Korean Job Discussion Forums

[root555]

So- I'm curious if any of you out there have ever had to ask for a letter of recommendation from your Korean boss/employer for entry into a graduate school program. My initial feelings about this are not too good. Although given my resume, the timing of my application, ect.- I really have very little choice. I will have to obtain at least one LofR from a Korean employer. Problem is, of course, their English is pretty terrible. They also don't have much discretion when it comes to discussing my helping them in writing professional letters in English- being that I've had to basically write all of these for them in the past. I'm worried that if the school contacted them- they would think nothing of saying that I 'wrote' the letter for them. And thirdly- my experience w/ Koreans (and my bosses,) has been seeing absolute lack of timeliness, even in the most important tasks. So WHAT CAN I DO???? Any of you have experience with this???? Just curious.

[MissSeoul]

Tell your boss that you need recomandation letter from him and let him TELL what he want to say on recomandation letter ( makes memo when he say things about you ..etc ), then you translate that nicely to english, then lets him sign. He knows his english isn't good enough to write himself even if he wants to do, so this will be no problem for him. He will be happy for you !

[root555]

Yes...if it were only so easy. I've heard bosses say "She tall and beautiful," or "he was handsome" when talking about their so-called professional recommendations for past employees. Once when I asked my boss not to write something a bit strange in a letter exchange w/ an American class- she just blatantly disregarded my advice. So I'm having a hard time believing that if I told my boss "Do not mention that I had to help you write this," that she would blatantly disregard that also. My bf recently had to help his boss do a LofR and a questionnaire for a past employee just out of Law school- and on questions such as 'How did candidate express leadership skills?' or 'What were candidates strongest qualities?' he answered: Good. Yes. 'He was good at everything. He good worker' for every question. And this guy DOES actually speak English well. So my bf basically had to write and answer the whole thing for him.

[blackjack]

tell him what you want, Get him to write it in korean, take it to a translation service and provide your grad school with both copies. A one page letter should not cost too much. even if it does think about how much grad school costs

[root555]

Thing about LofR and grad school is- never am I EVER suppossed to even see the letter, let alone touch it w/ my bare hands. If I do, I lose a lot of credibility in that there is lack of confidentiality between the school and my former employer. It's a big No-No in the grad application process. The standard is that you tell your employer/past professors, give them a stamped envelope and an outline of your goals, the deadline, and then pray to god what they say is put nicely, and sent in a very timely manner to the school. So basically- my feelings on all this aren't being uplifted as of yet. Uggghhh.

[blackjack]

warn your grad school that he is korean and his english is bad, ask if it is possible for your boss to write it in korean, and you pay for the translation. or there might even be a korean on staff at your grad school

about the timelessness of a korean workplace, sit him down and explain how important it is to you blah blah and hope for the best

[toro]

Speaking of reference letters, what is the best way to prove your work history at a Korean school for potential future employers?

Will my school provide a reference letter when my contract is up?

Who will my prospective employer contact?

Language barrier issues?

I just worry that a year in Korea is difficult to prove..kind of like a year on Mars.

Any suggestions?

[root555]

First off, I'd start by collecting any or all income and tax information that your school *should* be providing you- to give proof of your employment. However, telling someone that this piece of paper that was folded in half, in which you signed over the crease, with the Chinese symbol stamped on it may not be the easiest thing to explain. I've come across this fear in thinking about the possibility of receiving financial aid, by giving my income and tax information to the U.S. FAFSA- yet all in Korean! (They said do it anyway...and I guess I'll just anticipate the flow of questions afterwards.) Of course put down your contacts, previous bosses, website of school if needed, ect. Also- showing your alien residency card which states your E-2 visa status while here at least proves you were employed SOMEWHERE. If you went through a recruiter- give their name and contact info.- and they can vouch that you indeed were placed to work at said location. My fear, of course, would be that a potential employer/school would contact my old boss and all they could say is "Teacha sooooo good. Very tall and beautiful. Kids like her. She good at everything!" to every question. My bf's boss- for example- confessed to him mid-way through his contract that he is actually paid 200,000 more than the last guy because 'he's not fat and short like him.' And we're by far not extremely attractive people by any means. We're just *white* by Korean standards.... I think you're right to worry about lost time, though. In terms of a legit paper trail, Korea does give the appearance of a black hole.

[root555]

Also- thanx for the tips guys, but I'm thinking that warning potential grad schools that a guy's "Korean" and bad at English isn't going to translate into: "Ok! you can break the rules to our application process then. Those Koreans always get in the way of admissions." I'm going to have to take big risks- get crafty- or buy my boss an electronic spell and grammar check.

[LexLibra]

I had no problems with it at all. I left Korea to go to grad school in the States and I emailed my former boss to please fill out & send in a LoR for me. She was head of the English Dept. at a university so her English was good (-ish). I never saw what exactly she wrote because she had to send it directly to my school, but it couldn�t have been bad � I got accepted.

Just write a very obsequious email along the lines of, �Esteemed Dr. Blah Blah, I hope this email finds you well. I have returned to XX to begin my studies in XX. I am beginning the application process to XX Univ. program of XX. As you can imagine, my time spent abroad in Korea will be an important part of my application for admission. As my former employer and [position] of the [English Dept], your judgment of my performance would be given a great deal of consideration. Would you mind providing your recommendation to my school? I would appreciate your time and consideration greatly. Please let me know and I will be happy to send you the paperwork�� The key is flattery. Academics everywhere, but especially in Korea, just eat it up.

I wouldn�t worry about his/her English being bad � the LoR isn�t about their skills; it�s about yours and any time you spent abroad is always a point in your favor with admissions boards. Also, there�s only a 1% chance that your school will actually contact them. If they do, some Prof. will tell his secretary to call Korea and the moron won�t know to dial 011-82, etc. Otherwise, they�ll call in the middle of the night and get a recorded voice message in Korean. Then they give up and look at your other credentials. Really, your LoR is just a piece of paper attesting to the fact that you spent XX years in an exotic Asian locale and you therefore necessarily have an expanded world view, independence, self-reliance, and a spy-like ability to adopt new modes of dress, speech, and blend perfectly with the native cultures, blah blah. At any rate, it�s an advantage that you can�t afford to pass over. Politely but persistently get the recommendation.