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Fibbed by recruiter, one in a million stories.

 
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rickalz



Joined: 02 Apr 2003

PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2003 3:33 am    Post subject: Fibbed by recruiter, one in a million stories. Reply with quote

In a nutshell:
I know that alot of people gripe on this site, but I need some advice. In a nutshell, the city I'm living in absolutely sucks. I asked my recruiter to get me a job in a busy city or within Seoul. He told me about a job in Gwang-Ju that paid well and continued to promoted it very well; I signed. As it turns out, the school is located well outside of Gwang-ju in a small town of maybe 500, maybe 1 or 2 other foreigners, and 3 PC Bangs. Okay, I don't care about the latter 2 but I really wanted to work in Seoul or a large city! I know it's not the schools fault, they're just hard up for employees, and now I know why. I haven't started working yet, but I'll probably begin tomorrow. If I renag on the contract (which isn't official yet, and I don't have an E2 yet) I know I can find a better job, on my own. But the school gets screwed and they are actually very nice folk. Any advice on what I should do?
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Dude Love



Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Location: Korea

PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2003 11:17 am    Post subject: not your problem Reply with quote

Dear friend,
It sucks but I'd just tell them to take it up with the recruiter and quit. The recruiter should feel bad, not you. The school didn't hire you to be nice, they did it because you're presence makes them money. React accordingly, even if they are nice people. You'll begin to resent them if you're stuck in a job and city that you don't like for a year.
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The Great Wall of Whiner



Joined: 24 Jan 2003
Location: Middle Land

PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2003 3:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would LOVE to work there!!

I have always wanted to work in a small place.....

Hmm...

Maybe we can work a deal here...

I haven't found my job yet, but I want to come back to Korea at the end of this month.

Tell me more about your school, apartment, wage, etc.
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matthews_world



Joined: 15 Feb 2003

PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2003 3:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Why not work their for a month, see how they treat you. If they pay you that's great. Be looking for other positions at the same time. After a month, if you haven't gotten your visa sponsorship and you are still unhappy give notice and leave. Sounds like you would have a potential replacement in Whiner.
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weatherman



Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: Korea

PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2003 4:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't really know, but I would give it a try. Gwangju is a nice city with an ok nightlife. If you say the owners are nice, and you have some good hours and nice place to rest your head, why not stay? You can always head up to Seoul or Busan on the weekends and crash at some yeogwon. By the way, what is the name of the town you are in? You might be close to Mokpo, or Yeosu, which both are really nice cities too. Not huge, but unless you want to party in Hongdae, you will find the same in these cities as you do in the biggies such as Seoul or Busan, only a smaller scale.
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katydid



Joined: 02 Feb 2003
Location: Here kitty kitty kitty...

PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2003 7:03 pm    Post subject: been there! Reply with quote

Your story reminds me of my own experience in Mokpo!
Before I came here, what I thought of Korea, was this: There is Seoul, and there is nothing else. So, when my recruiter told me I wasn't going to be in Seoul, but in Mokpo, I was really concerned. I asked him How far away is Mokpo from Seoul. He told me "One hour." What he didn't tell me was "by plane."
I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I had signed the contract and didn't want to go back on my word. I found Mokpo to be a nice place. Not exactly a hotbed of cosmopolitan culture, but comfy enough...
You should try to stick it out, especially if the owner seems like a good person to work for. Think about it: you may be bored where you are now, but at least you seem to be in a good situation. Changing jobs may be like going from the frying pan and into the fire. You may be in Seoul with a bazillion other foreigners and lots to do, but how could you enjoy that if your boss never pays you or makes you work a lot of overtime?
Bottom line, stick it out as long as you can, and next time (if there is one), do not use that recruiter.
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Hagwon Muppet



Joined: 18 Mar 2003

PostPosted: Mon Apr 07, 2003 1:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK one important detail has been missed here. As yet he has no e2 visa so I think he can leave the school without any problems. If he gets an e2 and sticks it out for a while then he might have all sorts of problems getting released from the contract.

If you haven't got an e2 and really can't see yourself enjoying it then I would simply explain the situation to the school and tell them why you can't stay.

Then set about finding another job.
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crazylemongirl



Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...

PostPosted: Tue Apr 08, 2003 3:49 am    Post subject: Had a similar situation... Reply with quote

Though not as bad as yours. I arrived two months ago thinking that I would be at school with other foreign teachers and be sharing accomodation at incheon. However I ended up on my own in bucheon (which granted is is closer to seoul). But on the otherhand my boss pays me on time, went out of her way to settle me in, asks about how I'm settling in, the korean teachers at my school are great, and I have great hours.

I won't lie to you will probably find yourself feeling very lonely, and a year can be a long time. But you could get a worse job in big city which could create more problems than your present situation.My advice is try not to get angry but see it as an opportunity, you will learn a lot more korean and get a better insight into how this country ticks than spending your time hanging out with bunch of americans/canadians/kiwis et al in seoul (which seem to be very cliquey anyway) and busan (which I'm not sure about). Also you may find that koreans make awesome friends, far better than some of the foreigners that hang out in seoul.

Just my thoughts
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MrTESL



Joined: 17 Mar 2003
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Tue Apr 08, 2003 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

rickalz -

A hard question to answer. Yes, you got screwed. Yes, a year might seem like a long time right now. I would definitely let the recruiter know you're unhappy, and tell us all who he is.

You're right on the money - your school probably has a hard time getting a teacher because they're not in a big city. More than likely they will treat you like gold and you will have a good year.

However, if you're really feeling uncomfortable, don't feel like a heel for leaving - you were led into the situation dishonestly.

And where are you? Naju? Hanam?



___________________________________
Cheap, fast TESL certification - http://members.rogers.com/tesl/
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igotthisguitar



Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)

PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2003 8:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

While i'm sure there are a few real professionals Very Happy out there, my current impression is the majority of recruiters are simply "Pie in the Sky" sleezeballs. My Canadian ESL-LINK.com contact was a real smooth operator & ( i gotta give him credit ) a decent salesman. Only problem was, once i got here & HE got his $$$, the little weasel disappeared from off the face of the earth Evil or Very Mad
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