While we at Golden Staffing strive to give folks as many options as possible, we also want to make sure they attain safe and secure employment. Typical contracts are for 12 months and it's of value to consider this is a year of your life. IMPORTANT: This is a place for posting objective reviews of SERVICE in order to help others, not for flexing your ego. There are other places on the Internet for one-sided nonsense. As such, Trustpilot monitors these reviews and any fraudulent/irrelevant reviews of any company will be removed immediately.Additionally, while we offer many free services like online or advice regarding immigration and visas, we may require a one time collateral payment. You will have us forever into the future in your employment endeavors...
Golden Staffing LLC (goldenstaffing.com) has 153 customer reviews on Five Star Index, with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5.
Also known as
Golden Staffing, goldenstaffing.com
Website
goldenstaffing.com
Category
Language Learning
Location
Houston, Texas
Listed on Five Star Index
2026
About these reviews
Replies
The company replied to 87% of reviews.
Latest
Most recent review: February 2026.
Edits
Reviews are shown as their authors wrote them. The company can reply, but cannot edit them.
Score
This company cannot pay to remove reviews or change its score.
Gabriel and his cronies are out to take advantage of the naive, particularly those from Africa it seems. Never ever give a recruiter money up front, no matter the circumstances.
A quick google search will reveal there are red flags all over the place in regard to this guys business practices.
Response from Golden Staffing LLCFeb 7, 2026
$19 a month saves you hundreds of dollars and lots of wasted time and much better odds of successful employment so you can decide for yourself if it's worth it. Cancel anytime. I don't know how in the world this guy rationalizes his mudslinging but I wish him and everyone well :-)
SP
Sean P.
Scam! Don't Pay These Guys!
Beware of any company/recruiter that demands a fee/payment. Most ESL websites, like eslcafe warn teachers against this.
Gabriel and his cohorts respond to every single resume that is posted. They'll send you the exact same template response each time you post one.
There are many great jobs out there, and none of the legitimate ones will ask for any kind of payment up front. I have worked in this industry for eight years.
Don't buy the excuses. For them, it's all about the money.
Response from Golden Staffing LLCSep 1, 2025
Way to dox yourself by letting future employers know you will jump to conclusions and become a cancer in the office. Most of our services are free and if you actually were in this industry doing recruiting you would know very well why the we have to require collateral in certain cases. Based on your name I highly doubt this would even apply to you. You would have gotten a fantastic job at no cost to you, but you have just shown the world who you really are. Go read the disclaimer again in its entirety and be embarrassed. God bless...
BE
Ben
Sketchy Communication and Contradictions
I wasn’t contacted by Gabriel directly. An anonymous person emailed me and referred me to him, and shortly after I received an unsolicited call about teaching jobs overseas. He mentioned something about a collateral payment but didn’t explain what it was for or why it was necessary.
I’m American, and from what I can gather from his replies on Trustpilot, the collateral is only necessary for South Africans, for some unspecified reason. It all feels really bizarre and vague, like it’s a scam. I’d be very cautious about parting with money.
Update: Why exactly is this "collateral" necessary in the first place? You seem to be the only "recruiter" who demands it.
Response from Golden Staffing LLCJul 17, 2025
This trolling is exactly why there are little to no legitimate recruiters left. The ones that are left have to work with the constraints in the current post pandemic market. If you are an American and you are asked to pay collateral it was either because it was outside of China or Korea or a really high end request like $5000 a month or something. The majority of our services are free and we will always avoid collateral whenever possible. We wish you the best...
ML
Murray L.
Not worth unless you are desperate or lazy
Warning: will ask for a non refundable fee of 150 US dollars. Admits to getting a commisson on placing you at a job but wants to double dip. Expertise is scouring the internet for jobs which you can do yourself. Reason given for asking for fee is they receive "countless applications."
Don't pay for the fee. You can do what this company does: look for jobs yourself and save money. Everything this company does from finding you a job to giving you advice on visas takes a few minutes of you doing it yourself online.
Recruiters never ask for comission from you. It is their job to get you placed and get paid. Ignore his excuses. The only way I would pay the fee is if I was desperate and too lazy to look onlnne for jobs. Even then you don't know if he will actually do the work or pocket the money.
Response from Golden Staffing LLCMay 30, 2025
We've addressed this many many times. We have a 20-year track record of recruiting and helping people. Anyways we're sorry you feel that way. We wish you well...
JE
Jeremy
Lack of transparency
There was no clear explanation provided as to why the $150 collateral was required for overseas job placements, which immediately raised red flags. Legitimate employers and recruitment agencies should always be transparent about their fees and processes.It’s essential to be cautious and conduct thorough research before handing over any money.
I happen to be Canadian and I have never once encountered a reputable recruiter who required a so-called “collateral” payment in advance.
Response from Golden Staffing LLCMay 24, 2025
Put yourself in our shoes and take on the risk of recruiting folks out of South Africa and non natives. Beautiful people but high risk on our end. We get about 40 applicants a day coming out of those areas. I'm sure it was explained to you before, but you were too butt hurt to accept this reality. In any case, now you know better. We wish you well in your endeavors...
Also, what is your citizenship? Does this even affect you or are you just complaining just to complain which is so popular these days ☺️
Edit: Thank you for letting us know you are Canadian. Obviously you did not read the full disclaimer and just jumped to conclusions. Your placement would be completely free and still can be, this is for South Africans and non natives only. If you ever do recruiting for 19 years like me I'm sure you will understand very quickly why we have to require collateral for South Africans and non natives in this day and age. God bless...
CH
Chanel
Strange. He wanted $150 immediately.
I’m a first time ESL teacher from South Africa and I was contacted by a man named Gabriel about job placement. From the start something didn’t feel right. He was very pushy and insisted I provide some strange form of “collateral” payment but he wouldn’t clearly explain why it was needed or what exactly it was for. I’ve read on several ESL forums and websites that you should never send money to a recruiter or school upfront as it’s a well known red flag. Yet here I was being pressured to do just that. What worried me even more was how he spoke. His speech was slurred almost like he wasn’t sober. The overall tone of the conversation was very strange and far from professional. It felt very strongly like this was dishonesty. I strongly advise others to be cautious. Something about this just didn’t feel right.
Response from Golden Staffing LLCMay 9, 2025
If you have been paying attention the last few years I'm sure you've noticed the countless South Africans applying to go abroad. I (Gabriel) alone receive at least 20 to 30 South African applications daily. Yes it's frustrating for everyone including me but let's stop tearing down others due to your frustration. While we do require collateral for South Africans in South Africa due to risk, we have many free services you can take advantage of. God bless and keep you...
Also I have a brain injury that slurs my speech, but not much I can do about that...
An American Pope! Interesting, eh?
BA
Bryan. A.
Scam — No Service, Hidden Terms, and Personal Abuse
Paid Gabriel for an ESL job placement. Received nothing. No job leads, no proof of work — just vague replies, religious rambling filled with emojis, and eventually insults, calling me a “psycho” for asking legitimate questions.
He only mentioned a “no refund” policy after the payment was made, and even then it was buried in small print. When paying via mobile — which he knew I was using — the disclaimer is conveniently obscured.
This isn’t recruitment. It’s manipulation, deceit, and a complete lack of professionalism.
Avoid him and this scam at all costs.
Update; His reply to this review is a tantrum disguised as a defense. Instead of addressing the facts — the lack of service, the lack of proof — he lashes out with sarcasm, melodrama, and veiled threats about my career. It reads like the diary of a man unraveling, not a professional responding to a client.
If you’re thinking of trusting him, just read his response. Then ask yourself if that’s the kind of person you’d pay.
Avoid. Completely.
Response from Golden Staffing LLCMay 4, 2025
Personal abuse hey? Do tell. Did i come over to your house and kick your dog? Personal attention... I spent over 2 hours today trying to talk you off the ledge. You come at me wanting me to give you 14 offers paying $3,000 USD or more in the Middle East after a week of me dealing with travel hell. No sympathy and no patience. Way to burn your own bridge. You do realize you just doxed yourself for all future employers to see. Bravo. Most of my fluture clientele have brains and can see a petty, insensitive, and unreasonable review...
Update: You had an agenda when you found me on Sunday, my one day off. Nevertheless, i still dedicated over two hours trying to help you and talk you off the ledge. No matter how calm and collected I was, it was always met with exreme hostility, I knew from the begining when you avoided a 5 minute courtesy call, I was in for a mentally distrbed individual hiding behide their keyboard. TO ANYONE THINKING OF GOING OVERSEAS, IF YOU HAVE A TOUGH CASE, IT WILL TAKE TIME, BUT THE SOONER I GET YOU SORTED, THE BETTER FOR BOTH OF US. This is just "buyers remorse" and a cautionary tale to others not to burn your own bridge. If you benefit from one of our free services, then there's not much to complain about (although people still try sometimes LOL) and if we require colaterral, be patient and give us time to do our job. I will agree with him on one thing. If you have anger/emotional issues please avoid us as that would save both you and us time. Overseas takes time, online and simple recruiting is free and fast. This is a cautionary tale to future employers about this guy and a warning not to burn your own bridge. See, we turned your mental breakdown into a lesson for others. Again sir, we are sorry you feel that way...
AT
A TEFL E.
A poor choice.
I've worked in TEFL over 20 years and I can say these recruiters are a scam. They charge you $150 for information that is free on the internet. Here just search reddit's r/TEFL jobboards. You should never pay for a TEFL job or recruiter much less someone just directing you to a free job board or recruiter. That's a fact of the industry. They are just preying on naïve new teachers. There are hundreds of free job boards and thousands of free recruiters. The responses of these individuals (and I believe it's just a couple individuals using the same said free resources based on the jobs they advertise on their own site) is so unprofessional that I, as someone who has done hiring in TEFL, would not work with them. The positive reviewers are obviously fake (their only review is of this one company and they clearly written by the company itself). To justify charging people because of native-speakerism, shame. This is my genuine experience with them Trustpilot - you shouldn't allow scammers like this.
Response from Golden Staffing LLCFeb 14, 2025
Genuine experience? Hardly. You are a nasty troll that has been harassing us for hours. Get a life. If you ever recruit yourself, you will understand very quickly why we had to move to this collateral requirement for MOST cases in this post pandemic volatile world. This guy is just a know it all and there are many in this day and age. Technically yes, you can do everything for free yourself, but it's also very dangerous and would take you way way way longer than if you hired somebody to help you, and then you also have somebody that will enforce your contract throughout the year and into the future so for insurance purposes...
Also just for the record, online teaching for natives and non natives is completely free with 30+ schools paying up to $50 USD an hour so even if you don't want our paid services and just want to put some money in your pocket, we'd be happy to help there as well 😊👍🙏
Sorry you feel that way buddy...
