I've just come back to this thread, and whilst I know it's probably too late for those initial enquiries may be useful for others.
It is such a shame that you felt you found a pushy "manager". In fact the official term is upline recruiter (for neals yard remedies organic) and depending on their status would depend on the interaction you have.
Their responsibility is not to bully you into doing anything you don't wish to, but to support, help and train you as required. I'd find out how a potential recruit wants to work and what they want to achieve and agree what support (and/or motivation) they would require.
We won't all get on with everyone, but hopefully we wo't let personality be representative of a company. Therefore, I would really recommend that if you make an enquiry and you don't feel comfortable with that person, try another consultant until they find someone they feel they can work with and other them the support they require.
Certainly with NYR Organic it generally dosn't matter about location. I've grown a large team all over the UK and have put support mechanisms in place to support those team members, including an online forum and conference calls. But if someone feels they can support themselves, they don't need to participate at all.
If you are the type of person that would prefer, local team meetings and individual training then having a local leader is more important.
Personal decisions for each of us.
I hope no one misses out on an opportunity just becuase of a personality issue.
Find a product you can be proud of selling and passionate about, an upline that will support you the way you want to be supported and go for it!