These reports are not disastrous and as long as AFA or Media Plus or the like PAY to include these reports in the newspapers, the said-newspapers welcome them in their pages. AFA/MP get the money for advertising spaces and do the layout of the reports in house. THen they send it to the newspapers as a whole and pay big money to have them included.

4- strategies: what you say is true. but the first reason why they send different brand names is to avoid getting complains from ministers and business people still in place right away. They would rather wait a few years before sending a team under the same brand name: governments would have changed, so would ambassadors, mayors and most CEO's. If not they would probably not remember anyway. With regards to fiscal reasons, it doesn't change anything since all brands are registered in fiscal paradise such as Liechteinstein ou Caiman etc...

5- Lies: examples of common lies --> we are living tomorrow you must sign today; MR X or Y as already signed and because he is so important you should do the same; Mr Minister X or Y asks you to sponsor our report; lies about the amounts the ads are worth in order to get free hotel nights or free car, carry fake press cards and use you "journalist" job as a cover etc...

6- Health care: at media plus we were supposed to pay for our own health care. With regards to people in jail, I remember two employees that ended up in jail in Namibia for counterfeiting minister letters. Don't know whether they did it on their own or if they were asked to do so.
With regards to carrying money, I personaly had to fly out Africa with about 8000€ in cash. To cross the border was not easy, I just managed to get out of this by pretending that I was a big journalist and that they would get problem with their hierarchy etc...

Whether you want to take this job is up to you. If you are young why not? Just be prepared at being bullshited a lot by your management. Don't trust anybody except people on the same level as yours. To be honest, when a project is a success, the sales people in charge don't even know why they succeeded. There is a great deal of luck in this job. Nice part is that you will visit exotic places. You will also meet high ranked people but don't expect anything from them since once the report is out you can't really turn to them and ask for anything...

Hi,

Yeahbaby, thank you for your comments. I found them objective and it is definitely interesting (and sad/scarring) stuff...

Well, it seems the evidences brought to this blog are gonna create some issues to these guys.

Even thought, at the end there won't be any major consequence for their biz. A potential client may end up reading this blog but do you expect that the leaders of a third world country maybe with years of war and genocides would really care about the "dark side" of AFA while getting the chance to adv in NYT? On the other hand, would NYT or The Economist stop selling ads to them? etc...

Let's be realistic, aside discouraging some young kids to work for them, and hopefully to improve their practices, at the end nothing will happen.

how is "concerned" doing with the attorney, by the way?

KA

Hi Amy,

You are absolutely right--> nothing will happen to them at all. On the top of it, there is more and more companies of this type that open year after year.

I know one publication though which is worth considering. They have a real value in terms of business analysis and information. They publish full reports about emerging countries and their main economic assets, political situation etc. Indeed there is advertising inserted but when it is done well and when it is worth the price, there is nothing wrong with it. The company I am talking about is Oxford Business Group. They have a website under the same name. I have never worked for them nor talked to anybody that had, but judging from the reports it is very qualitative. Nothing to do with AFA, Media Plus and the like, which again are pure scam.

In a few words, these companies are disgusting because they sell useless ads? I don't know where do you come from, but working in Italy for the vast majority of the companies doesn't seem much better. Work conditions sucks, salaries are too low and people have no chance to improve their careers.
I will have an interview with one of these companies very soon, and this post make me think a lot about meeting them or not. No way to have a positive experience? I love to travel and this job looked like a great chance, but now I really don't know what to do...

In a few words, these companies are disgusting because they sell useless ads? I don't know where do you come from, but working in Italy for the vast majority of the companies doesn't seem much better. Work conditions suck, salaries are too low and people have no chance to improve their careers.
I will have an interview with one of these companies very soon, and this post make me think a lot about meeting them or not. No way to have a positive experience? I love to travel and this job looked like a great chance, but now I really don't know what to do...

In a few words, these companies are disgusting because they sell useless ads? I don't know where do you come from, but working in Italy for the vast majority of the companies doesn't seem much better. Work conditions suck, salaries are too low and people have no chance to improve their careers.
I will have an interview with one of these companies very soon, and this post make me think a lot. No way to have a positive experience? I love to travel and this job looked like a great chance, but now I really don't know what to do...

In a few words, these companies are disgusting because they sell useless ads? I don't know where do you come from, but working in Italy for the vast majority of the companies doesn't seem much better. Work conditions suck, salaries are too low and people have no chance to improve their careers.
I will have an interview with one of these companies very soon, and this post make me think a lot. No way to have a positive experience? I love to travel and this job looked like a great chance, but now I really don't know what to do...

Marco, I have friends living in Italy and I am aware of the current economic difficulties of the country.

I am looking into these kind of companies myself, as I reckon that the nature of their job is still very interesting. Certainly, they are not the best companies to work for but I still reckon you can gain fantastic personal and professional experience. Moreover, considering the economic conjuncture in Italy, they could help you to project your career internationally improving your otherwise (sorry to say) poor working condition in Italy. They will exploit you, you will exploit them and in a little while, you will start looking for a job somewhere else strong of the international experience and of a salary of reference which you would not have got in your own country.

If you go for AFA: they normally sell ads in team of 2, 1 guy and 1 girl. Currently, they are running out of guys, so you have more chances...

For what I have heard the assessment is just ridiculous: it seems a speed dating. 1 or 2 HR with watery eyes ask to groups of 4/6 people at a time to present themselves in 2 minutes in front of everyone. In the second test (same assessment), you have to present something else.

they assess 4/6 people all together in half an hour (the meeting is about one hour in total, half of which is used to present the company). In such a quick choice, I reckon they want to (very) quickly identify face to face young, good looking people, self confident but recognized as easily "manageable". If you speed-date well, you will go to the training center.

hope it helps. good luck,

KA

Thank you very much Kat Amy! That's exactly what I supposed to do.

What is the base salary and commissions (on average) for these jobs? Is it tax free money? Where do you stay when you do projects in different countries?

I think the basic salary is from 800€/month at Media Plus up to 1500€/month at AFA (not sure of that one). Expenses in the countries are paid by the company and one team member is in charge of the accounting. If you are in charge, smart enough and not so honest, you can take advantage of this.

Can't remember the commission percentage (5 to 10% I guess).

At Media Plus, they gave us a very low budget to stay at cheap hotels for the beginning of the project. Later on, the idea was to secure barter deals which means exchange advertising spaces for hotel nights. One page is worth, for example, 60 000€ and then you calculate the number of nights you can stay for free according to the hotel rate for one night. You can do this with services apartments as well.

You can also do it for other industries: airlines, car rental, telecom etc.

Hello Yeahbaby, your insights in this blog are just excellent, thank you for sharing!

I have a few more questions for you, more on the "after Media plus"...

Once you left the company, where did you get a new job (industry/sector) and at what level (entry level again or more senior)?

Was it hard to make the move from this very niche industry to your new job?

Moreover, it seems that at Media Plus the salary mainly comes out of commissions and cover of living costs. Normally, in the job market (I think about headhunters in London) one of the very first questions they ask you is: "what is your current fixed salaries and what are bonus/benefits?". With a low fixed salary, even you make good commissions (as 800$ is) it seems unlikely to me that you can get a good-stable paid job in London (e.g.: +70K pounds), for instance, unless you sell something for a company which employs the same model than MP (low fix salary, and with final pay mostly made out of commissions).

What do you reckon? Thank you to let me know,

KA

Hi Amy,

It took me about a year to find a new job. It is true that I refused a few opportunities as I didn't really liked what they offered. The job I found was through an old friend of mine in a very innovative telecom company. The package was 50K€. Half fixed and half OTE, but the targets were reachable. I have been lucky to still have this friend among my network because otherwise I would probably still be looking for something... Companies or recruiters tend not to understand why we would give up a job that seems so interesting. they only see what MP/AFA want to sell you: travel, high ranked interlocutors etc. They don't see the low pay (fixed) and the dark side of the industry.

It is true also that having worked for a company with low basic income will lead you to another low basic job. It is difficult to climb up the ladder in that matter. Nowadays I am considering a new position and the revenues will reach 70K€. 45K fixed and 25K OTE.

Any advice I would give for the after MP/AFA is to stress on the sales environment and the resistance to pressure, ability to remain positive and goal-oriented. I don't really see any other possibility than sales position. Project management maybe? Recruitment industry would be alright as well, as it is a sales job in the end, with a need for interpersonal characters with varied experience and good language skills.

Hi Amy,

It took me about a year to find a new job. It is true that I refused a few opportunities as I didn't really liked what they offered. The job I found was through an old friend of mine in a very innovative telecom company. The package was 50K€. Half fixed and half OTE, but the targets were reachable. I have been lucky to still have this friend among my network because otherwise I would probably still be looking for something... Companies or recruiters tend not to understand why we would give up a job that seems so interesting. they only see what MP/AFA want to sell you: travel, high ranked interlocutors etc. They don't see the low pay (fixed) and the dark side of the industry.

It is true also that having worked for a company with low basic income will lead you to another low basic job. It is difficult to climb up the ladder in that matter. Nowadays I am considering a new position and the revenues will reach 70K€. 45K fixed and 25K OTE.

Any advice I would give for the after MP/AFA is to stress on the sales environment and the resistance to pressure, ability to remain positive and goal-oriented. I don't really see any other possibility than sales position. Project management maybe? Recruitment industry would be alright as well, as it is a sales job in the end, with a need for interpersonal characters with varied experience and good language skills.

My friend sent me this site and I have to say I am so glad I got to read this... thank you to all of you for putting this information online!

I have just passed the first round of interviews and have been invited to the "selective training" session in Madrid next week. After reading all of this I feel I can make a much more well informed decision rather than stepping blindly into a world I know next to nothing about- what with all my youngness, naivety and none-experience?!

I couldn’t help thinking all along that the process was far too easy and that it seemed a little too good to be true. that said (even though I know I am young and "naive) I'm not THAT naive- I know a career in the sales IS a "dirty" job. Meaning I know that of course they make things appear better than they are and it acquires a high level of bullshit artisting. I kinda knew it wasn’t all clean. Even the fact of the 'pretty people' doesn’t surprise me.. I'm sure it doesn’t u.. Of course they want young pretty people to be the face of their product and sell their name...this comment isn’t really newsworthy or worth making a fuss over...

However reading all of that was really great. It has made me truly more aware. I will still go to Madrid, even if out of nothing more than the reason that I paid a hell of lot for my plane ticket ;) I will listen to all they tell me, and I will even play their game. But like the one girl says, I will be aware of them and I wont trust them. I know my morals and standards and I know I’m more of a life lover, people lover, free spirit kinda person that is why I was worried from the beginning about a job in sales... I am willing (up till this point at least) to learn and adapt to the "saleswoman" idea, but I know I will never truly change. I am too strongly built and have been raised well enough to know my standards.

I will go and I will listen to all they have to say. And if I’m still interested at the end of the week I will think about taking on the job. It is still a fantastic opportunity - at least I think so. The idea to travel the world and make money still intrigues me, but, of course, having read all of this I now know for sure that that may come with a slight price to pay.

My only very big concern is that whole "by any means necessary" line.... however, even then you can never be FORCED to do anything you don’t want to. Nowhere does anyone in this blog say they were FORCED to do anything. (Please correct me if I am wrong)

My other concern is the matter of if they will take care of us- meaning health insurance, travel, accommodation, any problems we may get into when abroad... that is my only really big problem I see here.

If I do get accepted and choose to work there- in worst-case scenario lets say I hate it- I will just quit. By the sounds of it, it seems they are well prepared for that anyway...

Thank you again for all this helpful information, rest assured you have all definitely made an impact on my decision.

Hi margot,

I think we're going to meet in Madrid next week. I have the same concerns as you about the job. Let's see what happen...
In the worst (worst?) case we will drink some beers and eat tortillas and jamon.

Hi Margot,

I can predict that you are going to take this job, convincing yourself that after all it is not so bad, that you are going to travel, that you are going to make money etc. Nothing wrong with that. Just remember one thing: if you are not made to sell in the first place, you will never sell well or feel good at it.

I wish you to enjoy this experience and have a lot of fun.

Hey I am curious about Media Plus because I have an interview next week. I really appreciate all the comments. I just have one specific question: salary is approximately 800 euro but how much are commissions, on average? Thanks!

Your comments opened my eyes. I was suspicious from the beginning. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is, right? Nevertheless, I'd like to attend the interview to see how they really operate. If anybody with genuine experience has something to say about recent company activity, please post. Thanks!

hey marco,

I totally agree with you. I'm planning to go and give it a shot, check it all out. if anything enjoy a little warmer weather and some tapas?!

see you there. At the end of the week I will have to make up my own mind about this JOB and everything that comes with it. I'm glad I've been so lucky as to hear both sides of the story first before making any life changing decisions.

YEAHBABY: i agree with you- if Im not built for sales then I wont like it... I will just have to go and find all that out for myself

Margot,
keep us posted. You should be back before I even interview, so some fresh outlook would be greatly appreciated.

Hi there

I think I am writing on here because I would like to receive some more...I guess inside info about AFA group. As far as my understanding is concerned AFA hires pretty girls to be able to sell their product in third world countries. Some of you have commented that this a a bad thing, some of you that in Sales looks are part of the job. Regarding to the latter..whilst I was at university I had to do the odd brainless job ..I.E. working as a cocktail waitress in a westend club..and yes you had to have a certain kinda look..is that necessarily bad? I guess no as it is a given! My friend worked at the reception of an investment bank..and yes she is very pretty. Has she been used as a "pin up" girl for a mainly male dominated industry who will have the pleasure to look at "something nice" when they enter or leave the building?
I guess the point that I am making is that, as sad as it is society works like that and people who are attractive are maybe more approachable or maybe put into sales jobs because of that reason.

This is only one aspect of the job! A very shallow one I presume. In terms of work ethic..isn´t any kind of sales agressive? Even in the most subtle way?

Further reading that they make money in a dodgy way...well I just mention the scandal at Credit Suisse recently.Banking..a very reputable industry, Oxbridge background in most cases...yet many people with no morals. Although maybe more likely to be discovered.....
And how much money can you really make at AFA group? As thay pay you in dollars..who wants to earn dollars in this day and age? How much can you really make in comissions? Is is a short term work industry? In case you do make as much money as some of you point out ..where can you progress from where you left AFA group?

I would appreciate to read more comments of people who work at AFA and people who left AFA! As I would like to form a personal picture on how dodgy they really are, as for me I could find pros and cons in both type of comments, pro AFA and contra AFA.

Thank you in advance

Miriam

Miriam, as you, I was interested in having fair (pros and cons) points of view about AFA and co. (see my comments "Kat Amy march 10th 2008)

Yeahbaby gave (March 11th 2008) already some fair insights about Media Plus (not AFA, true, but fair insights).

Take also a look at those.

Remember this - the only reason you will join this company is by weakness, the weakness of yourself to say no. If you want to do something good with yor life and your talents then turn away now. Do not be mis-guided with the illusions that this company/job will show you. You will not make a difference to the countries you work in, you are not important to anyone outside the company (and arguably inside).

When you are young you can be mis-lead into doing things.I made the decision to leave as I knew I would never be able to forget what I did. Why did I do it? For excitement, adventure, money...if you want these things then find a better way for yourself...because if you are talented enough to fool the people who choose you; then you are talented enough to do whatever you want.

Personally I left because to pursue a 'real' career in the media. There is no reason you can too.

Hi "Who dares wins...",

your post was interesting...was your comment referring to any agency in this industry or just to the agency you worked for (Which one?)

Thanks,

KA

Still, no concrete numbers on these jobs? Did anyone make at least 50,000 pounds a year? Without health care and without career advancement if you decide to leave the job, the only incentive left for the job is money (it better pay a lot of money through sales etc. else it's not worth it). I mean, if you can earn 50-100K pounds a year through commissions, then this job shouldn't be that bad.

Also, why don't you form connections with the people you interview for the ad space(maybe they can help you with future employment). For example, if interviewing with President of Namibia and you have an interest in African trade, it will be an opportunity for you to get his contact information for future projects/ideas.

Bottomline, every corporation will use you, they don't care about you or your family, they only care about how much money you are bringing in. Sometimes, I think a Sales job is not that bad because you get what you bring in, whereas other jobs, your work can contribute to a significant amount of money to the company but you are only getting say 1%. I think everything should be 50-50. The 5-10% at Media Plus is low.

If anyone has an interest in International Trade let's form a group, different people, different locations, it might not be media we will end up selling, but I'm sure we can sell something. Great minds always come up with something.

I have an idea of capturing a significant part of the world market 20 years from now(what industry?-I have mine, what is yours? We can come together and do something).

I like money because it signifies freedom (free to roam the world if i want to, free to feed a family). I don't care about material things, or the so-called finer things in life, I just like to be free, don't want to be in a cubicle, if I don't want to, I want to determine my own destiny. I mean why worry about not having enough money by the time you retire? Why let someone determine how much you are worth, if I want to work for peanuts I will work for a non-profit at least I know my work has an impact on the right person (people always come first, never screw over your fellow man for money, that's my believe). I can never sell a family a mortgage knowing very well in decades it would lead to their financial demise (some mortgage lenders did this in the U.S. because they put money before people).

Why do we end up doing things we don't wanna do? It's easy to follow a job that has been created rather than creating your own. If you believe in putting people first, and believe that you can still succeed in business without screwing over people then let's form an international company together. I'm not gonna guarantee it's going to be easy, there is no short cuts in life, especially if you wanna do it the right way. I have talent, so do you.

So, who wants to form a group? This is the first step into a potential global company. We can decide whether we are going to provide services or offer services to people on a global scale. This is all brainstorming. I have ideas already, just hear me out, and I will hear you out. But ethics first, we will have to verify each others background etc to make sure we don't have any scumbags(maybe a facebook.com group will do).

JJ

JJ, for my understanding and some research in average a sales kid in the industry sales ~800K/year in a lucky year. This means about 40-80K $ (~20-40K pounds) with no benefits, nor pension scheme, no taxes paid (and somewhere you have to pay them). If I am wrong with my understanding of the figure, please someone corrects me.

The second part of your post made me smile and I think most of the people in business (with some experience) would have just not replied. However, the general concept of the network (is this the key idea?) may be interesting even if there are already companies with multi million $ turnover doing that. Plus, while developing the idea you may want to start looking at the left side of Porter 5 forces: barriers to entry...

In any case I have got my philosophies too and I believe that brave people with ideas and balls have always made themselves wealthier than most of their peers... I like your attitude, please drop me a personal mail to girlkatami@yahoo.com giving a brief idea of your profile -no need for details- but most importantly why you posted your idea in this blog (which has nothing to do with it).

I will come back to you very quickly. Thanks,

KA

saw that 'yeahbaby' recommended the Oxford Business Group in a recent post. I used to work for them and can say that they are a bit different than what I understand to be the industry standard. At the very least, many of my ex-colleagues came from these other companies (Media Plus, Summit, etc.) but I didn't know a single OBG employee to leave to join another 'industry' firm.

OBG's base salaries are higher, basic health care is included and the company's product -- a 200 page economic report -- is what it is, and on display for the customer to see.

The only fudging I ever saw came from quoted circulation figures, which I strongly suspect were exaggerated to justify some staggering advertising prices. On the editorial side, there's a definite accentuation of the positive, no matter who dire the situation in the country in question (though at least OBG deals only with countries that can reasonably be called 'emerging') and who advertises does make a difference in what interviews are published, companies mentioned, etc.

And like these other companies, it is still a high-pressure sales role, and you'll be working under questionable visa and tax regimes for extended periods of time. That's fine for some folks, and was for me for a while, but I'm happy to be legal again.

Hi JAS, thanks for posting about OBG. I have always been curious about this company and never came across anybody who had worked there so far. Your insights are interesting. It seems that after all it is not so different, just a bit better.

To everybody who's interested in this kind of business, I would suggest something --> just do it yourself. Gather enough money to remain in an emerging country for let's say 6 months. Plan your trip very well, including placing a deal with a major press title (this would give you the right to produce a report for them). Once you start approaching governments and top companies be honest about it by explaining that your report has to be funded by advertising. Emphasize the fact that you are the only person in the company, the one and only contact, the one that is responsible for the editorial and business aspects, the one that is accountable for the good and the bad. What I noticed when I was working in that job is that people were not enclined to trust people that just come and go. Make sure that people know where you stay while in the country, that they can find you if they need to. Spend time with the people that spend money on your report to make them feel safe about the quality of your work and therefore about their investment.

There is definitely a good way to conduct this business and to produce something qualitative. Once your first report is ready to be published you'll have enough money to start a second one etc...

Re: Suggesting doing it yourself

It's not a bad idea, as at least then you'd be selling for yourself. Thing is, I know from my experience that more than a few people have already moved from the types of companies discussed here and begun 'media companies' of their own.

You see them jetting around low-budget from developing country to developing country, with an eye on which teams from which companies are in what country at any given time.

I find that most of these types have been HIGHLY motivated "lifers" in the industry -- the kind of people who would try to sell ice to eskimos. So I'd suspect the competition will be brutal -- in an increasingly crowded sphere -- for anyone having a go alone.

Hi everyone and thank you for these VERY USEFUL posts.
I won't go to my interview with InterCom in Paris (followed by a four-day-training in Madrid); I guess this is a sub-cie of AFA Press as this is the only Media Sales Cie I have contacted.
I'm a bit disappointed as I thought I found the ideal opportunity to travel and earn money at the mean time, but I was a bit suspicious...
I advise everyone to always check the ethic of a Cie thanks to forums like this one.
I won't develop more than you did since everything is so obvious now.
Thank you!
SoSo

Hi everyone and thank you for these VERY USEFUL posts.
I won't go to my interview with InterCom in Paris (followed by a four-day-training in Madrid); I guess this is a sub-cie of AFA Press as this is the only Media Sales Cie I have contacted.
I'm a bit disappointed as I thought I found the ideal opportunity to travel and earn money at the mean time, but I was a bit suspicious...
I advise everyone to always check the ethic of a Cie thanks to forums like this one.
I won't develop more than you did since everything is so obvious now.
Thank you!
SoSo

hello everyone,

Here´s some real information about Media Plus, I joint the company for three months last summer and then quit.

About the salary, the first two to three weeks you are on training in belgium and receive no money. Only lunch is provided during this period, you will have to pay for breakfast, dinner and weekends yourself. After this training you will be send to a country for a month to work as a trainee. During this period you will get paid 800 euro´s. If you make a sale during your trainee period you will get an extra 800 euro´s payd every month from the next month. However, these 800 euro are a prepayment on your commision. Word has it that if you don´t make your targets they will still let you keep your money but officialy you will have to pay it back if you don´t make the targets. It is possible but don´t count on making much more then these 1600 euro´s.

About the company, well I quit so it isn´t gonna be a pretty story. I´m dutch and was recruited in Holland, great stories about travelling and buckloads of money lured me in to this job. I have to say that I had a pretty good time because you are around nice young people. I have a lot of sales experience and have to say that the training is good. The CEO Thieu Cuipers is a smart men and a great speaker. His wife Angie gave us the training and I found it very usefull. However the people in the back office are the problem. They terrorise you when you are on a project and are very rude to personel. They where the reason for me to quit, to many lying bastards who only care about money and not about people. If you are really independant, you have patience and strong you might make it here. But beware, it is not the dream job they tell you during the recruitment days. Think of it this way. They have about 60 consultants working for them and recruit 10 to 15 new ones every month, however the number of consultants is not growing because so many quit each month. Maybe I have a low standard because I´m used to work in Europe but for me the working hours (from 9 am to 11 pm) where very hard.

I hope I gave some honest and usefull information, if anyone wants to know anything just contact me on dosse@live.nl

Hey folks:

I'm a journalist (yes, a real one) interested in doing some more reporting for a feature on the advertorial business.

If any of you with personal stories of this business would be available for interview, please shoot me an e-mail at the.source1@hotmail.com.

I know most of the information here is negative, but I'm interested in all sides of this business, so please anyone feel free to contact me.

Thanks much,

Hi all,

I applied to both Vega Media and SML Strategic Media before reading this very interesting blog. I have heard a lot about Media Plus and InterCom. Can someone tell me if SML is affiliated with AFA? And, has anyone ever worked for Vega Media? I'm a little disappointed to hear all of the negative stories surrounding working for these groups, and hopefully I'll find a job with travel for an ethical company someday. Thanks!

Hello,

This was blog is so useful I really don't know what to say but praises. I also applied before I read this blog and now I'm not sure if I should go on the interview. The company is Global Business Reports. www.gbreports.com
Does anyone know anything about this company? Please if you do, give some info since a lot of things are on stake.
Thank you,
cheers
Susan

very very useful website and I only wish that it had been about when I joined MP.

things that concerned me.. and why i left in the end, were the tourism visa and having money put through my personal account. in legal terms the company support that you have is very loose. you're in a foreign country but really on paper you're on your own. i was both silly and young and it took me a little while to realise that this was totally shady. luckily on my projects i met good business people that gave me sound advice. and well i grew up very quickly!

in their defence MP don't force you to do anything. you don't lie about who you represent (you may not out and out explain the complex network of companies that you work for, or that your aim is the sale and you couldn't give a fig about the interview but you don't say you work for the TV channel/ print publication) and they don't exploit the looks of their sales people any more than any other reputable sales company.

the benefits, the travel, the people you meet, and well the business people you presented to. you can only learn from such experiences. but staying a long time with the company is a bad idea because explaining it on your CV is hard!

but in hindsight i would not have worked for the company. there are other opportunities out there for well educated ambitious people who want to travel!

i would ask people who have had bad experiecnes though to contact their universities and just explain what happened to them. uni's should not be promoting such companies to their students

very very useful website and I only wish that it had been about when I joined MP.

i would not recommend joining them. you're selling a rag.

but things that concerned me.. and why i left in the end, were the tourism visa and having money put through my personal account. in legal terms the company support that you have is very loose. you're in a foreign country but really on paper you're on your own. i was both silly and young and it took me a little while to realise that this was totally shady. luckily on my projects i met good business people that gave me sound advice. and well i grew up very quickly!

in their defence MP don't force you to do anything. you don't lie about who you represent (you may not out and out explain the complex network of companies that you work for, or that your aim is the sale and you couldn't give a fig about the interview but you don't say you work for the TV channel/ print publication) and they don't exploit the looks of their sales people any more than any other reputable sales company.

the benefits, the travel, the people you meet, and well the business people you presented to. you can only learn from such experiences. but staying a long time with the company is a bad idea because explaining it on your CV is hard!

but in hindsight i would not have worked for the company. there are other opportunities out there!

i would ask people who have had bad experiecnes though to contact their universities and just explain what happened to them. uni's should not be promoting such companies to their students

very very useful website and I only wish that it had been about when I joined MP.

i would not recommend joining them. you're selling a rag.

but things that concerned me.. and why i left in the end, were the tourism visa and having money put through my personal account. in legal terms the company support that you have is very loose. you're in a foreign country but really on paper you're on your own. i was both silly and young and it took me a little while to realise that this was totally shady. luckily on my projects i met good business people that gave me sound advice. and well i grew up very quickly!

in their defence MP don't force you to do anything. you don't lie about who you represent (you may not out and out explain the complex network of companies that you work for, or that your aim is the sale and you couldn't give a fig about the interview but you don't say you work for the TV channel/ print publication) and they don't exploit the looks of their sales people any more than any other reputable sales company.

the benefits, the travel, the people you meet, and well the business people you presented to. you can only learn from such experiences. but staying a long time with the company is a bad idea because explaining it on your CV is hard!

but in hindsight i would not have worked for the company. there are other opportunities out there!

i would ask people who have had bad experiecnes though to contact their universities and just explain what happened to them. uni's should not be promoting such companies to their students

Susan,
I have heard of Global Business Reports. They are based in Istanbul, and run by a couple of English blokes named Mungo and Rupert. Having known a few ex and current GBR employees it seems to me that it's much like most of the other operations. Sales and advertorial -- the lot. I've never heard GBR getting slagged off on par with the likes of Media Plus and AFA, though a lot of colleagues at my old company -- Oxford Business Group -- came from GBR.

For what it's worth, I'd say go to the interview and see what you think. Ask a lot of questions, consider the comments here, and use your own judgement in the end.

Hi JAZ,
Thx a lot for the info! I did go on the interview and it went well. The guy said it was a sales position right at start. I've made it to the second around - a second interview which still has to take place. To me it seems that this company might be different from the others because they sell ads in trade magazines and they operate in different niche industries where the ads and reports could really serve their purpose. However, I'm not sure, you can never tell until you start working. However, i'm interested in how they treat their employees and clients- did you perhaps heard from ex or current GBR employees about their treatment? Is there any illegal accounts, scams and other stuff going on? or the management is honest?

I've also heard about Oxford Business Group and I've also sent them my CV so we'll see what happens. To me it seems that Oxford Business Group might be the best in this industry, what do you think? you worked for them...why did you leave if I may ask? Any good tips you could give me about what they are looking for? what's it like on the interview? And if the management is honest regarding their employees and clients?
Thanx, I'm sorry I asked a lot of questions but I would really appreciate if you could answer them when you get a chance cause I'm trying to make the right decision here.
Cheers
Susan

Hi Susan,
Congratulations on the interview going well. I think you're right that the focus on niche trade publications increases the relevance of GBR's reports, but at the end of the day the reports will be clouded by who has advertised and who has not. While that's not uncommon in mainstream publications, it should not be the principal deciding factor in editorial decisions, which it invariably is in the 'industry.'
I couldn't say about how they treated their employees. Seemed to me a pretty bog-standard 'industry' story. One female seller and one male journalist, pretty high turnover,lot of pressure and had a short time to produce results -- the lot.
I agree that OBG are among the best of the lot. They are trying to be more legit, professional and, slowly, more authoritative in their publications. A google search turns up a LOT more references to their publications than it did when I worked for them -- that's a good sign (or perhaps a sad commentary on the media today, but I digress).
You also work about six months on each project so there's less moving around, more time to cultivate sales, etc.
Still, there are 'industry' tendencies: sales mattering before any editorial consideration, fussiness about holiday, and lots of pressure on teams -- which can lead to misrepresentations and some selling out of editorial to the highest bidder.
Frankly, I didn't mind the selling out so much; I hated more the Soviet way that us on the lowest ranks had to deny that that's what we were doing -- subversion radars were always on, it seemed. In fact there were lots of double standards in the field resulting from the absolute authority of the sales girls in-country, which could often make things quite difficult for everyone else in the field.
I left partially because of that hierarchy (good salespeople do not always make good managers), but even more because I wanted to work legally (not on a tourist visa), in a more career-track position, closer to home.
I hope that's a balanced view for you. I don't regret having worked in this industry, but I don't miss it, either.

Hi!!
First of all Im very impress with all your comments!
I was sad because AFA group didnt hire me but now...
To be honest I had a good impresion of the company, people was kind and all what they told us sounds normal to me, except because they're not clear and serious (They tell to the participants that they will be contact either they fail or continue in the selection procces, and you can still waiting!) Thats is not serious at all if you consider that the mayority of the participants just come to Madrid for the selection process and they are paying a lot of expenses for nothing!
I would like to add that I dont think they are trying to hire just beautifull girls, maybe they prefer beautifull girls rather than not to beautifull as long as they fulfil other skills (maintly good communication skills) If not (Im not conceited, just honest) they had hired me!
Maybe AFA is not the best place to work but maybe is the sector and not the company... I dont really know!
I hope more people add relevant information!
Cheers
YoYo

OBG is legit and more transparent. they provided me a contract, while MP didn't. OBG in the country i am in is rather reputable. the people here don't burn their bridges, unlike MP where, based on my experience, have been labeled as a scam by a certain PR agency here. the MP people i worked with were nice (save for that douchebag of a regional director that we had) especially this girl who was managing us -- awesome manager, really cheerful despite the difficulty they were having in this country's very suspicious culture.

Hi Jas,

Thanks so much for sharing your experience and useful information. I absolutely agree that the editorial should come first before any sale and it is sad if they give preference of one over another.
yeah, i'm wondering if I would be the right one for the sales position. I'm more interested in the editorial part of work and the fact that I am a girl who is there only to sell, is not professional and misleading. So I don't know, I will see how my 2nd interview goes and then if I get it, I will toss a coin:)) just kidding, but yes.. I have to think really hard if this would be for me or not. There are a lot of pluses but also a lot of minuses. Maybe if this job would lead me to something bigger, more editorial travel oriented, I would take it. Thanks again for posting the info. I might bug you later if I have more questions:)
Cheers
Susan

Hello everybody I recently assisted to the assesment for AFA press excecutive sales consultant. I passed the first individual interiew, went on to a group interview and did not pass.... I did not read about this site before going to the interview, but the person conducting it, Saturnino, a spanish guy told everybody in the room about this site. Of course I got asked to leave after the first presentation excersise... I was quite shocked because together with the other 4 girls that were asked to leave, we were the ones with degrees, we have excellente points of view... so my question is, do they really want to hire idiots? people with out common sense or personal opinions? I really want this job, therefore I will apply again once there is another opening... but please be honest, is it really what this blog says? What is the sallary?

Hi Girl,

I don't really see how you couldn't get this job... to be honest, the questions they ask and the situations they put you in are so obviously oriented that answers should come naturally... just be positive and a good communicator. I don't know about your looks but this is definitely more important than degrees or arguments. If after reading all the comments posted on this blog you still want this job seems a bit strange to me. But again, there are plenty of other companies where you can apply: United Press, Vega Media etc... Getting a job in this industry is way easier than in regular companies.

Hello everybody,

I have worked for media plus appr 4 years. It was my first job and i learned a lott. If I see all your (negative) comments and worries i just dont understand why you are even thinking of taking a job like that. Go and work in the town you were born in at the local supermarket. If you are young and you want to explore the world and get lots of sales experience GO FOR IT. Yes I also had bad expierences in the field and no I did not die so Yesit made me stronger. Media plus gave me a great job and a lott of experience I still can use today. If anyone needs possitive feedback just drop aline.

kind regards

Robert

Hello everybody,

I have worked for media plus appr 4 years. It was my first job and i learned a lott. If I see all your (negative) comments and worries i just dont understand why you are even thinking of taking a job like that. Go and work in the town you were born in at the local supermarket. If you are young and you want to explore the world and get lots of sales experience GO FOR IT. Yes I also had bad expierences in the field and no I did not die so Yesit made me stronger. Media plus gave me a great job and a lott of experience I still can use today. If anyone needs possitive feedback just drop aline.

kind regards

Robert

Hi there,

I worked for AFA Press during one month. Before I started I had been invited in a fancy hotel in Brussels and after that, AFA Press invited me for a one week training in Madrid. I really enjoyed the recruitment part. I met nice people with whom I am still in contact. After I had been selected I left for Ghana. I had a wonderful time there eventhough I left AFA PRESS one month later. The reason why I left had nothing to do with the company. As a lot of people say in the blog nobody is forced to do what in some people's eyes is maybe wrong. People to whom you sell advertisement know how the business works because this business is not new for them and I assure you that nobody is forcing influent people to sign for the product. As a sales person you are just trying in selling advertisement like any other sales person does. For me AFA Press gave me a great opportunity. I discovered a really nice country and I met nice people. It's only due to some personal problems that I left AFA because I felt myself more useful back home. The good thing is that AFA give young people great opportunities which another company would only give after 15 years of experience. From the start you stay in nice places and you travel around to the most exotic countries. For people enjoying this kind of life style it is only positive. You can leave the company within a short notice. So you will never be forced to stay somewhere if you are not enjoying what you are doing. For AFA it is also really important to have happy employees that enjoy what they are doing. For me it has only been positive.

Hope this info can help you.

Kind regards,

Benoît

All in all I believe this is very much a personal experience. Don't expect too much from the companies/people you would work for nor from the job/money itself. It might work very well for you as it might not. Don't forget there is a great deal of luck in this industry, probably as much as hard work. Most people that have conducted successful projects don't really know why it has worked so well: probably good networking, proper timing or right newspaper title. If you feel like giving it a go, if you are young and if you are ready to remain positive whatsoever, I would suggest you to follow your intuition. You may get very nice memories, meet cool people (co-workers), and get some interesting experience.

Hey guys,

You have really put together a good pool of info. I couldn't find anything about one of the companies in the industry.

Can you drop me a line with info about the company behind the below links, should you of course have any:
businessfocus.org.uk
www.globalbusiness.uk.com
www.ibns.uk.com
www.asapworldwide.net

if you have some comments to add I will appreciate it.

cheers,
jonathan

I worked for AFA for a year, and yes it's often unethical, and also quite degrading - a bit like cold calling or door to door sales. Obviously there's no editorial independence, but that's the case with any advertorial so it shouldn't come as a surprise. What is a surprise is the fact that high ranking politicians and successful businessmen can be talked into believing that spending US$100,000 for a 1 page ad in an advertorial is the best way to promote their country/company.
One of the worst aspcets of AFA itself though, that I haven't seen mentioned here, is how and when they pay their employees the commissions that they are due. On your contract (if they've bothered to give you one) it will state that commissions are paid twice yearly, in August and January. When I left in December, most people still hadn't been paid the commissions they were due in August. And as an employee there's not a lot you can do about it. You stand no chance taking them to court because of the obsucre way the companies are set up. As mentioned elsewhere in this blog, if you do a search for any of the uk registered companies at companies house, they are all listed as having only one employee. And when you decide to leave the company, you can be owed tens of thousands of dollars in commissions that you stand no chance of ever seeing. In my experience, no one who has left the company will be paid their outstanding commissions.
People may seem very friendly and even quite genuine at the training, but remember the people conducting the training have themselves spent years on the field, perfecting those very skills. And with the dollar as low as it is now, it's no longer so easy to find people who are willing to work for US$2000 a month, so they need to use all their charm and persuasive abilities to encourage people to accept the job. That includes suggesting to people that they will soon be earning substantial commissions.
For a lucky few, this is perhaps the case. But I would say that the majority of new employees will leave the company before earning any real commission at all. Especially now that they are delaying payments for so long. So if you're thinking of taking a job with AFA Press, then just don't expect too much from it. If like me you read this blog before the training, and having weighed things up still decide to give it a go, then at least you will have a very good idea of what to expect.
PG

www.veritemediagroup.com another one of those companies! Does anyone know anything about them?

Hi all,

Thanks a lot for all your posts and describing your experiences. First I was really interested in the job as Sales & Media Executive (which I initially saw as monster.es), but I got suspicious when I saw the exact same job ad at several other, similar firms.

It all sounded too nice to be true.... traveling all the time, meeting interesting people and making loads of money. And that for a graduate without work experience!

Thanks to you guys I have a better idea of the actual job and the firms's activities. Although I haven't been to an assesment day (they did invite me though) I now definitely won't go. Really don't want to be doing the job as explained in earlier posts.

By the way, I guess WINNE (world investment news) is also owned by our argentine friend Alvaro Llaryora? anyone knows?

Quite an interesting website.
I'm happy to have come across all these comments.

I recently graduated and have been torn between the type of industry and work that I would like to do. I have two friends that work in the industry and they have tried to sell me the job for quite sometime now. Fortunately I am a bit of a perfectionist so had to research well before getting the idea sold to me. However, I'm astonished at the level of conflicting opinions and "experiences". At this very point I have a couple of perplexities:

1) In a day and age where we are surrounded by information and we all know exactly where the world stands, and how business is conducted, how can anyone be naive? My question to you all is, when looking for any job, isn't the first and foremost commandment that of researching the position to which one applies thoroughly? I am sorry if I'm harsh in my belief that being young and naive is not really an option anymore, especially not for the majority of us that have easy access to information and are well educated.

2) For those that worked in these companies and have only negative comments about them, is there ANY industry in which sales is the driving force, where one would really say "it was all absolutely ethical and perfectly in standard with what's acceptable"...but what is acceptable? It's really all a relative term. "lying" to sell advertising is nothing less than "lying" to a person in a clothes store telling them they look good just to get them to buy the item. It all boils down to personal principles and choices. If one is really an ethical person, and really believes that they stand for their principles then they should pursue a carreer that involves that. Honestly i've worked in NGO and development for example. It's no less of a lie. Yes we helped starving children, but to get the funding to do so we "lied". Sold the project....So the bottom line is, whatever the industry, it really boils down to personal belief. We choose who we are, and what compromises we make. If people want to sue AFA press, then why not sue Coca cola? Let's sue the UN to while at it because believe me they have LOTS TO BE SUED FOR...

3) A very big curiosity I have is in regards to the networks: Do people ever remain in contact with these prominent figures? Because my guess is, if one is quite sincere to begin with about the true nature of the business, trying to sell a bit of gold for a lot of gold and not for diamonds, will that not be appreciated by these personas? And if so, can anyone tell me if it is the case that they can provide a very good bridge for a future career? I'm not sure if traditional networking (as is in corporate world) works?

4) I've had the opportunity to work for a diverse set of industries, from Pure investment banking, to advertising, to development, to policy making (and no I haven't quite found what I want yet...).
The point is, for those that condemn how trainees are slaved away, wherever have you heard of anyone in a starting position being treated with respect and having it easy? Please correct me, because in my experience, they're all the same. Even in Investment Banking where one has the chance to work with people that shape the world economies, they do clerical jobs for the first year (save for the geniouses)

5) The only real concern I can see with the industry is that of legal matters. Healthcare, pension scheme, blah blah blah. But, whatever university a person has gone to, I trust we've been taught well enough to know not to sign a contract or accept a place without knowing things like this?...and at the end...a person can always quit. It's a win win situation. It's a bit hypocritical to accept the job and then question morality afterwards....if really we want to be moral and ethical, we should start straight from home. Working for X Corporation might be financially stable and "legal" but why not research how they conduct their business and if their "social corporate responsibility" is actually that responsible...

6) Job fairs and internet sites that advertise the company....again, they bring diversity on the plate. If a gradfair were to be ethical, you'd have 2 companies on the list. Because 90% of everything that is done in the world IS UNETHICAL. Immoral. and so on. and we all know it. It's nobody's fault but our own if we go for a job like that. And if I ever chose to work for Nestlè because of necessity, i'd have to come to terms with the fact that I am doing it because i'm too much of a coward to take the harder route, or too unconvenient for me to do so.

I could go on and on, but bottom line is: Don't blame the company. If you really want to do good, do it first hand. And if you accept a job in a company that is bad, it's only your own fault for sticking to it. Let's stop blaming people and companies. it's not elementary school anymore. the world is tough. And one has to pick sides. But it's hypocritical to completely bash the other side, because nothing is black and white. The shades of grey truly run the scenario.

Hi everyone!!

Has anyone heard about WINNE? Are they a kind of this 'dreams job company' they introduce themselve...?!?
Im suppose to have an interview/training process in Spain too soon...
Any help will be more than grateful!
thanks
xo
Maja

Forget about Winne!! It is the worst of the worst!!!! the salary is bad and they don't give you your commission!! And the report are the worst quality ever!!
Try impact!

I am a concerned Parent of a beautiful 25 yr old educated daughter who unfortunately has fallen in the same rut that many are experiencing in this economic downturn- limited job oportunities.
Of course she's an adult and is entitled to make her own decisions. I've read the blogs and it appears that the majority of them are on the negative side. My daughter is currently living with us and is basically desperate to get out of the house and do something, even if it sounds shaky. I want to support her and not sound like the overprotective negative parent but lets be real-How dangerous is this job?
My daughters is a drama Queen-can someone please give me a honest heart felt story that will help her make up her mind to try this or run for the hills.

Concerned Father
Can someone please give me

Hello,

This month, I spent one week in Madrid training with AFA press. So far things look fine- I accept some of the shady sides of the business for the sales/travel experience.

My question: I was offered a job, but am still waiting for an assisgnment. Will I actually get a travel assignment? A contract? When?

Thanks!

hi,

i've recently been searching job boards and have seen repeated postings from these companies. out of curiosity, i decided to do some research which has landed me here...

i think i'm missing something so if someone could email me with the answer i'd appreciate it.

In a nutshell, the employees in the field interview the decision makers in the various countries and sell advertisements in the process (people stated above for 50K-100K). a report is then made and sold to a publication. i heard the sudan piece in the NYTimes a couple of months back was $929K...who's making up the price difference between the money the gov't paid the company and the fee paid to the NYTimes to run the ad? Or is this all a cover for other illegal activities in the process?

Thanks in advance.
semilvr (at) aol (dot) com

Semilvr,

Companies handling this type of business, buy a media pack to newspapers or secure a deal for a certain amount of money, let's say 200K€, to insert a 10 pages (for example) advertorial in the paper's edition on a certain day. There are two options: either the company handles the layout and the printing and have the whole delivered to the newspaper, or they pay extra money to get this done by the newspaper team. In both cases, the company must tailor its prices for ad spaces so as to make good profit on the overall project. In fact, just anybody could secure this kind of deal with newspapers, it is just a matter of how much money you actually have in your hands to keep the project going until it could end.

Hi all,

I am very concerned by this blog. I have applied for a position with vega media, but 2 weeks ago, I've been contacted by Impact-media.com, telling me me they were interested by my CV.
Now to got furtherly in the recruitment process, they ask me to email them a scanned copy of my passport.
When I asked why? The answer was a kind of mandatory reply:
''As part of our selection process we require to have a complete file of the people we are interested in recruiting, that includes a copy of the passport. This is because many times people have dual nationalities or a passport that requires a type of visa when they travel to a certain country.''
Now I am not sure this is legal or even normal. Since I havent been introduced to anyone and no interview yet, I believe the fact of telling them I am holding an EU passport should be enough???

Please can anyone advice me here?? Thank you.

Hi concern. Just tell them that you find it awkward to send a copy of your passport to people you've never met. Confirm them that you have one nationality only and that your passport is issued in the EU. Tell them that you would bring it for the first interview.

To Concerned father.

Let's be honest: even if the activities of these companies are a bit blur, we can't call this type of job "dangerous". What I suggest is to subscribe a good health insurance before leaving to any country as these companies don't usually include any in their package. For the rest, it will be her own experience. She shouldn't expect too much though.

To concerned father:

I suggest her to apply to Oxford Business Group. They seem more serious than others. Also, and if she's interested in sales jobs, she should have a look at Naseba website. They are involved in event organizations and are located in various countries. Seems to be a good company to work for.

Hi All, and thank you yeahbaby,

Concerning impact-media.com that were asking me a copy of my passport.
Since I asked for another way to deal with that (I proposed to bring my passport at the 1st interview);
they answered: ''If you refuse to provide us with the required information, I have to inform you that we won't process your application any further''.

Can someone tell me if you had the same problem, and if that is a normal way to recruit people?
I don't kno if I should provide them a scanned copy of my passport.
Help please
Much appreciated...

To Concern,

I have been interested in the same type of positions and I'm not sure how I would handle the passport question. I think the best thing you could (I would do this) is to call the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or police or any diplomatic service and ask them if it is OKEY to give your scanned passport to a potential employer. They deal with passports and security issues and they should be able to help you and advise you if this is a legal request from your potential employer.
Good luck
Susan

Hey guys,

I wanted to get more information on Media Plus. I got an interview with them and they were saying about barter service and about basically not being paid to live there, but to basically work for something.

Its not common in the west, but other places it is.
Im just wondering if its like that in AFA or anywhere else... it seems impossible.
And another thing is that you dont see your money in 6 months. Whats up with that? The buyer can back out quickly and then you wont get paid?

Another thing is that knowing that its 330 days a year...what happens?
What is you screw up? How do you get back to Belgium or if its worse to your country? I dont wanna end up in the Phillipines and having to pay 5000 USD to get out of there.

What about personal emergency? IS MP or anyone kind to that? Can they give you a flight back to your home if something occurs, god forbid?

Also, with the Hotel, since they barter it for you (against Advertisements) and car..how do you get to these places? Do they supplement the gas for you as well? Do they provide you with a GPS?

Someone mentioned security - so i dont wanna end up in a shady road somewhere, especially in Venezuela, with no directions and in the middle of gangs and crooks...

email me if you got some information: ajam1985@gmail.com

thanks!

Most expat jobs will give you an allowance for leaving friends, family and the comforts of home behind. They will also include flight tickets home (usually for each family member, twice a year), full insurance and a strong contract.

Media Plus and all other companies similar to it will not provide you with this sort of expat package. Just think of it this way… instead of selling advertising for your local newspaper, you will be doing the exact same job, for less wages, in a foreign land. That is the attraction to it – a junior level job with a ton of adventure attached to it.

They want to keep their costs as low as possible so the barter is a great way to do this. It’s also a great way for you to live a luxury lifestyle. On one of my projects I was given enough budget to cover a 2 star hotel – that was disgusting. After a couple of weeks we bartered a multi million dollar house with a chef and a cleaner. From the company perspective – we, as employee’s, were happy to be living this lifestyle and they were happy because it cost them nothing.

The same went for our barter car – instead of a crappy little car we bartered a very expensive sedan. Although we were getting paid very little and were living very far from home, we were living a lifestyle that was out of this world. And ALL companies would rather have you barter these essential living costs.

However – beware of all the pitfalls and you brought up a few key points: … You do not get paid unless the client pays… expect your commission cheques once every 6 months and don’t expect a ton of money – many buyers back out of the deal because they are sold on emotion and they do not have a chance to think before they sign… You will be away from home all year long … If you get fired or you quit they (all companies) will fly you back to head office but not to your home… if something tragic happens at home there is a very slim chance the company will pay for your flight home (unless you are a sales superstar)… they don’t trust you just as much as you won’t trust them (just wait until your first week of training when you lose all trust in what they told you during recruiting)

In most projects you drive yourself and figure your own way around the city. Good luck with that. There is no way they will spend extra money on a GPS for you (because you may keep it, and remember – they don’t trust you!). You may get a driver’s allowance in certain countries and when I was with AFA we had a driver. But with Media Plus – all on our own.

Chances are you may end up down a shady road or in a war torn country – but your manager will tell you that is all part of the experience and you should grow from it. They take advantage of fresh grads looking for an adventure. It is a delay of the reality of life while at the same time it will sour your impression of just how bad employers can be.

I can’t reiterate it enough – they won’t trust you and they won’t go the extra mile for you. You are totally replaceable and they will treat you like that. If you can live with this sort of treatment, then head off on the adventure. If you would rather be treated with respect and be paid what you are worth – just apply for expat jobs. There are tons out there.

Can't agree more to what jalbacorp says about trust and the fact that you are replaceable. The atmosphere in the office tends to be disgusting and most sales people try to spend as less time in Belgium as possible (and not only because their office is in a shitty hole...). Meanwhile, finding a good expat job isn't that easy.

Has anyone ever heard of WINNE? I was invited to their assessment centre in Madrid as well. It lasted 4 days, gotta say it was not that bad but some things seemed to be unclear. However, they indeed, enphasized about the sales part that is done by the girl. The journalist is a guy and a the country director is a woman too. WINNE agrees to pay for all expenses including food, house, car and even driver. What it does not include is the international insure becuase they hire you in terms of 'freelance' or autonomous person. Their media partners are for instance, the US News, Le Figaro, ABC Spain etc.
Can anyone give me feedback of this company? they selected me and before signing any 'contract' wanna make sure im making the right thing.

To Polska:

Just read the posts written above on the same page...

Do all AFA press staff use names different from their real names? Are they really required to do that?

Hey All,
WOW this has attracted a long, very long debate indeed. As someone who does work in this industry (for an excellent employer, who pays well, and provides health cover, and actually cares about the people in the field)- i feel rather compelled to share the positive side of the story.

I never usually comment on blogs, but this blog seems to require that I do.

Ok, firstly if you are not comfortable with a bit of adventure, and negotiating your way through a new country, learning to communicate with people who dont speak your language, meeting interesting people whom you would never ordinarily meet or experiencing foreign culture - then this is not the job for you.

Secondly, guys, sales is sales. I have been in a sales environment for some years. The previous company i worked for (now a global entity) was built by the founder who knocked on doors and slugged it out to gain clients. There is nothing wrong, or unethical, about selling or knocking on doors.
For those of you who think you are not (this one is for the blokes) remember the first time you got laid - i guarantee you did your best sales presentation that night. Point being, business is about selling - whatever it is. Some people will like your product, others will not. You are never going to please everyone.

Indeed the people that this industry sells to are top decision makers in their company. They have the business-nous to run a company, surely they have the brains to decide whether this is a deal they want to participate in, right?

And again, in every negotiation, someone sells and someone buys.

Whilst we are on advertising; many, in fact the worlds greatest brands consistenly engage in promotional branding every single day. Advertising is NOT always, agruably rarely, about a ROI.

So, there are a couple of general comments. I cannot say anything specific about AFA or the other companies mentioned as i do not know them personally. However, if anyone wishes to have further info from me, just ask.

Cheers,
Doc.

Hey Doc - if selling is selling... what's wrong with boiler rooms? Those people use high pressure sales tactics to sell a product to people who do not necessarily want it - but are convinced otherwise.

There is no difference between international reports and shill stocks. Both use high pressure tactics (international reports even use pressure from Ministers to help with the sales arguments), Both have absolutely zero ROI (since when does an international report actually produce business) and the paper used in each transaction is worth less than the fish its used to wrap the next day.

You were right about one thing... it's all about adventure. But don't rationalize the selling. I've met with plenty of buyers (in my new career) who hate the international reports industry for what it is. Yes, they have bought - but they had no choice. To me, that's not selling. That strong arm boiler room bs. There is no business sense involved whatsoever - so don't pretend like there is. And when you get tired of selling in tinpot countries, then go and get a job at a boiler room in Bangkok. I hear that's an adventure as well.

Doc, what is the name of your company?

Jalbacorp,

I think you somewhat miss my point. Advertising sales are something that happens the world over, every day of the year.

Where a company chooses to advertise is it's own choice. I'm not sure what sales experience you have yourself, so I'll reserve comment on that.

Every media, whether it be print, television, radio, internet - is paid for with advertising dollars. Or am I wrong about this? These features are no different. In fact, there are many companies who approach newspapers/ magazines directly to produce an advertorial for them. I'm sure you've seen them as well.

And as far as replaceability goes - tell me ONE company or ONE job in the WORLD where you are not performance based. (Oh, aside for governemnt/ council jobs). Every employee is replaceable if they are not helping the business - regardless of industry. That is the nature of capitalism.

I see you seem to have had bad experiences. I cannot say the same. I have sold (in my previous employment) business services to SME's - throughout Australia and London.

I do not need to rationalise sales at all.

There is no doubt the selling IS emotional, both for buyer and seller. And I have no problem with the fact the is IS the one and only JOB of the seller to persuade and convince the buyer that this product is for them.

No salesperson ever goes into a meeting by telling the prospect that they are here to sell them something - none. People, myself included, naturally do not like salespeople.

How many people actually want to buy a new vacuum cleaner - not many. Why do you buy one?? The guy convinces you that it is a solution for your dirty carpets.

Advertising, as they say, is a necessary evil. No company really wants to have to spend away money on advertising. However, every large concern in the world does - true?

And don't give me the bollocks that 'they bought because they had no choice'. Accept buyers remorse for what it is, but do not tell me that they do not have a choice. If there is a fella who is capable of running a multi-million dollar company, who cannot say no to a deal that he does not want, then I wonder how he got where he is. Please.

Yeahbaby: Its Vegamedia.

Cheers,
Doc.

Jalbacorp,

I think you somewhat miss my point. Advertising sales are something that happens the world over, every day of the year.

Where a company chooses to advertise is it's own choice. I'm not sure what sales experience you have yourself, so I'll reserve comment on that.

Every media, whether it be print, television, radio, internet - is paid for with advertising dollars. Or am I wrong about this? These features are no different. In fact, there are many companies who approach newspapers/ magazines directly to produce an advertorial for them. I'm sure you've seen them as well.

And as far as replaceability goes - tell me ONE company or ONE job in the WORLD where you are not performance based. (Oh, aside for governemnt/ council jobs). Every employee is replaceable if they are not helping the business - regardless of industry. That is the nature of capitalism.

I see you seem to have had bad experiences. I cannot say the same. I have done deals (in my previous employment) on real estate, tractors, wine, all manner of goods and business services to SME's - throughout Australia and London.

I do not need to rationalise sales at all.

There is no doubt the selling IS emotional, both for buyer and seller. And I have no problem with the fact the is IS the one and only JOB of the seller to persuade and convince the buyer that this product is for them.

No salesperson ever goes into a meeting by telling the prospect that they are here to sell them something - none. People, myself included, naturally do not like salespeople.

How many people actually want to buy a new vacuum cleaner - not many. Why do you buy one?? The guy convinces you that it is a solution for your dirty carpets.

Advertising, as they say, is a necessary evil. No company really wants to have to spend away money on advertising. However, every large concern in the world does - true?

And don't give me the bollocks that 'they bought because they had no choice'. Accept buyers remorse for what it is, but do not tell me that they do not have a choice. If there is a fella who is capable of running a multi-million dollar company, who cannot say no to a deal that he does not want, then I wonder how he got where he is. Please.

Yeahbaby: Its Vegamedia.

Cheers,
Doc.

Doc - no need to preach to the preacher. I am a career salesman and at the moment I sell advertising. So get off the high horse for a moment... I hardly think you want to be comparing resumes.

I also recognize the need that everybody is selling something. Whether or not its an accounting solution, a cool web design or an advertisement. But I can tell you this about a professional salesman (which you may not be judging by your words) - the prospect DOES know that the meeting is a sales meeting and the best salesmen in the world generally love other sales people or being sold to. There is nothing better to me than being sold something in a store. I believe that people love being sold to - they love the show. Real ad sales people will make their calls stating immediately that they want to offer them an opportunity to advertise. Then the pitching begins. So mate - you are way, way off. Why hide the fact you are selling? Are you ashamed?

I can tell you this without a shadow of hesitation - the special reports industry has a very bad reputation. How do I know? Well - I happen to sell ads to the same people that you burn. It often confuses me as to why they buy from people like you, but more often than not it is because they say they are forced to buy. I am not making that up... I am simply the messenger.

Take my words as you like. But the fact of the matter is this - if you have to hide behind many agency names, titles, etc - and your business does not depend on repeat sales (how many projects have you done where you go back to the same country and visit the same companies?) - then how on earth do you think that is a good sales tactic?

OK - selling vaccuums and things like this - people have a need for those items. The sales man doesn't create a need. He does offer a great solution. But you don't walk in to the vaccuum department unless you need a new vaccuum. You are a willing buyer who is probably comparing price and features. So that's a pretty bad example mate, other than the fact that every company in the world is a willing buyer of advertising. But CEO's don't do the ad decisions - which is where your argument begins to fall on its face.

But as for any sale - repeat business is the name of the game. I've met so many burnt buyers in my current role that I honestly can't see how you get repeat business. Also - the IMF even advises against special reports! Yes, do your homework and you will see that special reports are in the same boat as boiler rooms. So yeah, I got your point, you are in a shady industry and you are trying to justify it by saying a sale is a sale.

Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed my time in the special reports industry and I learned a lot. But I hardly think its legit.

Let's be very serious here - you use two tactics to get an ad sale. The first is through pressure (the minister said this, I am leaving tomorrow, your competitor wants the same page). This will create the urgency and the pressure to sign off. In a billion dollar company, a 100k sign off isn't a lot but it's still a pressured decision. (and please - get a grasp of what real money is to these people). The second tactic is the vanity publishing. But you misrepresent this by stating that so and so reads it, and you will get more business and be surrounded by specific content. Have you ever read a special report from cover to cover? Have you ever seen one when it comes out in the Independent or the NY Times? They are not that good looking and more often than not, they are jammed in with a bunch of other crap. Do you really think a CEO reads this? Please. Not when they pay thousands a month to license professional research. And do you think they base their purchasing decisions on one of these reports? HA!

The CEO of Timbuktu Trading in Niamey will pay so that he gets interviewed. Then he can show his friends that he was in the NY Times. (or supporting his government) Its complete vanity and its a complete misrepresentation. But perhaps he knows it - and is willing to waste his money on vanity publishing. But let's face the facts - advertising sales is a cold, hard business based on figures and ROI. What special reports sales people do is build networks and create emotion and imagery. It's a different game. Good luck to you and like I said - I enjoyed my time in the industry but I know what it is like, but I don't agree with it.

The simple fact of the matter is that you misrepresent what you are selling, you use high pressure tactics to make a sale (most ad sales are done one year in advance, btw), and your parent companies create smoke and mirror agencies. Face the facts pal - boiler rooms and special reports are one in the same. Stay in for as long as you like - but recognize what you do for what it is. I could go back to the industry in a heart beat but I wont because I know I don't want to use your selling tactics and I also don't want to burn people. I'd rather have the same people you burn as my network and contacts, whom I can call on at a later date.

Hi Jalbacorp. Your work seems interesting and legit. I am also involved in sales, at high level. Do your job get you to travel extensively? Where are you based?

Yeah - I travel fairly frequently and am based in Zurich most of the time.

Radical discussion, both sides are pretty interesting. I was wondering if a kid from the United States has a chance landing the discussed position at AFA?

Best Regards,
Augustine

Hi all,
I have just read the article and all your comments. I am really surprised.
I have applied to a compagny called Global Consulting Group, which is in the same business. Does anyone know it? DO you have ome information or comments about how they work?
I will have an interview with them soon so I would make up my own mind. But I would be interested to get alternative opinions.
Thanks

I have made an error: the name of the company is Global Economic Consulting.

To AUGUSTINE: I've met three people who are working for Summit Communications. One of them is an American (female).

In fairness to them, they all seemed nice and well-educated. They also never forced us to buy an advertisement.

To AUGUSTINE: I've met three people who are working for Summit Communications. One of them is an American (female).

In fairness to them, they all seemed nice and well-educated. They also never forced us to buy an advertisement.

Hey,

I posted here before.
I am going to the January training at Media Plus in Belgium. I wanted to know:

If I go and I use the ticket to go to Europe instead of going to be trained at Belgium, what would happen in the worst case scenario.

They offered a round trip ticket, but its open.

So what does occur if I go and I'll use the ticket to go to Belgium for the fun of it?
Would they cancel the other ticket? Would they do anything?

Or whats the worse case scenario? Would they ask me to repay it as 'damages'? please respond

email: ajam1985@gmail.com

To Jamrurova,

They can cancel the return if they want to. They have full control on the tickets as they do not buy them but exchange them for free adverising, using the barter concept.

If you go to the training, get prepared to end up in the ass hole of Belgium, in a place called Lomel... there is basically nothing in there. Still there is a club or something looking like this near the house they host you and the girls are pretty open to foreigners since the rest of the year they are among dumb uneducated belgian twats. Can find good weed as well:)

AUGUSTINE: I am an American and I used to do this job. I'd say their main concern is that your passport allow you a lot of hassle-free travel: that means they're primarily interested in folks from the USA, Canada, EU, Oz and a few others. On the job it's a bizarre, visa-free zone, really. I look back and chuckle at how many questions I had about this in my interview, given how little it must've mattered to the employer. These companies are incorporated offshore and usually not registered wherever their offices are located. Work wherever they send you is usually done on a tourist visa, however that's administered. It's sometimes as easy as a stamp on arrival, sometimes a little more difficult, but nothing like trying to get a work permit.

Thank you for the response, but I havent heard back from either company I applied for. Oh well.
-Augustine

Hi Jamruvova ,

I worked with the company for a couple of years, the international sales environment is very though and not everybody has the stomach for it. Some people are very upset when they're let go and it's good there's a website like this to ventilate their feelings.

My experience on the other hand was very valuable. I have a job as a sales manager in the Netherlands (in a publishing company) and it's because of my experience in Media Plus.

To answer your question:
if you fly to Belgium they will take care of your housing and the training is very eductational. It's intense and you learn quite a lot about international sales. Worst comes to worse they will fly you back, they have paid for all your expenses, they have paid for your trip and you have received a free of charge training.

If you go into the field, and after a couple of months they feel you are no longer a good investment, they will also fly you back and they'll take a loss on you.

So technically you have nothing to lose. If you don't live up to the expectations, they take a hit. They are a professional company, the training is very intense and they seem to have a sixth sense for party animals. If you're only into partying, you won't make it and you can spare yourself the effort.

I hope this can help you and wish you succes with your decision. just go for it.

Greetings, Tom.

I've worked with Media Plus (Thieu Cuypers) too, and had the luck to be personally trained by Thieu Cuypers, their CEO.

Their sales training and experience is great, and they are known in the industry for that.

My experience was that if they fly you somewhere they will also fly you back at their expense.
Thieu Cuypers (CEO) is very hands on and visited us twice in the field for extra coaching. The moment they feel you are not up to par they will communicate it.

Be prepared for a tough job and a hard life in the field. It ain't easy but it's worth it!

My advice is : learn all you can and be aware of the winers, they will try to bring you down.
It's your own choice how you want to experience it.

Alan

Avoid the company Naseba, I worked there.They brainwash people exploiting them and it is some sort of sect!avoid it
send me email if you want more info

Hi Lucas, Im interested in knowing more about naseba --> where can i reach you?

Anyone have any experience or info about this company? ...sounds all too familiar.

http://focusreports.net/index.htm

I'd be very interested in hearing about them.

-Focus Reports, 14 Rue du Conseil Général, CH 1205, Geneva, Switzerland

-Focus Communication, Rm 2104, Bldg #11 Jianwai SOHO No. 39 East 3rd Ring Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, P.R. China

-Global Economic Consulting, 28 Rue des Petites Ecuries, 75010, Paris, France

Dear people,

I am an outsider and I am really interested in working for one of these companies. What I read here is indeed very naive. I was 22 when I first traveled to Africa with someone for business. The second time (I was still 22) I went all alone. There was no medical back up, no organisation to back me up or whatever. I just did it because I wanted to. I knew the risk in advance. This way, I have learned how to look at people. Who to trust and who not. You make contact with people that can protect or help you. I was held by the police for two hours for walking on the street, which was suspicious for a white guy and I learned how to talk myself out of it. My message is very simple: Traveling to a third world country always involves a risk. Think about it before you do it and carfully consider the risk.
What concerns the so called "scams" these companies use: I really don't see the scam. They are selling advertising space like any other publicity agency that works for a big medium. They have found a very unique market, and that is something to envy. Maybe that's the problem with you people...
My last suggestion: Take a job at the UN. If you are all so smart and highly educated, if you are all fighting for a better world, that seems like the best solution.
Anyway, thanks for the freedom of speech though.

Best regards,

David

Hm, David, I'm not sure you understand what people have written on this site. People appear to have complained mostly about the poor level of support -- often less than promised -- offered to them as employees of these firms, the perceived shoddiness of the final products and the occasional deceit involved in the sales procedure.
If people were people saying: "Boy Africa sure is tough, who knew that there wouldn't be indoor plumbing in rural Congo?!", then there might be a case for calling the folks here 'naive' and going on about how you managed on your own in Africa at 22, hot shot. But they aren't. They're writing about employers not delivering what appears to have been expected, to them and to the clients. You're obviously proud of your Africa experience, but it cannot shed any light on the legitimacy, or not, of the complaints listed here.
Incidentally, thinking that the UN is actively fighting for 'a better world', whatever that might mean to you, seems pretty naive to me.

Has anyone worked for Vega Media or know anything about it? It is more legit than AFA or Media Plus Consulting???
Thanks

Has anyone worked for Vega Media or know anything about it? It is more legit than AFA or Media Plus Consulting???
Thanks

Yes, on what CL is asking. Is vega media legitimate? Their website seems very thourough and profession. Also, on the whole this profession seems exciting but comes with a bad reputation, even if the said company is reputable and ethical. Any thoughts

Yes, on what CL is asking. Is vega media legitimate? Their website seems very thourough and profession. Also, on the whole this profession seems exciting but comes with a bad reputation, even if the said company is reputable and ethical. Any thoughts

Yes, on what CL is asking. Is vega media legitimate? Their website seems very thourough and profession. Also, on the whole this profession seems exciting but comes with a bad reputation, even if the said company is reputable and ethical. Any thoughts

At the end of this comment you'll find a link to one of my blog posts, sort of telling why I quit the industry altogether after many years working on and off for several of the companies mentioned in this forum, and after having set up my own little agency for a while.

Let's say that the truth hit me a few times during my career. But it hit me hardest last year while working on a project in Dubai -- a city that, ironically, seems to be the incarnation of the values that the industry promotes to its readers (if there are any left?) and employees (well, contractors really, but you know what I mean).

Don't get me wrong. I won't go all moralistic on you now and tell you to not work for the industry because here I come with my confessions-of-a-(rather small)-economic-hit-man arrogance to lecture you.

I actually am of the view that stepping into the darkness is at times a necessary path towards enlightenment and growth. And if you feel you need to do that, then let the industry be part of Your Journey.

But whatever you do, I beg you to please, por favor, consider these pieces of advice:

* Don't work for Media Plus. If it's true that the wounds that this industry inflicts in poor countries, their clients and its contractors' moral psychology are only dog bites when compared to what some sharks of international finance can do with their mighty jaws, well, then MP is a huge, mean, rabid Rottweiler you'd rather stay away from.

* Try to work for Oxford Business Group, which in my opinion is an entirely different ball game. At least the stuff they produce is readable and decently researched for godssakes.

* Or try to work for any of the smaller agencies. As some people here have said, they tend to be owned by people that have realized they could have a bit of a competitive edge if they only delivered more value to advertisers for their money. But bear in mind that you can run into someone like me, who left it all not only because of moral exhaustion, but also because I found it extremely hard to persuade advertisers you're different from the rest of the pack. They're simply, and understandably, extremely skeptical of any company involved in this line of business.

And last but not least, please keep it honest to yourself about the whole "I am willingly stepping into the dark with this experience because I feel attracted to it" kind of thing. Don't fall into the insane wishful thinking and moral hypocrisy that some participants in this forum have shown, rationalizing their activity as something good for the world. Because it's not. Take it as a strong chemical drug that you have decided to experiment with for a while.

LSD can be mind-opening and growth-enhancing, but you cannot say it's good for your health, or that the world is necessarily better because LSD exists. Got it?

(Unnecessary digression here: At least LSD contributed to the the brilliance of The Beatles, ergo, LSD's contribution to the world is much better than Special Ad Sections on Countries)

Peace,
Alan

Here's the link to my little story:

http://alanfurth.com/dubai-and-i

At the end of this comment you'll find a link to one of my blog posts, sort of telling why I quit the industry altogether after many years working on and off for several of the companies mentioned in this forum, and after having set up my own little agency for a while.

Let's say that the truth hit me a few times during my career. But it hit me hardest last year while working on a project in Dubai -- a city that, ironically, seems to be the incarnation of the values that the industry promotes to its readers (if there are any left?) and employees (well, contractors really, but you know what I mean).

Don't get me wrong. I won't go all moralistic on you now and tell you to not work for the industry because here I come with my confessions-of-a-(rather small)-economic-hit-man arrogance to lecture you.

I actually am of the view that stepping into the darkness is at times a necessary path towards enlightenment and growth. And if you feel you need to do that, then let the industry be part of Your Journey.

But whatever you do, I beg you to please, por favor, consider these pieces of advice:

* Don't work for Media Plus. If it's true that the wounds that this industry inflicts in poor countries, their clients and its contractors' moral psychology are only dog bites when compared to what some sharks of international finance can do with their mighty jaws, well, then MP is a huge, mean, rabid Rottweiler you'd rather stay away from.

* Try to work for Oxford Business Group, which in my opinion is an entirely different ball game. At least the stuff they produce is readable and decently researched for godssakes.

* Or try to work for any of the smaller agencies. As some people here have said, they tend to be owned by people that have realized they could have a bit of a competitive edge if they only delivered more value to advertisers for their money. But bear in mind that you can run into someone like me, who left it all not only because of moral exhaustion, but also because I found it extremely hard to persuade advertisers you're different from the rest of the pack. They're simply, and understandably, extremely skeptical of any company involved in this line of business.

And last but not least, please keep it honest to yourself about the whole "I am willingly stepping into the dark with this experience because I feel attracted to it" kind of thing. Don't fall into the insane wishful thinking and moral hypocrisy that some participants in this forum have shown, rationalizing their activity as something good for the world. Because it's not. Take it as a strong chemical drug that you have decided to experiment with for a while.

LSD can be mind-opening and growth-enhancing, but you cannot say it's good for your health, or that the world is necessarily better because LSD exists. Got it?

(Unnecessary digression here: At least LSD contributed to the the brilliance of The Beatles, ergo, LSD's contribution to the world is much better than Special Ad Sections on Countries)

Peace,
Alan

Here's the link to my little story:

http://alanfurth.com/dubai-and-i

And here's a little poem I found that inspired me to write the comment above, I think you'll find it useful to reflect on whether you want to dedicate several precious years to this industry or not:

How To Win Friends And
Influence People
by Robert Bruce

If you continually tell them
what they want to hear
you may gain
an honored chair
at the extravagant tables
of the world

If you play the game precisely
how they want it played
your security in this life
can be perfectly assured
a large salary with
profound benefits
a trophy wife

If you own the right rulebook
and practice with intensity
your name may rest
on the lips of princes
playwrights
and professors

If you learn to use your tongue
as a weapon of perjury
the wildest ambitions
you could ever dream to utter
can be made real
almost instantly

You need only prostitute
your gifts to
the right people
at the right time
to be swept from the presence of
the poor, the ugly, the lonely
and into the company of
the beautiful, the powerful, the loved

All of this can be yours
for the very low price of
a few daily lies
a tolerance for cowardice
a talent for flattery
a slight hardening of the conscience
and the willing slavery of your
fiery immortal soul

This is
the Art of The Fear of Man

If you decide to pursue it
be sure to luxuriate
in its fruits while
they are yours

For they are the kind
that only ripen on
this side
of eternity

Thank you guys for all information about such companies, as AFA Press Group, Vega Media, etc. I got a telephone interview invitation so far, but I am DEFINITELY NOT going any further. I really think this is completely UNETHICAL BUSINESS and I am smart enough not to sell myself for such dirty things, tasks, jobs, treating of people, money ( i don't think that selling an ad for hungarian truck company for 500 000 USD or so makes anything to be proud of- just maybe for being a dirty, unfair sales person). Thank you for your honest experiences from these jobs, hopefully this will keep more people out of such businesses.

Recruitment fairs and websites are really also quite sh..ty publishing such adds...i don't think that if they'd publish only honest ones they would have only 2% of their business (not all the world is f..ed)..so... shame on such companies, shame on people who are proud and happy for working in them, shame on all anybody who is indifferent about such bad practises.

Hi,

I got an interview with a company called GLOBAL BUSINESS REPORTS. Could someone tell me anything about this company?? And also, what kind of interview they usually do?

Hi,

I got an interview with a company called GLOBAL BUSINESS REPORTS. Could someone tell me anything about this company?? And also, what kind of interview they usually do?

Hi,

I got an interview with a company called Global Business Reports. Does anybody knows anything about this company??

Many thanks in advance!

Hello,
I never heard about global business reports, but do avoid Afa press definitely! They sent us a mail in june telling us that "due to some financial problem...bla bla bla" truth is, once again they just find another excuse not to pay commissions!
I guess they intend to close down afa press to open another company like 2 years ago but i won't wait and prefer forgetting about my commission than wastingting more time in this company.
I realized after a while that all directors never got paid their commissions too, and they played on the fact that nobody wants to seem stupid saying, i haven t been paid!
Rumours (you will hear a lot in Afa press) are that Marcos Mello is sending resume looking for a job, he is running Afa press for now.....
Otherwise great job! just be careful with promises in this business! and with dodgy people like afa press ones!
Johanna

If anyone has been involved with Summit Communications or AFA, we are very interested in talking to you. Our company is putting a case together to file at the international court.

Please kindly contact me at baxterjennifer23@gmail.com

What you have to contribute would be very appreciated.

Thank you

Jennifer Baxter

Last comment by Jennifer Baxter is hilarious (if she is indeed who she claims to be).

To suggest that they are "putting a case together to file at the international court" reflects a complete misunderstanding of legal procedures, and for that matter international legal procedures.

Dear Jennifer, would you be so kind as to tell me what "the international court" is? If you are referring to the International Court of Justice, are you aware that it does dwell into matters of private international law? If not, what the hell are you talking about?

The International Court of Arbitration

Don't let anyone intimidate you. Please feel free to contact me

baxterjennifer23@gmail.com

The International Court of Arbitration

Don't let anyone intimidate you. Please feel free to contact me

baxterjennifer23@gmail.com

All I know is that Jennifer Baxter is not who she claims to be.

Hello,

has anyone heard of Peninsula Press?
I haven't seen the slightest mention of this company in all the comments.

Thanks.

I cannot begin to explain how unprofessional and shameless AFA Press is... I have been working in this industry for a long time, it was good for a while: I traveled extensively, saved money and met interesting people.
However, AFA Press' dishonesty, constant lies, dodgyness and unwilligness to pay commissions is unbelievable. They have not published one single report in the whole of 2009. Clients all over the world are fuming having paid exhorbitant amounts of money for nothing. Furthermore, AFA employees have literally been working for free since commissions have not been paid for the last 8 months. When confronted, the administration blames it on the 4 million USD that Kabinda owes them-. Sure, blame it on Angola.

AFA Press is simply revolting.

Good luck to you all.

SMMC

Hi everybody

Thanks you all for the different posts. Tomorrow I 've got the first meeting with AFA in Madrid, and I think that I will not go.
You guys made me realize that this is not what i am looking for. I was so stroken with the ad on Monster or others, i said to myself this is my fucking job, as i ve lived in 4 different countries with my 25 years old, and i think i am a intellectual curious person that wants to travel and see as much as possible.
Now i know the kind of people i ll have to face tomorrow, if I decide to go..I don t wanna experience the described situations on an emerging country, and be lying my hole life. There's been a nice discussion about Sales world. I agree that sometimes you have to "force" the other to buy, with lies or not. But anyways i ve decided that If I have to do it, do it, buty then i will go to have some beers with my friends and forget everything I did to close the deal.
I thought that this kind of companies, really take care of you while you were on those countries, but in fact youre kinda sent to a jungle thinking that paradise is waiting for you, while in fact, they are just taking profit of the fact that you re young, naive, unexperienced, that you want to see the whole world..
Thank you guys for making me realize about the "International Media Sales COnsultant", that sounded so well to me
Peace and love

Andriu

Boy am I glad that people can now google Media Plus and see what they are getting into! Everyone seems to want to argue back and forth but the fact that this discussion is here is proof that the company has some serious issues, and MOST people will not find it a fulfilling, profitable, or very happy experience. Yes, they are very often unethical, they are motivated exclusively by money, and employees are dispensable to them.
Just think it through carefully before you decide to take a chance and put yourself in their hands. Knowing that you're the only one who will look out for you makes a person desperate sometimes, and this creates a tricky work environment. Take it from me, it's exhausting and stressful and lonely to be in this environment. I love traveling and I am happy that I got to see the places that I did, but I could have done that on my own and got more out of it.
Don't say you weren't warned...
~Happy to be Free

Test

Hi. After reading every post here, I have concluded a few things, and also have a few questions.

-Many sales people for these companies use sleazy or forceful tactics to sell industry reports that may or may not end up being used or sold to a legitimate newspaper or journal (whether because of the quality, content, intentions, or legitimate sales ability with news companies). Some gaming and negotiating is sometimes expected, I understand. Can someone succeed as a sales person in this business without using these dirty tactics? I've done sales, but have never lied or used puffery to get a client.

-Some people who had these jobs for short time periods sound naive and spoiled. That's expected from college students and fresh grads, I think. Does anyone have any stories at all about working at these places - stories involving management choosing ethics over money? Is management truly that unethical or are these people upset because their boss was mean and pressured them to produce results?

-330 days sounds like a lot of time away from family and friends. Does anyone here (who has worked for one of these companies) have a wife and kids? Any LDS people?

-Where do the companies file their taxes? Do they file taxes anywhere? Are they legitimately owned and licensed businesses?

-I hear about valuable life and sales lessons from people who would not return to work for these companies? What kind of lessons did you learn beyond recognizing that you're being taken advantage of and how to avoid it?

-What are some names of reputable companies that do this? It seems like industry reports, gathering data on foreign economies and companies really could be helpful in the right hands. Are there ways to do this through large corporations?

-My education is in economics, finance, and accounting. I also took a lot of minor classes in English editing. I have light sales experience ($150-$2,500 per sale) and a ton of door-to-door, phone, and networking experience. I have lived overseas in third-world countries. Doing something similar to this (in an ethical environment) sounds like it could be exciting and rewarding. Does anyone have any other insights to share that could help me?

-If someone is a fresh graduate from college, has strong religious and moral values, has very little international experience (beyond school, vacationing, and humanitarian work), and wants to work internationally, is this the business for them?

-Are any of these companies even legitimate? I have read several posts that seem like they're only calling it a legitimate company because they feel it's the only way to maintain that they weren't suckered or pressured into doing anything morally wrong. I don't want to be too presumptive.

many companies go and many come, but just a few are staying alive and avoiding red numbers, if i were to recomend some they would be: ASAP, Vegamedia and Impact Media. i know that the latest one is recruiting experienced people. for new recruits, if you think this job might be what u are looking for , give it a try, you wont regret it even if it is not what you were looking for. the experince of their selection process is quite unique.

Beware! AFA Press to announce bankruptcy at the end of November 2009.

Good luck to you all in getting what they owe you.

BEWARE!

Afa Press to announce bankruptcy at the end of November 2009.

Good luck to you all in getting what you are owed by them.

Hi everybody,

Have you ever heard anything about The Country Section?

Thanks.

Here is my experience with Media Plus:

I was emailed out of nowhere (I have no idea where they got my resume) about a group interview near me. It sounded like the perfect opportunity, so I went. The other people in the interview seemed very unorganized and unprofessional, and I was surprised that they were even given the chance to do that much. I was given the job pretty easily. The interview process was not hard.

I didn't see this website until after I accepted and made plans to go to the selective training in Belgium. By that point I was already convinced that these people on here just didn't know what sales was all about and weren't right for the job. I emailed the recruiter asking about her thoughts on the website and she just said to not believe everything you find on the internet. It wasn't very comforting to say the least, but I was still in (Call me naive. I was.)

I got to Belgium, and another girl from my interview group was there. Another girl made up the total training group, which we are told is sometimes as big as 12 people and usually many more than 3. I guess this website is working.

The first day of training it all sounded great. I was skeptical though. I'm not sure if I would completely call it brainwashing, but pretty darn close. There were several times when I had to stop and clear my brain to think rationally. I got back and re-read this site completely, keeping in mind everything we were "taught." I was starting to worry but was still too hopeful for my own good.

The second day is when the red flags went up. People were openly talking about how some people think you're from the Wall Street Journal, and you just go along with it. They also talked about how much schmoozing goes on with the government and how that's all related to the sales (that's basically one of the only things that gets the sales!) I was not okay with that.

We had sales reps come in that were only there for a few months to train us. One casually talked about how many girls sleep with the CEOs to get the sales. I was absolutely shocked! They clearly considered it completely acceptable, they didn't try to hide it from new trainees, and even if you had integrity and didn't do crap like that, you'd be judged against people who do!

At that point, I was out. I was just waiting till the end of the 2 weeks to get back to America. I didn't want to say anything sooner because I was worried they might take away the return ticket or something. Who knows with such a unethical company? I was trying to look disinterested to get them to say they didn't want me. Many times I would bring stuff up with the other girls like "Oh, don't you think it's weird that they said..." or "Wow, I would never sleep with someone to get a sale." I wanted to judge their reaction, and they always defended the company and said things like "Oh, that's just how it is." Effective brainwashing or just naive people? Who knows?

The company produces essentially worthless reports. No one reads them. No one cares about the featured CEOs or the companies. Seriously, none of the 3 of us read a report more than a few pages, and we were planning on working for them! That just shows how boring and unnecessary they are. There is no way that a CEO reads this stuff casually, which is what they openly claim. I think that was one of the biggest reasons I didn't want to work there. No one actually wants the finished product. Everyone is hustling to make a sale that benefits no one.

Once I had a critical eye, everything people said seemed like bullshit. The CEO seemed really shady (well, he would have to be!) and so did everyone else. Trainers sucked. They would contradict each other and themselves. One packet of training material repeatedly mentioned itself as one of the competitors! They clearly just used their information, and tried to pass it off as their own! We were taught how to manipulate. Seriously, in those terms. They weren't trying to hide the fact that it was straight manipulation. They use flattery, lies about government connections, and lies about readership. All for way to expensive, worthless advertising.

No one in the rest of the office would talk to us. Probably because they knew they'd most likely not see us again. They had a training session EVERY MONTH and people quit all the time. They only had about 30 salespeople at the time...

Less than halfway through the 2nd week of training they let us know that they reached a decision about whether we were selected or not. It was a shock to all of us since we were expecting to be there for at least the 2 full weeks. They told me that they could tell I wasn't interested, so they didn't want to continue with me. Whether or not that was the truth or just a convenient excuse, I don't know. Nor do I care. It ended up the way it should have. One of the other girls was hired, the other let go. The one let go was super upset. She really still wanted to work with those people! I was upset too. More about the fact that I quit my previous job and bought out of my apartment lease for a shitty job and then I had to basically start over again. I can't believe that anyone would still want to work with them past the training. That's pretty obvious in the fact that it's written in the contract that if sales reps quit within the first 5 months, they have to pay back the cost of training.

I wish I would have seen this post before my interview, or I wouldn't have wasted all that time. It's unfortunate, but at least now I have strong ideas on what I will and will not do for the name of business.

If you want to take this position and can handle being unethical for a worthless product, go for it. I couldn't.

I have been working for WINNE myself at the end of the 90 begggining of the century for over 3 years and I can tell you that I had the best time of my life in WINNE.
For those who applies for WINNE you need ot klnow tghta this company was the pioneer on the internet, since 1996. and they really do what nobody did in the past publish all the material they have got from the field on the net, this was revolutionqary at the beggining we were selling spaces like pancakes.
Then another thing thta WINNE did was to gove credits to all its collaborators, this was never the case in the industry you can check section form 97 , 98 in WINNE with credits on their teams, this also obliged the industry to adjust to the same standards.
Another revolutionary ideas wa sthe launching of eBizguides, I have never worked in that department but this Guide Collection is the fastest growing one in the world 28 titles in just 6 years. They really do their best.
And their section according to what we published until 2004 which were the ones i have participated were a very good quality. I think they moved their main offices to Madrid now I still in contact with the management once in a while, I can tell you they are very human compared to what i have heard. Of course you can have bad experiences like everywhere but after 12 years in the market i think they still be among the BIG 3 AS WE SAID! DO not have any doubt about it go fo it and enjoy the ride!

Hi Mary,

I am interested in WINNE and would like to apply for a job there, but not a sales job, rather a journalist position. Do you have any advice to provide me with?

Thanks a lot!

YB

@ NAMIBIA-MEDIA

WINDHOEK 10 Spetember 2003 Sapa-AFP

FOREIGN JOURNALISTS CONVICTED ON FORGERY, IMMIGRATION CHARGES IN
NAMIBIA

Two foreign journalists working for a European newspaper were
convicted and fined by a Namibian court Wednesday for contravening
immigration laws and, in the case of one of the reporters, on a
forgery charge.

US national Shilah Jeanette Overmyer, 22, and her British
colleague Manjinder Sohal, 24, were preparing an economic and
investment supplement on Namibia for European Business Report when
they were arrested last Wednesday.

The prosecution charged that the duo received an introductory
letter from Namibian Finance Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amathila to
the NamibRe company, but altered the letter for use as an
introduction to other Namibian companies.

Overmyer pleaded guilty to forgery and to entering Namibia on a
tourism visa instead of a business visa.

Sohal was convicted only of entering Namibia on a tourism visa.

Both, who have been in police custody since their arrest last
Wednesday, were denied bail by Windhoek Magistrate's Court.

Overmyer was fined 3,000 Namibian dollars (411 dollars / 369
euros) on each charge. Sohal was fined 3,000 Namibian dollars on
the visa charge. Their lawyers have arranged for them to leave
Namibia later Wednesday.

Defence lawyer Richard Metcalfe told magistrate Sarel Jacobs
that Overmyer had started to work for Austrian-based European
Business Report on June 1, two weeks after gaining her Bachelor of
Arts degree.

She was sent to Namibia on June 24.

"It was naivete, lack of experience and a stupid mistake on her
part. She was over-eager", Jacobs said.

Overmyer cried with joy and embraced her female police wardens
after the court gave its decision.

Thieu Cuypers, director of European Business Report, who had
flown in from Austria for the trial, said he was relieved the case
was over.

"Our company has done business supplements on Namibia before and
we will continue to do so", he told AFP.

Thieu I hope that's really not you posting these comments? I would be ashamed.

I have an interview tomorrow and I am glad i found this website right now because it opened my eyes and I am in no way going through this bs. PLEASE PEOPLE stay away from Media PLus consulting. It is not worth it.

Does anybody know anything about ASAP Worldwide? Can anybody tell me about the legitimacy of this company and their work?

Thank you :)

I checked this blog before I started at Mediaplus, and almost decided not to go to the training. Then I realised I was not blindly going to belief or follow other peoples ( negative ) experience or advice. I will judge for myself. I just came back from the best year end party at Mediaplus ever and had a fantastic year. I was very happy I took a chance. The business is tough yet very rewarding. You meet great people and colleagues and learn what life is all about.....taking responsability!! Which at the same time is the most difficult thing to do!!
I now also understand the anger and frustration of the people that were rejected, you do have to give up a great lifestyle when they let you go, and the lifestyle is pretty Amazing and difficult to say no to. You get to stay in places you couldnt dream of and all expenses are covered.

You do get pressure to perform, but at the end of the day they also have to pay the bills.

I can just say JUDGE FOR YOURSELF!!! What is the worst that can happen .... a free training or free holliday..... Jee that's really awfull isn't it.

I think you get my point.

I do feel sorry for the people that did not decide to grab this opportunity or the people that were let go!
Unfortunately, like always, the negative stories always get 10 time more publicity then the postives one. The succesfull people are to busy with their jobs or celebrating their successes.
Take a chance in your life!

AFA Press, has not been paying its current and past employees for months and months.

Some are holding on in the field and the office.

Others have left.

The truth remains that Alberto llaryora, Pedro Berastain, Pablo Berzal, Carmen Garcia Benito and cronies continue to pump poisoned lies towards all the AFA employees.

Shame on them, this story will go a lot further and hit all its "customers" and " employees"

Afa press will be hit hard in the media.

Screw them for betraying all the people that went out there to sell and bring the bacon home.

I am about to enter the industry. I wonder what you are so angry about? What did you loose through this experience? And what did the company AFA loose with your experience?

Did they make you prefinance? Did you loose your own money? what country did they send you to? why this resentment? how bad can it be? did they join you on your trip? did they pay for your lodging? Are they slavedrivers? do you have time of at all, or is this one of those 20 hours a day , investment banking trainee jobs?
were you succesfull? is the product diffcult to sell? I can imagine it is very challenging to do business internationally and to realise you should not believe everything people say. Even though i think we all realise that when we find out that santa clause really does excist:)
Please explain your anger to me!

you make it sound like a bootcamp?

please tell me why you are so angry?

Hi I am about to start in the industry and work for AFA.
It is the only company that I came across that gives graduates the chance to travel the world and speak to the world leaders;

If this much is true, it is already more than I can believe and expect and if this is not going to cost me money I will recommand this to everybody , as it was recommanded to me by a friend that works there, and is very happy by the way.

I mean be honest.... what do we bring to the table? and what other company would do this??
What do you expect...?
I do have a question for Mr AFA bitcher:
Why did you stay on when they did not pay you? If they will not pay me I will go! I feel when you stay on and you dont like it leave, but if you stay on and only wanna bitch about it, i think you are probably lying to them!!

In that case you shouldn't even start, they will not pay you.

Let's make this clear for all:

AFA PRESS HAS NOT BEEN PAYING ANY SALES COMMISSIONS TO ITS FIELD AND OFFICE STAFF FOR OVER A YEAR NOW...

If you are looking to talk to world leaders, or the leaders of the Universe....and travel (for free), than go for it, ENJOY.

If you are looking to build a medium to long term career, make money for Afa Press and generate savings for yourself, than you are at the wrong address.

They will promise you sales commissions, that you might earn but that they will never pay you.

Afa is run by a bunch of people (- see the names in the post above -) who have never generated a single Dollar of profit for the company.

They have never been on the field selling the product. They spent their careers in Madrid, costing the company tons of cash.

They are an-alphabets; who have proven loyal to Mr. Llaryora's money, without having any competence at all.

The financial and logistics department of the company are 2 buckets full of holes. Llaryora is blindly rewarding their greed-driven loyalty over their non-existent competence.

Good luck!

@Jane

I don't think you realize that people leave their lives, homes, jobs and families in order to pursue an opportunity that was inaccurately presented to them. It is apparent that you are not American by your heavy misuse of grammar and spelling in your promotional rant. Maybe you cannot comprehend boarding a 13 hour flight and leaving your entire life behind on a whim. I think it is naive and quite ignorant to ask people to "Just Judge for Themselves". I also believe your little rant is quite promotional and you neglected to highlight some of the problems at Media Plus, but that is neither here nor there. Media Plus must be so thrilled to have someone like you on board to do their bidding.

Afa Press is not paying its employees sales commissions they have earned.

Just wondering....exactly what does AFA stand for? I can't find it on any of their websites.

I'm a college student who received an exciting email about the "International Media Sales Executives" position with Media Plus Consulting. The email was forwarded by my school's career center.

I was looking for their official website (other than www.mediaplusapplicant.com) and started typing "media plus..." in Google. The first option Google suggested was "media plus consulting scam" and that's how I came here. (Thank you Google)

I've read every single comment in this page and wanted you share the email with you all.

------------------------

Dear graduate,

If you are interested in an international career - read below. We
will be conducting interviews in Miami, Florida in February 2010.
Job Description –International Media Sales Executive (Entry-Level,
located overseas):
Our International Media Sales Executives have a passion for sales with
excellent work ethic and an intense enthusiasm to travel at least 335
days a year on projects worldwide. Executives sell advertising, both
print and television, and stay 3-6 months in each country until
reaching sales targets. Successful candidates are hard working,
entrepreneurial, independent, energetic, professional and flexible.
You will sell advertising for promotional country/region reports
worldwide. These country reports are aimed at informing readers of the
economic conditions and investment climates of different countries.
They highlight and promote business, trade, and investment
opportunities in every sector of a nation’s economy. The reports are
entirely promotional and fully supported by the number of advertising
sales accomplished by our International Media Sales Executives. These
reports are featured in leading American and European newspapers and
magazines (NY Post, Wall Street Market Research, etc.) as well as
broadcast on major television networks (Fox News, CBS, Channel News
Asia). Currently we have teams throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, the
Middle East and Latin America.
Company Information:
Media Plus Consulting Ltd. produces promotional country reports for
both print and television media. Media Plus is based in Belgium, with
offices in Cyprus and Dubai.
Candidate Requirements:
- A Bachelors Degree
- One year of sales experience (preferred)
- You are commercially minded and you have recent experience working
with measurable targets
- Fluency in English (more languages a plus)
- You must have experience living, studying, working or extensive
traveling in foreign countries
- Hold a US, Canadian or EU passport
- You are knowledgeable about national and international current events
- You are a highly effective communicator who can easily adapt to any
environment
- You are not attached to home and have a passion for international travel
- You are flexible with schedules
- You are energetic, entrepreneurial, hard working and persistent
- You have a passion for and a talent for sales
- You are ready for the international business experience of a lifetime
Job offer for position of International Media Sales Executive:
• Base Salary plus performance based commission
• All travel, accommodations and work-related expenses (paid for with
Media Plus company credit card)
• Extensive sales training (in-house and on-the-job)
• Work in an international executive environment
• The start of an international career
• Personal and professional growth (rapid promotion opportunities)
Media Plus will finance entirely a comprehensive, in-house & field
training in international sales for the selected candidates. The
in-house sales training will take place in Belgium. The field training
will consist of a minimum of 4 weeks (maximum of 12 weeks) on project
location, supported by sales coach/management and trainers.
Media Plus Consulting is currently hiring for its two top products,
United International Press and Wall Street Market Research. We are
scheduling interviews in Columbus, Ohio: Friday, January 15, 2010 and
in Miami, Florida: Friday, February 19, 2010. If you qualify for this
position, you will be contacted and invited to interview. Only
successful applicants will be contacted. Send your resume to our
Director of Recruiting in the U.S., Tara Koehler, at
recruiter@mediaplusapplicant. com
Tara Koehler
Director of U.S. Recruiting
Media Plus Consulting
recruiter@mediaplusapplicant. com
www.mediaplusapplicant.com
------------------------

Thank god you guys saved me the trip to Madrid. With a university degree and sales experience I'm not going to destroy my career at AFA Press.
Africa and Asia are only enjoyable when people don't hate you!
GL everybody.

I can confirm that AFA Press is not paying sales commissions.

They are delaying, and making new promises once again.

Alberto,please make a statement, your coward - compulsive-lying employees in Madrid are wasting our time.

Good luck to you all!

Everything negative about AFA is completely true.

I don't know a single person who has been paid what they are owed by AFA. I am still waiting on payment 2 years after I quit.

The product is also typically garbage because it is written and prepared by the office in Spain, largely staffed by ESL employees, so no one is ever happy with what they bought. Of course, they only realise this after they have paid...

There is also an argument that it is simply a money-laundering front, which makes complete sense. Avoid getting tangled up in their criminal web!

Do yourself a favour: do not work for this company, do not buy advertising from them and do everything you can to spread the word that this is a minefield best avoided by sane people.

By the way, if anyone expresses that they are happy working for this company, then I can assure you they are "bad" people. They are either trying to get you hired so they can make a hiring commission off of you, or they are part of the "machine" in Madrid which does nothing except pester those in the field despite knowing nothing themselves.

Finally, to answer "the Observer"'s above question, AFA apparently stands for the initials of the owner's children. Alternatively, it might be "Avoid Fishy Advertorials"...

ALWAYS FINDING ANOTHER excuse not pay - not to publish...

AFA must love this blog...!

They actually, do read it in Madrid - London and Argentina, they even copy paste on email and circulate the latest news from Felix Salmon on Afa Press...

The 'media company' getting slaughtered on some internet blog thread which is over 3 years old...but so alive...

WillWell - Grupo Prensa 6666666, why are you not paying your current and previous employees what you owe them?

Why are you not publishing supplements which you have sold and received payments for?

Hi all. I don't know AFA personaly but their attitude seems quite common in this industry. I suggest their ex employees to contact the various companies that actually bought advertising space from them to give a feedback about what they received for the money they spent. Maybe some of them would be delighted to take some legal action against AFA providing the fact that you manage to gather several of them, which shouldnt be too hard to achieve. To do this you must have a strong motivation eithe rto get some money paid finally (will probably never happen) or more likely just to force AFA to face their actions and the companies they cheated. As you have been cheated yourselves, that could bring you some satisfaction. Another way: ask these cheated companies to come and write some comments or feedback on this website. Aparently these pages are THE best source of information when it comes to international country reports.
To end this post, I would say that this attitude towards end products and work in general is a real pity because the initial idea is just great, I mean promoting country image. If done properly, with a good product in the end, this could be helpful to those who advertise and really enjoyable for those who sell it.

News release just in:

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A)has acquired 51% of AFA PRESS (IBEX:POO) ordinary stock following an agreement reached between both organizations in Madrid on February 3, 2017.

Mr. Warren Buffet will personally take over the position of Chairman of the Board and will be overseeing daily operations from the group's headquarters in the Spanish capital. Mr. Buffet has personally commissioned Mr. Saturnino Izquierdo to lead the turnaround of "an historic company destined to lead the developing world into a new era of prosperity during the 21st century".

Mr. Izquierdo takes over the Chief Executive position from Mr. Pedro Berastain, who successfully spearheaded the organization for the previous two decades. Mr. Berastain, a respected linguist and philanthropist, has been granted a life annuity of USD 3 million per annum. Mr. Izquierdo delivered the agreement to the international press through a 25 page - long press release broadcasted live, followed by a Q&A session with local journalists. "This is indeed a lifetime accomplishment for which I have had to sacrifice a lot. Success is just like being married, everyone congratulates you but nobody knows how many times you have been fucked".

Mr. Pablo Berzal will leave AFA PRESS but will remain within the group, as he has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the second most important executive position within the organization. Mr. Berzal will be personally responsible of drafting the group's "Strategy Paper 2025" with the main aim of scaling up Berkshire Hathaway's net worth to USD 200 billion from the current USD 165 billion by 2025.

Alongside Mr. Berzal, and also travelling aboard Berkshire Hathaway's corporate jet from Madrid to Omaha will be Ms. Carmen Benito, former Director of Logistics, now Chief Operations Officer. Mr. Berzal and Ms. Benito both refused to comment on their new appointments.

On a related note, Mr. Alberto Llaryora, founder of AFA PRESS and majority shareholder until his arrest in 2012, has avoided appearing before the European Court of Human Rights for a record sixth time due to the sudden death of a Grand Committee Judge under uncertain circumstances. Mr. Llaryora has been awaiting trial in a state prison in Strasbourg since he was arrested by Interpol in May, 2012, under charges of international racketeering, human trafficking and pillaging issued by a magistrate of the Supreme Court of Angola.

News release just in:

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A)has acquired 51% of AFA PRESS (IBEX:POO) ordinary stock following an agreement reached between both organizations in Madrid on February 3, 2017.

Mr. Warren Buffet will personally take over the position of Chairman of the Board and will be overseeing daily operations from the group's headquarters in the Spanish capital. Mr. Buffet has personally commissioned Mr. Saturnino Izquierdo to lead the turnaround of "an historic company destined to lead the developing world into a new era of prosperity during the 21st century".

Mr. Izquierdo takes over the Chief Executive position from Mr. Pedro Berastain, who successfully spearheaded the organization for the previous two decades. Mr. Berastain, a respected linguist and philanthropist, has been granted a life annuity of USD 3 million per annum. Mr. Izquierdo delivered the agreement to the international press through a 25 page - long press release broadcasted live, followed by a Q&A session with local journalists. "This is indeed a lifetime accomplishment for which I have had to sacrifice a lot. Success is just like being pregnant, everyone congratulates you but nobody knows how many times you have been fucked".

Mr. Pablo Berzal will leave AFA PRESS but will remain within the group, as he has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the second most important executive position within the organization. Mr. Berzal will be personally responsible of drafting the group's "Strategy Paper 2025" with the main aim of scaling up Berkshire Hathaway's net worth to USD 200 billion from the current USD 165 billion by 2025.

Alongside Mr. Berzal, and also travelling aboard Berkshire Hathaway's corporate jet from Madrid to Omaha will be Ms. Carmen Benito, former Director of Logistics, now Chief Operations Officer. Mr. Berzal and Ms. Benito both refused to comment on their new appointments.

On a related note, Mr. Alberto Llaryora, founder of AFA PRESS and majority shareholder until his arrest in 2012, has avoided appearing before the European Court of Human Rights for a record sixth time due to the sudden death of a Grand Committee Judge under uncertain circumstances. Mr. Llaryora has been awaiting trial in a state prison in Strasbourg since he was arrested by Interpol in May, 2012, under charges of international racketeering, human trafficking and pillaging issued by a magistrate of the Supreme Court of Angola.

Correction on previous article by Glenn Peck of Faux News:

Mr. Izquierdo's quote was "...Success is just like being pregnant. Everyone congratulates you but nobody knows how many times you have been fucked."

Instead we published "...Success is just like being married..."

We apologize to Mr. Izquierdo for this misunderstanding and for any inconvenience this might have caused.

Correction on previous article by Glenn Peck of Faux News:

Mr. Izquierdo's quote was "...Success is just like being pregnant. Everyone congratulates you but nobody knows how many times you have been fucked."

Instead we published "...Success is just like being married..."

We apologize to Mr. Izquierdo for this misunderstanding and for any inconvenience this might have caused.

I found an advert of VEGAMEDIA and wanted to apply, but this blog has concen=rned me a bit. Is Vegamedia a legitimate compan? Can anybody who worked for them share their experience? what about payment conditions?