Korean Job Discussion Forums

[The Internationalist]

I am having quite the difficult time securing a good job in Daegu, Busan, and Seoul. Have all my documents ready and all. Getting minimal responses to emails or replying taking forever. This time last year I got multiple offers a night. Now its bad hours / pay or in cities I dont want. This is frustrating.

[comm]

Looks like someone's just going to have to experience the rest of Korea. I recommend Gwangju.

[YTMND]

You could also try Daejeon or the Gyeonggido area.

[Dodge7]

Yes. The market is beyond flooded and has been so for the last two years. Take what you can get or find an alternative source of employment.

[PatrickGHBusan]

Market is less flooded now that say 3 years ago but it is still pretty much an employers market. You also targeted the most popular spots (Seoul, Busan, Daegu).

You want faster placement, aim at somewhere else like Gwangju, Daejon, Suwon, Incheon....

[nautilus]

[PatrickGHBusan]

OP, pm sent.

[JustinC]

The Internationalist you may be having difficulties because you're specifying where you want to go. I think recruiters are more focused on teachers who are more open to placements and may thus be less uptight when in work. This is of benefit to younger, less experienced teachers who don't know enough about this country to make an informed position. Harsh but reality.

[Keeper]

How long have you been looking? If it's more than one month then yes you need to either try a different country or lower your own standards in finding a job. Other things to try is redoing your resume/cover letter. It's a hassle but if one is not working maybe a new format would. It's worth a shot.

[Yukoner]

I just got a job in Daegu. I had specified that I was only willing to go to Daegu, Daejeon, Ulsan or Gwangju. It took a couple weeks but in that time I had three interviews (1 in Daejeon and 2 in Daegu). Now I have taught in Korea before (Gwangju), so this may have aided me.

However, if I had wanted to go to Seoul there were at least 5 offers per day for interviews that I turned down. This was even after I specifically said I would not teach in Seoul.

OP you may want to look at how you are presenting yourself as there might be some seemingly inconsequential thing that is turning off recruiters and schools.

I would also recommend Gwangju, I absolutely loved living and working there.

[AsiaESLbound]

It's a changing...I've been applying for close to 3 months with no specific demands on where to go to find recruiters only mostly ignore you or take a long time to reply when they do. I was offered my old PS job back without even applying for it provided I had a 100 hour certification. When I replied I didn't, the recruiter said she'd wait a month for me to get an online TESL which I don't believe as they'll find someone within a few days that does have one. If you have one, Chungnam province public schools about 90 minutes bus ride from Gangnam are hiring right now at a nice 2.4 to 2.6 to start in a month from now which are excellent jobs in the line of pay and conditions.

While not a real cosmo city offering anonymity and few or no stares, I had a nice time in Seosan such as when I returned from a 2 week Winter vacation, the principal asked via co-teacher translating, "why are you at work? go take a rest 2 more weeks." No hagwon will even give you 2 weeks Winter vacay along with the pay and office politics leaving a lot to be desired.

Since the market is flooded and conditions worsening, I've been doing a job search at home at the same time while I'm seeing next to nothing as in, "it's almost impossible to get an $8/hour." Where I'm at you either have old money or you simply don't have a chance at prospering. I'm at a loss on what to do with the rest of my life in such a tormenting job market the world over. What a sucker punch. Better take what you can and live one day at a time as disgusting as it really is.

[The Internationalist]

I cant work the 9am - 6pm kindy / elem gigs so that cuts out alot of jobs.

I am also alittle picky about how many hours I want to work. Preferably less than 8 hours.

Also wont work job that pays 2mil

I did re do my resume and made a cover letter recently.

But yea I am making it pretty difficult with my guidelines. But still I had a much easier time last year when I ONLY was looking for Busan.

Yukoner, what recruiter(s) did you used that got you the job and the most interviews?

[iggyb]

The idea the tightened hiring market is going to increase the quality of instructors and teaching the students receive is laughable.

The most likely outcome will be a return to worse contracts and an increase in the bad behavior of the bad ole days in the hakwon industry.

Which will in turn chase off more and more expats, starting with qualified ones who will already be dissatisfied with the type of "teaching" that is demanded of them in both the hakwons and public schools.

[viciousdinosaur]

1) Enrollment is down across the country (low-birth rate) School's are not expanding, they are shrinking. They are not opening, they're closing.

2) Wages are stagnant. There isn't the extra cash to throw around anymore.

3) Public schools are cutting back in a big way.

4) A lot of parents are fed up with hagwons and hire tutors instead or send them to the local community centre.

5) A bunch of the teachers who were here during the boom are trying to find another position

6) 8% (really 25%) unemployment in most of the developed world

These are the reasons you are having trouble fining the job you think you deserve.

Did anyone think this would last forever? That anyone with a degree could come to Korea and make lots of money. The market is already at a point where the lack of a teaching degree or experience makes it very difficult to operate here and that will only increase in the future. Fortunately for you there are plenty alternatives, and their names are China and Vietnam

[PatrickGHBusan]