Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ACT III]

Yeah the photo thing is kinda weird, is it common for other types of 'non modeling` jobs in korea?

I've done a few university interviews recently and I noticed that sometimes the interviewer(s) is/are intimidated by professionalism. Now I don't have a lot of experience but I do have a CELTA, and at my previous school received some great professional development. (Which was leaps and bounds more beneficial in the real world of teaching.) But when I used words like 'kinesthetic', or 'receptive skills' in response to the question of "how do you approach teaching?" I received blank stares of "is that english?" Now maybe a 24 year old that graduated from a well known uni who is trying to be professional doesn't belong in a university because of age, or heaven forbid doesn't look good in a suit. But isn't it fair to say that a good majority of universities in Korea, like the majority of english education here, are not looking for professionalism but rather just the vain image of it?

[robot]

[branchsnapper]

It would vary a bit, but I think that a university would be very likely to take an ivy league/oxbridge applicant over an experienced one (without such great qualifications). They will them stick them in with the kiddies/non-English majors, with predictable results. However, few such people apply from inside Korea.

[NightSky]

[yawarakaijin]

[ACT III]

[MrMr]

Francis, Thanks for the common sense advice. I'll review it in September when I begin looking for a new uni position.

[branchsnapper]

Well Mr Mr, you won't be able to do anything about points 3 and 4 before then, and when bearing in mind point 2, bear in mind that what the western bloke on the hiring committe thinks about your teaching methodology talk may not be the same as what the Koreans think, or want to hear. (and who really knows if they want academic jargon or I-can-hack-it-with-the-kids anyway?).

Which leaves us with point 1. Write a nice resume and use a pretty photo. Thanks a lot.

[Easter Clark]

I may be wrong, but it seems like uni students in Korea are harder to handle than HS students. The ones I've seen in my neighborhood are always making a ruckus, being loud and obnoxious...I wonder if they're any different in their FT's required-but-ok-to-fail-because-I-will-pass-no-matter-what English "Conversation" class.

And what about the respect the FT receives at a university? Is it any more than that you typically receive at a PS? I don't have to mark papers, deal with unruly students on my own, take attendance; get a vacation that rivals some uni instructors', and get paid more than a typical uni instructor. Why would I want a university teaching position? Can anyone convince me? Am I way off-base here?

[branchsnapper]

You are way on base, but for myself I would rather teach a class by myself than be treated like a talking turnip. My public school basically allows that, but anyway, public schools have their own issues.........

[Unposter]

Man, you must work at a really bad university or a really good one which attracts a lot of weirdos too.

I work at a mid-level university and we never get women wearing halter tops in thier photos. I kind of wish we did though. We do get some bad looking resume's but we get plenty of nice looking ones. It makes our life easier; you just throw the bad ones out.

It ain't that difficult.

What I find annoying, though, is the applicants who demand things like there is one applicant for five positions and we can't find anyone to fill it. People with BAs and only hakwon experience thinking the university will bend over backwards to hire them. Of course, they just don't get hired and the people who look they will work hard do.

But, it ain't that difficult.

[mrsquirrel]

You forgot to mention not using stupid email address's.

Things like - [email protected] are not appropriate. It's not hard to get an email address similar to your real name that can be used for work.

[Bryan]

[bassexpander]

[ytuque]