Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SunDevil Dre]

It's been about 8 weeks since I started this process, and I've come up totally empty. Not one offer. I have an application pending with IMOE and that seems to be my only chance for a Fall position. Every recruiter I've contacted claims the job market has gotten extremely tight this year. Are any other newbies struggling like me?

I have my docs ready, a professional photo, intro video, and am finishing an online TEFL. What else can I do? I�m neither female, nor white (nor gyopo), is there hope for me in this market?

[/rant]

[baguingr]

I don't really trust any recruiter so when they told me the market was getting much tighter I thought it was just a to get me to agree to a position that I didn't want, but now I'm thinking its the truth. I'm white and have a year of experience in korea and have had my documents ready and been ready to go for a month I've had a few offers but more rejects and tons of interviews that supposedly were being set up and never materialized. I was really surprised because just 2 years ago when I was looking for my first job recruiters would be foaming at the mouth to get you a job or schools to get you to come over, now its like they are doing you a favor. Thinking about going over and looking on a tourist visa. Think of it this way though, if korea goes the way of Japan or other places at least we are still getting in right before it gets really difficult.

[Aoisagi]

I hear ya man. I was trying for roughly 7 months and I finally got a public school gig which starts in September. I didn't get one interview with any schools until I got a POE job. Times are tough and if you're up to working in a rural area, your chances would be greater. What's your current status with Incheon?

[baguingr]

I worked in Incheon last year. I have really good references from my last job and other features that only in Korea are extra handy in landing a job, but still its been rough. I'm looking in Seoul only so I know the majority of this is my own fault for insisting on the city but still people I know that didn't leave Korea after their first contract all found sweet deals in Seoul. I felt like I'd do my time in Incheon and then have no problem upgrading but this has not been the case.

[Kysorb]

I couldn't find a job in Korea, and I tried 4 or 5 recruiters.

Recruiter Number 1 Flat out told me if you don't have an English or education degree even if you have TEFL your probably S.O.L but you can go into their "pool" until the public school hiring in Sept/Oct for Epik February

Recruiter Number 2 wanted me to send them my original degree, glad I didn't send it because when I said I would send a notarized and Korean consulate stamped copy I never heard from them again.

Recruiter Number 3 I applied to a few public positions with them, but right at the end of the intake and I didn't get interviewed. After that I got an email from them saying I was being transferred to their private school job pool and "don't call us we'll call you"

Recruiter Number 4 Phoned me at 1am, which was fine, I was up. I told him my preference was a coastal location in the south of medium size. He sent me a contract and an application for a rural city of 10,000 right on the DMZ through GEPIK. With the standard line "Seoul is only 1 hour by train" According to most recruiters every part of Korea is only 1 hour by train to Seoul...

Recruiter Number 5 Never called me back.

Becoming frustrated with these jokers I started looking at Dave's ESL board. Korea board is polluted with recruiters posting last years ads to make them look popular. I applied directly to two schools one in Changwon, and one in Busan. I also threw out a hail Mary and applied directly to a school off the China job board to a school in Beijing.

Beijing emailed me the same day, and my visa is now in the works. (takes a lot longer than the Korea process) and I should be in China by the end of September.

The money is a little less (10,000 yaun) but so is the cost of living. My boss is also Irish, and doesn't wake up every day thinking how he can squeeze blood out of a stone. The teaching hours are also a lot like a Korean public school, none of the new hagwon standard 30 teaching hour 2-10PM Stuff .

In short, from my learning, try with the recruiters but do some direct apps yourself.

[blonde researcher]

Seems that EPIK and some of the other education offices are not wanting any level 1 applicants who get their level 1 salary status by having just 2 years of teaching in Korea in Hagwons. They are only interested in hiring a level 1 person if they are a trained teacher or have overseas teaching experience or an English TESOL diploma etc.
Quite a few cities now only prepared to pay for hiring level 2 maximum now. I guess this means that many of the long termers in Korea who would be level 1 trying to get into a public school won't get in.

I also heard that there is a lot of checking up with previous hagwons happening now with hagwon and public school jobs. This would mean that anyone who has done a runner or had problems in aprevious hagwon, or the director thought you took too many sick days : oops: may not get a new job easily anymore. I'm hearing of plenty of teachers who finally are realizing times have changed -the reality is there are few jobs there for the picking, especially in Seoul or the bigger cities.

[baguingr]

One of the problems is I haven't seen a direct add for a school in forever there are a couple on craig'slist sometimes but they have seemed to disappear from worknplay and dave's. I've applied for every single recruiter that I can find and they all suck. They all are trying to fill the same jobs. often they will send me information on the same job on the same day from multiple recruiters

[SunDevil Dre]

Thanks for the replies.

@Aoisagi I just applied to IMOE for a late placement; October-ish. Still waiting to hear back.

@Kysorb: You may have piqued my interest in China.

I'm wondering how the new FBI requirement will affect the market next year? I imagine there'll be a lot fewer American applicants.

[bcjinseoul]

If you've never even been here, just apply to EVERY recruiter, and tell them you'll take a job at some 10-7 kindie and/or something in the middle of the country.

You will get something then. And if by some very small chance you still don't then by all means go to China.

[cert43]

No-Don't feel bad.
I guess depending how much you love/hate Korea, it wouldn't be a big
huge deal to worry about. The more you care/worry the more it bothers you.
Iam pretty neutral in my feelings with the whole thing.

My Personal opinion? They are really looking for F visas ( saves them all the time/ trouble of sponsering us, E-2'S,you know? ) This fact is also of obvious in immigrations ever-changing visa policies. Combined with this and the stipulations of a short term ( 1-year status) ( versus the long-term ( or 2-year or longer status) of an F-visa, it really wouldn't be surpsing ( of course, Iam not counting renewals into this equation) at all.

Think about it:Would you really wanna hire someone if you knew they were only gonna be there for a year? Wouldn't help your clients bring in profit it all, would it?They wouldn't trust you if you couldn't keep a long-term empolyee around. It would seem too sketchy ( same with students and parents).Rememeber, parents control everything in the hagwons and the public sector ( government), as well.

China is not a bad option,but it starting to go in the same ( slowly, but surly) direction as Korea.

Better off just to find something else altogether.

[soundnin]

[oldtactics]

Have you posted your email address on the resume board? And are you looking for jobs outside of Seoul as well?

[SunDevil Dre]

[caribmon]

1) You must look like Paul Vandervort or Megan Fox
2) Your photo must be perfect
3) You must be 'willing to work anywhere for any company'

Job in 1 day.

Spend you 7 months in the gym, photo studio and resume making.

You do'nt even need good gramer. It's all about apeerance. I can't even remember my own birthday.

[rowdie3]

I am really shocked by all of this. I have been here a long time and have never heard of anyone who looked for a job for more than a week without having one.

I think it's this apparent obsession with working in the public schools which gives so much power to the recruiters and the system.

Take what you read online about bad hagwons with a grain of salt. They are not all bad by any means. I worked in them for my first three years and never had a problem.

As a previous poster said, put your resume out EVERYWHERE and just take a job SOMEWHERE.

If you've never been in the country before, there's really no point in specifying where you want to be etc. etc. It's either Seoul or not Seoul and you will be fine wherever you end up. Nothing else is particularily relevant.

Try these sites:

www.worknplay.co.kr
www.hiexpat.com
www.craigslist.co.kr
www.oklesson.com
www.tefljobsnow.com

I worked for www.yesenglish.com the first year I lived in Seoul and had lots of fun.

Good luck!