Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kara_gina]

What is the general opinion of this agency??

[armbar]

Longbridge Pacific was the first recruiter to offer me a job. After I did some research, I decided that I should probably shop around. Most responses about LP are negative but like I said I didn't go with their job offer. Use the search function and look around. I got spooked after researching them on here. I know this isn't much help...

[dcwm81]

LP was my recruiter, and I ended up at CDI. I've heard that from others as well. I think they do lots of work for them. I think you should do your homework before taking any job from them, or maybe look for someone else.

[kara_gina]

thanks for your replies! I'll definitely be checking them out a bit more first...

[scaramanga82]

I have just got quite a good offer from longbridge pacific but after reading this forum i am VERY unsure about with going ahead with them.

Anymore advice? I also am in the process of applying with CDI, who i know are a really good school. I think ill apply and see what offers i acutally get but please if you know of Longbridge Pacific, tell me what your experiences are.

Dan

[cdninkorea]

Well I know Longbridge Pacific lied to me 4 years ago:

I told them I wanted to be in Seoul. An agent from LP told me jobs in Seoul are hard to come by, and told me there was a great job in Ansan, "only 40 minutes from Seoul." A friend who was already in Korea had a girlfriend from Ansan, who assured me not only that Ansan is quite a distance from Seoul, but that there are plenty of jobs all over Seoul (both of which are true).

So I told the agent I wanted a job in Seoul. He told me there was a job in Seoul, but as rent is higher, I'd have to share an apartment. Again, a complete lie; most teachers live alone in Seoul as well.

I don't know if they're still like this- maybe it was just one agent who was dishonest and they've cleaned up since. Hey, 4 years is a long time, right? Still, be cautious.

[PRagic]

USE ANY AND ALL RECRUITERS AND PUT YOUR CV UP ON EVERY SITE YOU CAN FIND. CONCENTRATE ON THE JOB, NOT WHERE IT COMES FROM.

Seems like one of these posts asking after a certain agency comes up at least once a week, so it's frustrating that so many people new to the market are so uninformed about recruiters and how to deal with them.

[by2004]

Sketchy at best.

[Conrad B Hart]

Whereas no other agencies have been able to offer me a job so far, Longbridge Pacific have been able to. But I don't know whether that's a good or bad thing, as when everyone else seems to be saying there are not many jobs, I get a bit suspicious when one agency seems to have several openings. Like, why? Can they not get anyone else to fill them?
Who knows.

To be honest I think all recruiters talk complete ****! They just want their cut for finding a teacher and will seemingly tell you anything. I've already been told several things that contradict the evidence I've read elsewhere (including on this forum). Sick Sad World

[smoggy]

Hi,
I still haven't received my visa back after my interview, but I should get it by Friday. I am working through LP. I sure wish that I would have known about the bad things with this agency long"bridge" before. Sarcasm gets you everywhere.

What I know: I was told that I'd save more money in Daegu. They gave me And....Lang. School and I signed the contract. I asked for pictures of my room, and all of a sudden the person decided to re-sign for another year. I week later, I read 2 extremely bad reviews from May & June of 2009. I talked to another teacher and he told me to stay away. There are only 3 foreign teachers, so you do the math. Fishy???

Then they gave me ECC Seongseo. They told me that a 200K deduction per 3 months was normal - even though everyone tells me it is an illegal penalty and they also tell me that my airfare is to be refunded even if I stay 6 months. They claim that I'll only have to work 24-25 hours a week, with a max of 14hours per month OT at 20K won per hour. I also have compulsory extra duties. I heard that I'll work more than my contract. ECC on their website says I'll get 50K subsidy for my Visa & 200K relocation bonus. (Not true according to LP)

I've taught daily as a substitute for 6.5 years, have tefl and only am being paid 2.2M- which I'm told is fairly good.
This is what I know about LP - very slick?

[myeo]

Personally I found recruiters to be hit or miss. I dealt with two and eventually decided to apply directly to schools. I would recommend applying to schools where you can talk to expat management (i.e. head teacher, admin).

From what I can gather, I think a major problem with a lot of ESL teachers is that they accept some horrible jobs. It took me over a month to find and accept a job offer that I felt comfortable accepting.

Recruiters aren't for everyone, but for some they are a great resource for the initial big step to the ROK (they provide a lot of good information -- and sometimes a lot of bad -- hit or miss). I am just about to start my first contract in September and so far I have no regrets not dealing with a recruiter all the way.

Best of luck.

[kirsi]

They ignored me. But, I will try again...

[Sausolito]

[smoggy]

In my opinion, I feel that the recruiter should be there for the person they introduce. They should be a go between, and they should be able to smooth out situations. If I run into a problem, and my recruiter doesn't help me, I'll be the first to write a scathing review of this recruiter. My wonder many people do runners. They advertise that they will support you the entire time, but judging by my contract, I have my reservations. Recruiters must earn their money - perhaps they shouldn't get paid until the first 6 months have been worked, then they would not be so lazy.

[Sausolito]