Site Search:
 
Speak Korean Now!
Teach English Abroad and Get Paid to see the World!
Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Getting References from former teachers

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Job-related Discussion Forum
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Samantha Shaw



Joined: 07 Apr 2003

PostPosted: Fri May 02, 2003 7:30 pm    Post subject: Getting References from former teachers Reply with quote

Hello all!

The school I am about to join in Seoul, and the recruiter who matched us, do not seem to want to give me former teachers names/emails. I have been asking for weeks. I keep getting 'valid reasons' why previous teachers cannot be contacted (the school doesn't have their emails, they didn't keep in touch, it is not the right procedure, etc). The [i]current [/i]teacher I spoke to sounded young, monosyllabic and a bit frightened. A contract has been signed and tickets organised, but Im still asking for former references (just as they are most welcome to check mine). The last communication on this from the recruiter suggested I drop this if I did not wish to be perceived by the school as a 'particular sort of person'.

Any comments, experiences, interpretations are much appreciated.

Samantha
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
igotthisguitar



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

PostPosted: Fri May 02, 2003 8:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

>. Take your time finding the best school for you. If your recruiter is balking @ helping hook you up w/ past teachers i'd be VERY WARY Exclamation

Bon Chance Laughing
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website Yahoo Messenger
The Great Wall of Whiner



Joined: 24 Jan 2003
Location: Middle Land

PostPosted: Fri May 02, 2003 9:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oui, bon chance indeed!

I would say something to the effect of: "Look. I want to know if other people thought you were a good employer or not. If you cannot at least provide me with their names, how can I be so sure I want to work here?"

Tread on eggshells. Most places do not give out references for obvious reasons....
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
captain kirk



Joined: 29 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Wed May 07, 2003 7:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

'a particular sort of person', eh? One who is a bit too nosy, eh? Korea is a hierarchical society and nobody much says boo, koreans that is, unless it's talking down the ladder.
I asked for a recommendation from the current teacher before i arrived at this school. I didn't phone, I emailed. But she didn't respond. I asked the recruiter why and finally she did e-mail. She said her email account was overloaded.
By that time I was already down from Seoul and at the school meeting everybody.
She wasn't in a mood to be generous. She was disgruntled and stressed and without energy in a lackadaisical funk, in a hurry to get out of there. She'd been there seven months. But the director wanted her out after three because she couldn't control the naughty kids, and class was a free-for-all. However, the parents liked her, and to avoid upsetting the parents the director begrudgingly kept her on. Students were lost, but the parents who wanted her to stay got more of a 'private class' with the fewer students.
Anyhow, she was curt and with a crust of high falutin' attitude when i, her replacement, came along. She didn't tell me what she was getting paid, which was important, until it was too late and i'd already signed a contract. So there i was, struck dumb, when she told me that she got 200,000 won more a month for the same hours. But i straightened that out
a month later, involving lots of tempests in teapots.
In hindsight, I didn't phone her because i wanted a job. I didn't want to hear any 'bad news' even if it was the truth. So i lazily emailed her, and missed out on some vital information before quickly signing a contract. I ought to have had that question noted and ready to ask; 'how much are you getting paid there?".
Point is the current teachers could sometimes be in no mood to talk, and just want out ASAP. And to get out they need a new teacher ASAP, maybe not telling them much at all.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gajackson1



Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Location: Casa Chil, Sungai Besar, Sultanate of Brunei

PostPosted: Sat May 10, 2003 5:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another point to be made: a lot of recruiters out there get their bread buttered from both sides - try to get a fee from the candidate as well as the school.

If you have direct contact, well, you can effectively snippet out the middleman. Good for you, good for the school, bad for the recruiter.

*SNIFFLE!* Rolling Eyes

regards, & good luck!!!

Glen
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website MSN Messenger
The Lemon



Joined: 11 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Sat May 10, 2003 5:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
If you have direct contact, well, you can effectively snippet out the middleman. Good for you, good for the school, bad for the recruiter.


This can't be overstated. In my experience, schools are happy to be contacted directly (not just e-mail spam your resume - get on the phone, PC-to-phone if you have to, and TALK to them), as they avoid paying recruiting fees.

It's my policy to only work at schools I contacted directly.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Job-related Discussion Forum All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group

TEFL International Supports Dave's ESL Cafe
TEFL Courses, TESOL Course, English Teaching Jobs - TEFL International