These terms govern your use of laowai吗 (the “platform”), operated by the laowai吗 team (“we”, “us”). By creating an account or using the platform you agree to them. If you don’t agree, please don’t use the platform.
1. What laowai吗 is
laowai吗 is an online marketplace that helps foreign talent in China find work and helps agents, schools, brands and other clients (“agents”) find talent. We provide the tools — profiles, gig listings, applications, messaging, ratings — but we are not an employer, employment agency, or party to any agreement between talent and agents. Agents are solely responsible for their gigs and talent are solely responsible for the work they accept.
2. Eligibility
- You must be at least 18 years old.
- You must provide accurate information and keep it up to date.
- You are responsible for complying with the laws that apply to you, including immigration, visa and work-authorization rules in the People’s Republic of China. Identity verification on laowai吗 does not confirm that anyone is legally permitted to perform a particular job.
- One person, one account. Agents may only register with a valid agent key issued by us.
3. Accounts and security
Keep your login details private and tell us immediately if you suspect unauthorised access. You are responsible for activity on your account. We may require identity verification before you can use certain features.
4. Identity verification
To apply to gigs, talent must complete a one-time identity check. Agents may also be asked to verify. Verification documents are handled as described in our Privacy Policy. A verified badge means we checked an identity document; it is not an endorsement of anyone’s skills, conduct or legal status.
5. Connects
- Connects are platform credits used for certain actions, such as applying to a gig or inviting talent. The cost of each action is shown before you confirm it.
- Connects have no cash value, cannot be transferred, sold or exchanged, and are not refundable except where these terms or the platform state otherwise (for example, an agent’s invitation that is declined or expires is refunded).
- We may grant promotional Connects, correct errors, and remove Connects obtained through fraud, abuse or a technical fault. Every movement is recorded in your transaction history.
6. Gigs, applications and conduct between users
Agents must post accurate, lawful gigs with honest pay, dates and conditions, and may not charge talent any fee to apply or to be hired. Talent must represent their experience truthfully. Any contract, payment or arrangement for work is between talent and the agent. laowai吗 does not currently process payments for gigs.
7. Prohibited behaviour
- Fraud, scams, impersonation, fake profiles or fake gigs.
- Requesting money, deposits, “training fees”, passports or personal financial details from other users.
- Harassment, threats, hate speech or discrimination.
- Sexual services, escort work or any illegal activity.
- Collecting other users’ data, scraping, spamming, or circumventing Connects, rate limits or contact protections.
- Interfering with the platform’s security or attempting to access accounts or data you are not authorised to access.
See the Community Guidelines for more detail.
8. Your content
You keep ownership of the photos, videos and text you upload. You grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, display and adapt that content (for example, resizing images) for the purpose of operating and promoting the platform. You confirm you have the rights to everything you upload and that it doesn’t infringe anyone else’s rights.
9. Ratings
Ratings are only available after a completed engagement and are revealed once both sides have rated or after a fixed period. Ratings must be honest and relevant. We may remove ratings that violate these terms.
10. Moderation, suspension and termination
We may review reports, remove content or gigs, limit features, and suspend or close accounts that break these terms or put others at risk. Where appropriate we will tell you why. You can close your account at any time from Settings.
11. Disclaimers
The platform is provided “as is”. We do not guarantee that you will find work or talent, that users are who they claim to be beyond the checks we describe, or that the platform will be uninterrupted or error-free. Use your judgement and follow our safety guidance.
12. Limitation of liability
To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, or for the acts or omissions of users, including payment disputes between talent and agents. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law.
13. Changes
We may update these terms. If changes are significant we will notify you on the platform before they take effect. Continuing to use the platform after that means you accept the updated terms.
14. Contact
Questions about these terms: contact us.