A contract of employment, in any country is a legal document. Spending your own cash upfront isn't a normal requirement. All views should be aired and expectations understood and agreed by both parties.
In any industry.
There are times that one accepts a position on a nod and a wink, To move countries and expend your own monies on one is idiotic. But you'll tell me education is so civil.
This experience suggests otherwise.
I have enjoyed careers in many different industries and been protected against loss by contract law.