Summit Communications and AFA Press

There’s been some very interesting activity this month in the comments thread

on an old post of mine

about Summit Communications. Since I don’t expect anybody to plough through

more than 12,000 words of comments, I thought I’d summarise the discussion here.

And it really is a discussion: people pretty much are who they say they are.

I’ve got a list of their names and IP addresses after the jump if you don’t

believe me. The only time an IP address is repeated is when Marcos Melo, who

is an employee of Alvaro Llaryora, posts from the same IP address as Llaryora.

Which makes perfect sense.

Nearly all of the activity comes from employees or former employees of Summit

Communications or its sister companies. I’m not sure how or why they all seem

to have found my blog entry at the same time, but I assume there’s been some

emailing going on. In any case, the basic Summit Communications modus operandi

definitely emerges from the discussion.

It turns out that Summit Communications is a vehicle set up by a parent company

called AFA Press for the express purpose of selling advertising supplements

in the New York Times. AFA has other, similar companies for other publications:

the one for the Observer in the UK, for instance, is called Images, Words; the

one for USA Today is called United World; the one for the Daily Telegraph in

the UK is called PM Communications, and so on. The true center of operations

for all these companies is Madrid, although they’re mostly incorporated in the

UK.

The owner of all these companies is an Argentine called Alberto Llaryora –

the father of one of my commenters, Alvaro Llaryora. (In Argentine Spanish,

both "ll" and "y" are pronounced as "zh", so think

"zharzhora".)

Why does Llaryora have so many offshore companies, each with a very different

name? (Apart from any money-laundering he may or may not be doing, of course.)

The impression one gets from reading the comments is that it’s very simple:

the people working for these companies are so sleazy and unprofessional that

the governments and companies in the countries buying the advertorials are unlikely

to ever want to work with them a second time. So Llaryora simply sends a team

from a company with a name untarnished in that country instead.

And there’s another reason: the AFA sales team makes no effort whatsoever to

distingish themselves from the publication that they’re going to print the advertorial

in. The fact that each subsidiary works only for a single publication allows

them to say that they are "the exclusive partner of the New York Times"

or somesuch.

In fact, the sales technique at AFA seems to depend on their pretending to

be from the New York Times / USA Today / whoever. The AFA team always

includes a "journalist" who goes around attempting to get interviews

with senior officials and executives in the country, for a report on that country

to be published in the newspaper in question. Obviously, the fact that the report

will be an advertorial is not mentioned, and neither is the fact that the "journalist"

not an employee of, let alone a journalist for, the newspaper.

Similarly, when the advertorial is being sold, it is always sold on the basis

that the number of readers of the advertorial is the same as the number of readers

of the newspaper in question. Most advertisers who want a bound-out supplement

in the Sunday New York Times, say, are well aware that the vast majority of

readers will simply throw that supplement away unread. But AFA sales people

present themselves as selling advertising (little display units within the advertorials)

against New York Times / USA Today editorial with its enormous circulation and

readership numbers.

AFA seems to specialize in employing young, hungry sales people with no previous

experience in the media business. One of them phoned me after being given a

job offer, wanting to find out what I knew about the company; another left a

comment on my blog. The person I talked to had only sales experience well outside

the media industry, but was being offered a job as a "journalist":

writing skills, of course, were unimportant, as the only thing that matters

is making sales. These kids can make a lot of money by lying to advertisers,

and no one ever discourages them from doing so – quite the opposite. They

justify their actions by saying that they’re working in corrupt countries, and

that if you want to make money in such countries you have to be part of that

corrupt system.

Generally, it would seem, the male "journalist" will go through the

motions of interviewing the minister/executive in question; at the end of the

interview, a very pretty female "director" will then approach the

interviewee to buy some advertising against the interview. (Of course, if the

advertising isn’t bought, then the interview won’t appear, but that’s never

mentioned.) In the case of government ministers, the "director" will

ask the minister for a letter giving his "support" to the publication,

and encouraging the companies in that country to cooperate with the reporter.

The minister thinks he’s simply opening doors for the "reporter" to

be able to do his interviews, but of course the "director" helpfully

explains to the executives that in order to cooperate as the minister wants

them to do, they will have to buy advertising.

The technique works so well that former AFA employees have gone on to set up

their own companies doing exactly the same thing: see Vega Media, Impact Media,

and Media Plus, which seems to have an especially low reputation. There’s a

whole sector of these companies, it turns out: Global Press, for instance, run

by Alberto Llaryora’s brother Rodolfo Llaryora, would seem to have the Washington

Post and Fortune Magazine locked up. There certainly seems to be de facto

exclusivity: only one company ever seems to produce advertorials for any given

publication. Does Summit Communications pay the New York Times extra for being

its only advertorial provider? How else can one explain the seeming absence

of any competition in the NYT?

I’m sure that the New York Times, alongside all the other highly-regarded publications

in bed with AFA Press, spends as little time as possible asking about the genesis

of the advertorials which it prints. Just as the millions of people who eat

at McDonald’s really don’t want to know the details of how their meal is made.

This is the real difference between these publications, on the one hand, and

Euromoney, on the other: Euromoney, when it sells supplements, does so under

its own name, and in the knowledge that if the client is unhappy he’ll never

buy another one. The NYT et al don’t sell supplements, they leave that to others,

who are happier to burn their clients because they’ll likely never return to

that country anyway.

I’d be very interested to learn whether New York Times journalists working

in third-world countries ever find themselves battling ministers or executives

who think they’ve dealt with the New York Times in the past, and who have very

bad memories of the whole encounter. Maybe every time they do, they should complain

to the advertising department about the stuff which is being done in the NYT’s

name. That, in turn, might drive AFA Press and its subsidiaries to higher standards

of conduct.

More likely, an increase in the media-savvyness of third world ministers and

executives will force Llaryora and his employees to be more transparent; from

reading the comments on my original post, that might be happening already. Instead

of misleadingly selling an ad against an interview in the New York Times –

something which anybody who knows the NYT knows can never be done – AFA

might start talking more about the usefulness of newspaper supplements in terms

of turning around the image of a tarnished country. Chances are, of course,

that if the people buying into these supplements knew how effective they really

were, they would never take part. But at least some of the sleaziness in the

industry would be minimised.

Commenters and IP addresses after the jump.

March 20 Stefan Geens 85.226.193.223
March 20 Lance Knobel 71.249.17.70
April 8 Ray Corbis 62.68.61.2
June 1 Thierry De Pins 87.217.13.44
July 6 flimsy 62.56.236.174
July 7 Mark 80.25.234.40
July 7 Hugh Janus 83.44.24.179
July 7 Veronica Fuentes 83.35.204.167
July 7 Stefan Geens 62.253.128.12
July 7 Renata (aka flimsy) 62.56.236.174
July 7 Southampton’s Number 7 195.167.131.33
July 7 Stefan Geens 62.253.128.12
July 7 Southampton’s Number 7 195.167.131.33
July 7 Stefan Geens 62.253.128.12
July 7 bihboon 81.192.191.75
July 7 Jorge Rosi 83.34.209.175
July 7 G. 69.194.13.47
July 9 Clemente Ordierez 81.52.161.74
July 10 Alvaro Llaryora 217.127.229.150
July 10 cause for concern 86.140.215.182
July 10 Marcos Melo 217.127.229.150
July 12 Valerie Favier 83.202.97.233
July 12 Southampton’s Number 7 195.167.131.33
July 12 Marcos Melo 217.127.229.150
July 12 Zeb 195.172.183.10
July 12 valerie favier 83.202.97.233
July 12 PomKa 62.135.101.197
July 12 RAQUEL PICORNELL 212.0.149.213
July 13 Benj (aka bihboon) 196.217.242.241
July 14 Flavio G 82.205.215.177
July 14 G 69.194.13.54
July 14 Romeo 200.31.172.4
July 16 Clemente Ordierez 83.53.158.219
July 17 thermidor 81.202.46.133
July 19 Moh 196.200.83.51
July 19 Benj (aka bihboon) 196.217.240.125
July 19 james 86.1.67.234
July 21 jj 212.80.189.229
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224 Responses to Summit Communications and AFA Press

  1. pw says:

    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?

  2. recent grad says:

    I had a fishy feeling about AFA Press when they contacted me so quickly. I have an interview on Monday… I guess I should disregard it?

    If this company is full of such bs, how can they still be recruiting members?

  3. FMPC says:

    If you decide to work for Media Plus, understand they have a fundamentally flawed paradigm about sales: you WILL be expected to lie in order to sell because the product lacks value. The products are (you can google these): United International Press (a play on the known United Press International, hoping potential customers will mistakedly assume its UPI and not UIP), European Times (supposedly distributed in 2 VIP areas, one in Heathrow and one in Paris as well as the parliament, although this has yet to be proven), US TV (plays a 30 minute little program on Fox 5 in New York, a local news channel that no one watches and the program airs once in an off-time on a Sunday afternoon), Asia Business TV, and couple others that the company doesn’t use anymore because they’ve “burned” too many countries. I believe European Business Report is one of these. Media Plus under that hat of Big Media Group. Theiu Cuypers is the CEO of BMG, and BMG owns Media Plus and all aforementioned distributions. Different names, same person running it all. These are nothing more than cheap vehicles from which to sell advertising, not help those who buy the advertising. The communication channels that BMG uses are just something in which to sell advertising. It will be your job to, as we were trained, “manipulate” people into thinking the products possess value. Make no mistake, it is incredibly good sales training so long as you are willing to forsake personal ethical standards. The products look neat on the internet, but read the content closely. Then ask yourself, “Could I write this with a few phone call interviews and information from the internet?” Then ask yourself, “Is it necessary for me to meet with 300 different companies to gather the information?” Upon answering “NO” to the last question, you will realize that the meetings with companies are ad selling, yet you are conducting the meeting with the premise that you are there for an editorial interview, and as we were trained, “all advertising space has been allocated”. Then you pitch them at the end of the meeting, and if they don’t buy, you trash the notes from the interview. You go there under the premise you are collecting info for the editorial part of the publication yet you pitch at the end with the intention of throwing the info away if they don’t buy. You will use the information if the do buy as they will be purchasing an advertorial.
    Pay: You WILL NOT be paid until the first week of each month, and this includes training. However, if you notice in your contract(should you have been offered one), the first two weeks of training are unpaid. You’ll also notice the invoice for payment is due before the 25th of the month. Conveniently enough, training starts the 18th, or around the time necessary to make sure the current month’s invoicing period will expire before you are eligible to begin making money. Thus, you will not invoice for money you’ve made until the next month on the 25th. Then the funds will not be released until the first. It’ll take a couple days after that to hit your account. So if you take the job, prepare to go without income for no less than 7 weeks. After 7 weeks, you will only receive about a thousand Euro. Don’t bother asking Media Plus, and I do mean ANYONE at Media Plus including HR. They’ll either lie, claim ignorance, give you an incomplete answer, or otherwise avoid answering the question to make sure you don’t figure out it’ll be 7 weeks until you get paid. Commissions come every six months and if you notice in your contract, you are subject to lose commissions should you quit, and you don’t recieve any commissions until the client pays. So invariably there will ALWAYS be outstanding commissions you are subject to lose if you ever quit.
    Accommodations: During training you cannot leave. On projects you stay in 50 Euro/night hotels until you barter your own way into a nice place. While in Peru, Ethiopia, or India sound glamerous to you?
    You must extensively use your own laptop for the job. Provide your own cell phone which they will use to contact you on.
    You will also be expected to work in countries on a work visa, which is illegal. Google the CEO’s name and “Namibia”, you’ll find an article about a consultant going to jail.
    The intention of this is not to discourage you, but rather make available details that you won’t otherwise receive from anyone at Media Plus. I was lied to and treated terribly. I suggest that, for a moment, forget about the glitz and glamour of the position, and ask yourself how well you’ll sleep at night knowing that your job is to sell worthless products by lying to business owners for a company you don’t trust in a country where you can’t legally work. Think long and hard about this before you do it.
    To the Americans: You won’t be told this, but the first two weeks are a trial period, and they are quick to send people home if they are too nice, too honest, not eager enough, not good, or whatever reason. From what I understand at least one person is always sent home, and only the Americans don’t know about the two week trial period. This is because in order to take the job you have to sell your car, move out of your apartment, and say good bye. No one living in America in the right mind would sacrifice everything they have in order to undergo a two-week “trial” period. After the two weeks, you will not be allowed to return home to do this, so you must do it before. Media Plus knows no sane person would do this, so for the Americans they either don’t say anything or pass it off as, “ohhh don’t worry about that, you’ll make it through…”.
    The company seems to be highly centered on the well-being of only itself and no one else. You can believe me as I write, and walk away with complete disappointment, or fly to Belgium and with certainty find out for yourself.

  4. Ex-Industry worker says:

    Be very weary of these companies – its an absolute farce – the whole thing!!

  5. CB says:

    Thanks for this post and for some of these extremely informative comments. I was referred to Media Plus’s open “Consultant” position by my college’s career service and grew skeptical the moment I received a response from them– less than one day after I sent in my resume. The email and the company’s website were enough to convince me that something was not right. There wasn’t a lot of information that I could find on Media Plus outside of its sugarcoated YouTube videos and website. When compared to their “glitzy” description of the company, the Media Plus brand and overall visual image was underwhelming. The position appeared to be farfetched and unrealistic, especially for a recent college graduate. The words “pyramid scheme” would not get out of my head. The company appeared to be desperate for new and naive employees.

    I have blocked the Media Plus email address and will go back to searching for real jobs.

  6. miss says:

    It is unrealistic to go in with expectations of recent grads. In reading all comments, there is nothing the company has not informed me of. That’s why you read contracts. I have no expectations of glitz and glamor, yet then again, I have traveled on a dime for my entire life. I am the master of my on destiny and successful at what I do. Good luck to the puppies, I rarely have heard such a rant!

  7. GG says:

    I still don’t quite understand what these companies do and how they make money. I have an interview with Media Plus on the 24th and now I am not sure if I should go. Do they really pay poorly. On the ad on my school’s website they claim to pay a base salary of $50,000 – $70, 000.

  8. Bam Bam says:

    OK where to begin…
    I, sadly, was drawn into this Media Plus Consulting ponzi scheme. The company is a horrific knock-off of European Union Times (European-Times), Wall Street Journal (Wall Street Market Research) etc…
    What they are essentially doing is using well-established brands and tarnishing the image with their lies, false-facts and of course manipulation. BUT it gets better…
    They’re restructuring…which is never a good sign. Restructure=little $$$$. Consultants are, once again, encouraged to embrace this new commission structure and skip away, forgetting that there is a 5,600 euro loss annually and you have to pay back the company if you do not reach your target. My fellow, potential interviewees, run away, far away. If stability is important to you, this company is not the right match.

  9. LaLa says:

    I would think twice before accepting ANY position with Media Plus. Most of the above blog posts are 100% accurate. I would just like to add the following for those still seriously considering attending training. If you do accept the position and then decide to leave training, you (not Media Plus) are responsible for paying the change fee + price difference in your return ticket. And change fees start at 250 Euros (Euros not Dollars because the tickets were bought in Euros). The company will insist you pay these costs yourself, despite being told upfront that the company will pay for all costs associated with the return flight. Is this the kind of company you want to work for?

  10. NavMan says:

    Media Plus is by far sketchy. I was at there for the group interview in Toronto which was runned by Saskia Sauer – some German/Dutch representative for the company who is now based in Columbus, Ohio for some reason.

    From the bat it was all lies. Saskia said that this is the first interview of its kind in Toronto and Media Plus has never been in Toronto. When reading this forum, its clear that Media Plus was in Toronto numerous times – in 2008.

    The session was held at the Marriott Toronto Downtown. There was about 8-9 people who were in the seassion. Most were between 20-35. She gave a brief example of the company and then let us go out of the room. She told everyone to come back to the room and explained to everyone who would stay and who would leave. Out of 9 of us, she let 2 people go (one of them came late, the other had a poor command of english).

    Each person had to have an interview and role play with a camera. Saskia said she would send the role play to Belgium for further considerations.

    From the bat, I saw that it was a pretty sketchy position. Going 3-5 months to a specific country with a partner, having to barter your way to hotels, not going on a business visa, but rather as a tourists and talking with CEO’s from companies in that country about putting ad space in an upcoming magazine. It seems interesting, but the magazines dont get much coverage. No one has heard of the Wall Street Report or the European Report. These are no name magazine/journals and eventhough they do get published, they arent getting any awareness because they arent distributed around the world.. accoding the media plus – only in airports at ‘business VIP’ hubs. Having been to a few ‘business VIP’ hubs in Europe and the Middle East, i did not even see these magazine. So who exactly gets these magazines and how can you sell a 20,000 ad in the magazine when there is no value to it.

    It looked fun from the outside. A company which allows people who are in their 20′s to become international sales people, but all-in-all, the the goal of the company would be to sell useless items and act legit.

    Im happy Saskia didnt take me on! Use this company like they would use you if you go. It seems like they are borderline fraud in a way……

  11. Bam Bam says:

    NavMan is 100% right. Take this advice for what is worth, which is a lot. You can see for yourself; however, the only thing you will get out of this is the training. I would not even waste time attending the training if there are opportunities with a legit company. Also they have various publications of which they are operating with: Manager Magazine, Max Lifestyle, European Times, Wall Street Market Research, Brussels Press, US Television, Asia Business Channel, Big Media Group, Crystal Media Corp (based in U.K)…

    As you can see, they are all over the place trying to squeeze as much money as possible. High profit, no gain. Think about your ethics. Would you be able to sleep at night knowing you sold a priceless ad space to a minster? Are you willing to get into legal trouble because you’re on a tourist visa instead of a work visa? More importantly, do you want to be treated with respect? If so, walk away. There are better opportunities and companies that will compensate for your talent and hard work. You will work like an animal to be compensated like a beggar, no exaggeration.

  12. EM says:

    i have the job and love it. a friend i worked with was just let go because had produced no sales for the past 6+ months, he said he posted on this site because he was angry. so I just found this site again, hadn’t seen it since before i interviewed, thank goodness I didn’t buy into this site back then. funny thing, if you believe everything you read, you will miss out on life. i would bet my life 100% of the people who post negative things about media plus were let go, didn’t pass training, or didn’t get the job in the first place (i.e. the guy above who interviewed in toronto – he didn’t even get the job). i was in the office during the sep training and see a few posts a week or so after that training, i know that those trainees were let go because they were weak, yet they post above that they just didn’t want the job. i’ve had the job for over a year and love it. is it hard – YES. if you do not want to work hard, do not take this job, seriously. if you want to work hard, see the world and make some money, then go for it. by the way, media plus is in no way affiliated with AFA or Summit (i think those are both gone now anyways). media plus does parent many publications, but don’t most media companys have many publications? anyways, don’t bother interviewing if you’re the type to believe crap from this blog. no company is perfect, at least with this one, i am seeing the world and improving my sales.

  13. HS says:

    I would have to agree with EM. I worked for Media Plus for years and it was one of the best experiences that I will always reflect upon. Traveling the world and making money! Is it for everyone?…No! This isn’t a job but a lifestyle with a lot of hard work to be done. Those who are complaining about it probably couldn’t cut it or didn’t even get the job. No other job you will have will ever compare.

  14. Dianne says:

    I had the job and can’t believe there are people out there who believe this stuff written on the Internet, your loss if you believe it. My experience was GREAT and learned so much about sales. As well my experience is that all negative persons about this job just FAILED in being succesfull and ofcourse they will never blame themselves so they blame the company for their own failure.
    First, experience it yourself before having an opinion instead of following what is said on the Internet.

  15. BamBam says:

    Interesting how each day there is a new post about something positive about the company. For the record, YOU can see for yourself; however, when consultants on the field say they do not like the company and the work despite having them be great salesmen tells you A LOT about the company. So people, you pick and choose. If field consultants are saying otherwise, well that tells you a lot about the company. MEDIA PLUS, be aware once all the field consultants leave after your three-month period for this new compensation structure. Everyone knows it is a joke. This company has ZERO INVESTMENT IN THEIR EMPLOYEES! However, you can take the advice of the Big Media Group employees who are writing on the blog posing as consultants. You’ll see. Don’t say I did not warn when this company tanks.

  16. Sarah says:

    I worked for Media Plus for two years and loved it. I can’t believe there are people out there saying this stuff and I would just say it’s your loss if you believe it.

  17. Ex AFA says:

    You forgot to mention Saturnino Superstar and Miriam Klingenberg…..AFA nowadays!! They have turned this industry into something much worst if possible!!
    Their style…COORDINATE, TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN!! Huge con!!

  18. Ethics let me sleep at night... says:

    Thank you so much for posting this information… For a second I thought about leaving a well-paid job in a respectable world-class company over this, given the chance. It gives me the chills… I’ll continue to look for a career change… but I’ll be careful with the path I choose. I won’t even bother to go to Recruitment Day… THANK YOU!!!!!

  19. John Foster says:

    Dear Current Media Plus consultants and former workers.. Thank you for your feedback. I am excited as well about the media plus opportunity for the increase in sales skills. I do also hear the feedback as well from naysayers. Every story has two sides. However, I am currently a consultant and have very direct experience in the reality of dealing with second and third world bosses… and frankly, the only way to survive is to seriously develop yourself. It sounds like MP expects that too. And frankly, in comparison the real uttter de-humanization and exploitations I deal with on a daily basis in the third world construction consulting, I can already tell the MP gig is a walk in the park considering the ¨tactics¨ I work with. Thanks.

  20. OBG says:

    If anyone had any questions about OBG and what they actually are:

    http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/25502/

  21. NavMan says:

    Its funny how “EM” and “HS” went back to back with their posts claiming that the company is good and it’s really fun to work there in just a spade of a day.

    Truth is that they do work for Media Plus. The problem is that they are the ones who recruit the sales people and sucker them into this imaginary lifestyle where you travel all the time and you have enormous benefits. This is far fetched.

    I have been honest with my post and to the point. Media Plus is as legitimate as any company out there, regardless of industry. They have offices, they pay taxes, they do their books and they have operations. The problem lies in the delivery. They misinform people about the value that they are paying. How far does 50,000 dollars go when you advertise in a journal? If you are a CEO in a developing country, 50K is nothing. You spend millions of dollars a year living a life while your country is corrupted and in ruins. That’s where Media Plus succeeds on. They don’t lie. You tell them that when your country gets posted next, you want to have an advertisement on it. The question that the CEO should ask is who will see it. Media Plus reps are told that top businessman get it and people who are really important. The truth is that no body will get it. What they can do is explain to the CEO that circulation per month is 100,000 journals. They will produce 100,000 journals but will not distribute them. For 50,000 dollars you can actually post in the Wall Street (not the same size ad) or the Economist and get a better response from people. In the end of the day you’re selling something that is phony and useless, but you promise them it will be publish and Media Plus delivers on that!
    This is no different than asking for 250,000 dollar security system and getting only CCTVs and a watch dog or being promised that you’ll lose weight or gain muscle on infomercials or purchasing computers at bulk and realizing that you purchased 15 year old computers.

    What do all 3 (and ironically 4 when you add media plus) have in common?
    They were all delivered to you. Agreed upon and signed. You paid, they did their job. The question is…how well did they do it? Clearly you’re not safe with a few Web cams and a poodle to protect you. You didn’t lose weight and the machine is getting dusty. The computers can be used but they are slow. The ads have been put on the journal, published and “SENT” to 100,000 people/locations, but you still haven’t heard a call from someone about how he read your article in the journal and are responding back to you.

    And for EM’s information. I did get hired, but I turned it down. Glad I did!

  22. ripped off in Brazil says:

    The company I manage was hired to do transcriptions and translations for a United World team in Brasília, the capital of Brazil. I found out too late that they left the country before their job was done — and without paying me. Now I am stuck trying to figure out where to complain about a slippery company like AFA, and get my money. I guess the one good thing is Brazil didn’t buy their sleazy sales pitch!

  23. Jeremy Blevins says:

    Please do yourself a favor and do not join this news/sales industry. You will eventually get in trouble emotionally, financially, physically and/or morally. I am not a disgruntle employee but only a well wisher for the young people out there, who don’t realize the implications of doing dirty business.

  24. Truth says:

    Thanks a lot for your comments, I found them very helpful.
    A few month ago I had an interview with Media Plus recruiters. I had a nice conversation and a sales role play. Then they told me a little bit more about company business and training.
    I had to think twice before i declined the offer.
    For those who is still thinking to apply please read FMPC and others comments above. I will just add some important points below.

    Since the beginning I was quite suspicious about this company (never heard about it, and it was strange that it was registered in Cyprus) but after I saw a contract I was really surprised, it`s just not acceptable and if you have some brains you will never sign it.

    First of all NO health or life insurance, nobody cares.
    You hired as a self employee so you have to pay taxes by yourself – Media PLus doesn’t declare you.
    You also don’t have holidays.
    Commission payed every 3 month, add also 3 month of training which means you will work 6 month for minimum wage and after maybe you will receive commission (if you are a good boy).
    So if you receive 1000 take out health, life insurance (if you want to have them) and taxes and you will get almost nothing.
    Another question is VISA thing, are you really ready for this.
    The training period is 3 month. Where 2 weeks in the office in Belgium the rest in the field where exactly you don’t know.
    Then I found quite strange that if you didn’t reach your target you can be fired and then they can ask you to pay penalty.
    Your monthly payment is made from commission in advance so if you received it and didn’t achieve your target who knows how it may turn out.
    You can really get yourself in trouble. In the contract I saw for breaching one of their rules you may pay to the Company XXX amount of money.
    So make connections and think are you really willing to put yourself into this?
    Please share with others and keep away from companies like that.

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