Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Gary B]

Wha'z up?
Does anybody know of a reputable English teacher recruiting agency for Korea or a list? Does anybody know anything of John's Consulting based in Canada?
Thanks
Chow for Now,
Trying To Learn The Ropes In Korea From Motown Gary B.

[Zed]

There may be more than one John. Is his family name Jang?
I was recruited by John Jang 2 years ago and he told me (and others that he recruited for my school) that he kept in contact with those he placed to make sure that there were no problems with the placement. None of us heard from him again.
If I remember correctly, he claimed to be related to the director of our school. He wasn't. (Not that that makes much of a difference - in fact that might be something to be wary about)
He told me that I would work one Saturday every month. I worked all of them. There wasn't a choice. I learned an important lesson about making sure the contract is specific.
He just wanted his commission. Being honest with the teachers wasn't of any consequence to him. Most recruiters don't know anything about the schools they hook you up with. There are exceptions but how is one to know unless you hear direct information from someone you can trust.

[Walter Mitty]

I recomment FTUnion. They (well, Stephanie, actually - she's the one I dealt with) got me a great job in Ansan. They have positions all over Korea and were very professional in handling everything. My school uses them exclusively (as far as I can tell) to find new teachers. The current four (one about to leave, his contract's expiring) teachers, and the next one coming in have all gotten their positions through FTUnion.

Email Stephanie at [email protected] and tell her what you're looking for - location, pay, age of students, etc. - and she should be able to hook you up with something that'll suit you.

[Psy]

May I suggest that going through a recruiter may not have to be your only option. If you are trying to "get your foot in the door" it may be a decent way to begin a fulfilling career. However, I've found that "freelancing" or contacting hagwons? directly (in many cases just showing up at their front door) have worked well.

There are many decent as well as unscrupulous recruiters. (as well as hagwons) Unfortunately, it is hard to tell which are which. My only advice is to use caution. Try to get everything in writing. Your gut feeling should lead you the rest of the way.

Good luck!

[buddy bradley]

[Clutch Cargo]

I used FT Union and they pretty much stayed on track with what I wanted in relation to location, hours and whatnot. I got them to change the contract a few times through the school due to some contradictory clauses eg. Hours (written in contract as) 9:30 - 3:00
Clause 3 - Hours can not be gauranteed by school (deleted from contract)
That sort of stuff.
Good luck.

[TECO]

Gary, you finish your M.A. yet?

Are you in Korea?

Personally, I'd stay away from recruiters.

You don't need them to find a descent job in places like Japan, Korea or Taiwan.

Dave's has a lot of ads - check those out.

[rapier]

The fact is at the moment, recruiters are fast becoming the only way for someone overseas to organise a job here.
I've used recruiters twice, both times they presented a less than realistic picture of the job I ended up with- either that or the school gradually makes back door changes as you go along. Sad to say but koreans often lie through their teeth about a job, until you are safely secured, working, signed up and E2'd. Then they start making small changes to your schedule.
If they tell you there are other foreign teachers, make sure they specify if they are just koreans who've lived a short time in America, or genuine westerners. If they tell you you'll have to teach KG for only 2 months at the start, that usually means all year..
Basically there's no surefire way of telling what you'll end up with in this business.

[jajdude]

I think recruiters are pretty much taking over the market. Most job ads I see are recruiters. They may not know the school or may not care. They mainly try to get you to show up without giving you much information beforehand. Well they may tell you some things about the job including pay, schedule, student age, location, but they tend to keep it vague. And of course they never tell you the school's name as that would give you the option to contact the school yourself, and they'd lose out. Any I figure you've probably got about the same odds of finding a decent job with or without a recruiter. I've used two that lied about housing and vacation time, however, so you have to get the deal straightened out with the school. It's not up to the recruiter what the school deal will actually be. I think the worst part is that you never know what school it will be until you show up. Then it's one of those schools you've heard nothing good but lots bad about. Then you know you've wasted time as visiting schools can be time-consuming.

[Stunted Wookie]

You will find that recruiters are a necessary evil. Yes you can find a job without them, however they fill a valuable need for the schools. They locate bodies for the school...all the director does is make the call. Its a convenience factor.

You will find it difficult unless you visit (difficult, not impossible) to find any great number of direct school contacts..usually you can stumble of a fran. head web site or a direct ad..but that's really hit and miss.

Recruiters, good or bad have a solid database of contacts and are contacted by schools just as much as foreign bodies contact them.

Many job ads are vauge as they are advertising for several jobs or none in particular. They are 'fishing'.

This is why so many people say "the contract was different than what the recruiter initially told me" ...

[Gary B]

Wha'z up?
First of all THANKS for all the great, but frightning responses. For those of you who suggested not going through recruiters, how did you get your work visas? I've heard that first you have to secure a job then leave the country to apply for the work visa in another country such as Japan for example. I also have an Ecuadorian wife and I'm wondering how much that would complicate the visa procedure. This is another reason why I thought it would be easier to go through a recruiter. I taught in Ecuador for 5 years and the visa procedures are or were much more lax so it was easier to just show up there. How does one obtain a visa for a spouse? By the way, I realize chow is spelled incorrectly in Italian, but I match the "ow" final which corresponds to the pronunciation.
Chow for Now,
Thanks For The Info From Motown Gary B.