Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wintersnow7]

Recently there was a job posting on Dave's for the Pusan University of Foreign Studies TESOL department. I applied for the job and although it was already filled they said there was an opening at Tamna University on Jeju Island teaching linguistics in their TESOL department. So they recommended me and talked with some university staff and I got the job. Or so I thought.

So they asked for the usual documents which I sent. They even sent me the contract. Done deal. Then about 3 weeks after I had been offered the job, I get a phone call from one of the faculty at Tamna. He is really angry and rude. Typical spoiled Korean. "Are YOU still interested in the job??" He's talking really slow and angry on purpose. Then he wants to know where the documents are. "Why haven't they arrived yet?? Why didn't you send them DHL? Post office is too slow blah blah." They asked me before to send the documents express air mail.

Then he says "What address did you send them??" I said the address you asked me to send them to. He insists on knowing the exact address which I obviously don't have memorized. He keeps asking me. "Why not DHL??" Since I got my postgrad degree abroad it is really difficult to get transcripts and my university can't send them DHL! typical Korean stupidity. Always blame others.

Anyway, then he starts asking about where I worked in Korea before. He sounds very suspicious. Apparently he knows the owners of the school I worked at. So he asks me who my reference is at the school. They had never asked me for any references before this. I told him who the manager was. Keep in mind this is already 2 or 3 weeks after they told me I have the job and they have already told me to arrange my flight! Then he calls back about 20 minutes later and says, "I'm sorry, I cannot offer you the job. Your school did not recommend you."

WTF??? So I say, "Why didn't you ask for this before? Why now after I already wasted my time and money??" He says, "YOU SHOULD'VE GAVE US THE REFERENCE BEFORE!"

I am totally baffled by this. This is the most unprofessional thing I have ever heard of. Offering a job to someone and then taking it away is outrageous. And I contacted the manager of my previous job and she said she was not contacted. So whoever he talked to had no idea about my job performance if he even contacted them at all.

Does anyone have any incite into this? It is just too much to take in. There's no way to get your head around this clusterf**k. Anyway, it is a good thing that this didn't happen over here because I would go in there and pay that guy a personal visit. Give him a taste of old school swift justice.

And to the person out there who did get this job: you got the job over a perfectly qualified person who already had the job and the person you are going to be working for is a nightmare. I'm sure you will get screwed over.

The thing is I should've known what to expect from Korea. I will never apply for another job in Korea again because of this. Korea is definitely off my list of countries to work in.

[Tony_Balony]

Yea, when I started my job search, it took the recruiter only 2 days to call me liar and accuse me of cheating him.

[Lekker]

Ever heard of CDI? They offered me 4 different jobs in one week, after I had agreed on the first one with them and came over here.

[wintersnow7]

[Lekker]

You might be correct on that, but didn't scientists here recently develop glow in the dark cats? That might say something.

[winterwawa]

If you are in Korea and this happens, talk to an attorney. You can sue the school for breach of contract. According to Korean law, once an offer for a job is made it legally cannot be recended. But then, when did Koreans ever care about their obligations under the law?

[Darkness]

samething happend to my g/f at Chonju Uni...she had a non-refundable plane ticket too. Welcome to Korea, land of incompetence.

[bacasper]

I had a similar experience with a university I won't name. I had a signed contract and had purchased a flight. The fare was over $1000 and came out of my own pocket as most unis don't pay airfare, plus $200 for each change. It was not so easy to just line up another job so I had to change multiple times but I smartened up after the first and got doctor's notes.

Now every time I return to Korea, immi holds me up because there is some record of a process being begun and not completed which they must check.

People thinking of coming here, know what to expect.

[Darkness]

expect the unexpected, and expect unconsistancy

[wintersnow7]

[wintersnow7]

[ella]

They hired someone else who agreed to work for a lower salary or more hours or whatever they could get away with. Agreements are what's most expedient for them in the moment. You're disposable. It's not personal, it's Korea.

[cruisemonkey]

[cdninkorea]

[skdragon]

Same thing happened to me ... but at an Australian university. So, it happens all over the place not just here in Korea.