Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kingplaya4]

Hi,

I'm new on here. I'm twenty-five years old, a certified social studies teacher in the State of New York. Unfortunately, I had great difficulty finding full time work in my field, and being that I love travel and meeting different people decided that teaching English oversease would be a good career for me.

I used to room with a Korean for two years of boarding school, and we had many others attending the school, so I am at least somewhat familiar with the culture.

Anyways, this is in a nutshell why I'm interested in teaching in Korea. I have corresponded with a gentleman from Longbridge Pacific recruiters, and he seemed interested in getting me interviews with schools. From the best I could tell he seems to be on the up and up, but one never knows.

Does anyone have any familiarity with them good or bad?

Thanks for any input.

[PRagic]

ask your old roomie to tell you a good place to work. fly over and get a job there, or hunt around on the board for a big school in seoul that hires directly (ChungMoon Language Institute in Jongro, for example). most hire regularly.

don't go through a recruiter. they suck.

[kingplaya4]

[PRagic]

If you have experience teaching in the U.S., SCOPE OUT THE NET PROGRAM IN HONG KONG. You wouldn't regret it.

As for Korea: Do some surfing around through some of the forums; won't take long before you run into a rant about the joke of an industry calling themselves agents. You'll also get some good advice as to what to avoid when dealing with them if and when you have to.

If they are getting you a job at an established chain, then maybe it would be ok to go for it. If they are steering you toward some mom/dad new start up outside of a major city, forget it.

You should also ask them to tell you exactly what they will make off of you if you are 'placed'. I would ask for a percentage of that as they really aren't doing anything but telling you how to fill out some paper work. You could get any of that info off the net or through a 5 minute call to the consulate.

If you are certified in N.Y., then you should apply right for public school positions. They offer better vacation time.

[RachaelRoo]

There have been many threads on Longbridge, but they are absolutely terrible. They are not professional and I would highly advise against using them under any circumstance.

[PRagic]

Good advice, but replace 'Longbridge' with 'any recruiter' and you are closer to the reality of the situation. Why single only one out. They are all looking to make an easy buck.

[fredinkorea]

Longbridge Pacific is terrible, and they lack the utmost professionalism. They will say that it's okay to work on an tourist visa.

[LL Moonmanhead]

Avoid avoid aviod Longbridge Pacific.

[SpedEd]

I once had the pleasure of speaking with a recruiter who represented Longbridge Pacific. When he starting talking about the "braindead" students and "f*ck this" and "f*ck that", I started to tune out, and just told myself to fagitaboutit. I signed on with another recruiter and paid the price anyway

[kingplaya4]

Hmm, the news is not good then.... I have an interview tonight with a Mrs. Kim who owns the Like School chain in Taegu. Should I forget it?

It sounds good except for the salary of 1.9, but no split shift and no kindergarten.

He could be lying but I am going to ask her for teacher references.

Any familiarity with this particular school?

And if anyone knows Taegu and can give me opinions on the city vs Seoul that would be good also.

Thanks.

[BigBuds]

I sent you a PM. Check your inbox.

[princess]

[Tommy]

I've talked with many recruiters but Longbridge was by far THE worst. I dealt with Fred, a French Canadian (also think he's the owner). He had to be one of the most unprofessional recruiters out there.. and that says a lot for recruiters! My last phone conversation with him involved him yelling at me because I had turned down a terrible position in Apgujeong, and I quote (in his annoying french-canadian accent):
"YOU SHOULD BE THANKING GOD I GOT YOU THIS POSITION!"

'nuf said. I hung up.

The only recruiter I came across who I could recommend is a guy named Joshua from winwin consulting. He worked very hard to find positions that met my requests and he seemed to genuinely care. The last time I dealt with him was back in Dec '05 so I don't know if he's still around but I'd be happy to give you his contact - just PM me.

[Canucksaram]

Hey, guess what?

I suspect you're a perfect match for this Longbridge outfit.
("You're" as opposed to "your". Or "your." It depends on what manual you consult.)

Anyhow, your spelling ("oversease") and poor use of commas (see original post) make this poster confident that you and Longbridge deserve one another.

Can I get a "Hell, yeah," from anyone else on the board?

Yo, Pyongshin, you still around? Does this one get the "Special Stamp," or what?

-sigh

[kingplaya4]

Yes, I really don't know the difference between your and you're, and I sure don't know how to spell overseas.

I'm sorry I didn't spell check my message to YOUR satisfaction.

Now please, get a life.